Everyday Adventure

The ride started badly when I was saddling JoyFull.  She tried to bite me several times while saddling…something she has never done before.  Right away I had the thought cross my mind that she was telling me the ride was a bad idea.  I spent a little more time than usual moving her around after saddling to make sure she was not broncy…which she can be if it is a while since I have saddled and ridden her.  She seemed fine so Dave and I and Treasure and JoyFull set off down the only trail out of the North Fork John Day Horse Campground… Trail 3022.

The trail started out pleasant enough with a wide pathway lined by river rock.  This area had been
heavily mine in the mid-1800’s and even as recently as 2000, so much of the river had been dredged and the natural course of the river altered.  Nevertheless, nature had done a remarkable job of recovery and the landscape was a pleasant view.  We crossed a tributary of the North Fork John Day River and then the path began to follow that river.  Soon the trail was very narrow…a horse width wide...the edge of which was often very close to the steep bank of the stream with drop-offs ten to fifty feet down.  Since I was following Treasure, I did not think a lot of it at first.  We came to a muddy spot on the trail and JoyFull insisted on trying to climb above it…not like her.  A little further down, another muddy spot and again she tried to climb the much steeper hill above it.  What was she thinking?

We came to a boulder field.  Fortunately, the trail was wider here but the rocks which made up the trail ranged from baseball to soccer ball sized.   With every step the horses slipped, slid, and stumbled.  JoyFull was not paying enough attention to her feet, in my opinion.  She wanted to be too close to Treasure.  Once through the boulder field, in a wider place on the trail, I had Dave swing his mecate to make being that close uncomfortable and back her off.  It helped for a while.

The trail continued very narrow and now not only had the drop off on the river side, but also a very steep bank on the uphill side.  As I watched Treasure going ahead, her hind foot step off the edge on the river side.  She quickly saved herself and Dave…I don’t know if Dave perceived it, but it made me more nervous since JoyFull still was not thinking about her feet.  I kept being reminded of my first thoughts about the ride…wondering if this was a good idea.

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Old miners' cabin

After about half an hour we came upon an abandoned miner’s cabin.  We stopped to take a look.  When I went to get back on JoyFull, instead of standing as usual, she strained to turn around on the narrow trail, turning sharply up the steep side of the hill.  I have to say that was the last impetus I needed to call it a day. 

Maybe something worse was up the trail, but I wasn’t about to find out.  I told Dave I had had a bad feeling about the ride from the get go and he was willing to turn around and make our way back.  Thankfully the ride back was uneventful.

I heard recently that one should look for the adventure in each day.  When I heard it, I thought what a great idea…and this was definitely an adventure.  But it doesn’t have to be rescue from a near catastrophe to be an adventure.  You may be saying that’s great for you, you are living an adventure every day.  But I want to challenge you, look for the adventure in your life every day.  It could be a superbly prepared meal for someone special…discovering a wildflower growing up through the crack in a city sidewalk.  Perhaps it is the joy you experience when you hear a child’s giggle as you go past him/her at the supermarket or the sudden incredible rainbow after a summer thunderstorm.  Perhaps it is just finding your child’s lost shoe (or your lost keys or your lost cell phone) or the warmth of a sincere “thank you” from a friend.

I think God does structure our days to include adventures…trials to overcome, beauty to behold, relationships to cherish.  What is your adventure today?  Be sure to let me know it the comments!

The watering spot on the North Fork John Day River, a couple of minutes walk from camp.