American Quarter Horses on the Rawah Trail
July 17, 2009
And why I never seem to get away from work.
Adam Spence and Blake Dobson in Colorado's Rawah Wilderness, headed to California. (Journal photo)
So I went hiking Sunday morning (July 12, 2009) with my friends, deep in the Rawah Wilderness in Colorado’s northern Rocky Mountains. We were north of Cameron Pass, following a trail through aspen groves, high mountain meadows and spruce tipped with fresh green.
We were hoping to see moose.
Instead, we saw what looked like American Quarter Horses. We ran into two guys, horseback, with a nice string of six, one horse packing gear: Duns, roan, gray, bay and palomino. And a cute heeler puppy named Maggie gamboling about, learning how to be smart on the trail by being a little silly first. She and my dog Tucker were instant best buds and almost got kicked for it.
As they went by, my story “nose” itched a little, because this didn’t look like a dude string, and these guys looked cowboy, not dressed-up-to-be-cowboy.
But these guys looked in a hurry to get somewhere, and not too eager to stop a loose string to let hikers gawk. And I was trying to take a Sunday away from either writing to stay caught up or traveling to capture something.
Off they headed around a bend. And I was a little irritated with myself for not having my work camera with me – with the horses and the scenery – it had potential cover written all over it.
Oh, well. I thought, “Lord, if I’m meant to find something out about these guys, make it happen.”
About half an hour later we caught up with them again. They were paused, letting the horses graze a bit in a meadow while they tied them together. I stepped up to say hello.
The horses were Quarter Horses, about half with papers, and the two young men had just started out on a trail ride to California to raise awareness for the American Cancer Society, but they couldn’t seem to get the word out. Their names were Blake Dobson and Adam Spence … and they were in a hurry to get down the trail.
I told them I worked for The American Quarter Horse Journal and offered to get a photo of them together -– surely they didn’t have much opportunity for that. I borrowed my friend’s little digital camera and clambered up on a granite boulder.
It was a whale of a place for a photo shoot: Two cowboys, a fine string of horses, a high mountain meadow with the aspen all around, and the sunlight streaming down.
I managed to get their e-mail addresses before they headed out, so I hope that at some point I’ll hear more about their trek and why they started it in the first place. They were in a hurry to find a different trail through the Rawah, as this one was too wet and their horses kept losing shoes on it. They disappeared among the trees, angling down toward the Laramie River.
Now what are the odds of that in the Rocky Mountain back country? But things like that just seem to happen in our wide, yet small Quarter Horse world.
And it’s one of the reasons why I kinda like it when my job tags along.
Christine Hamilton
Editor
American Quarter Horse Journal
The American Quarter Horse Journal is your one-stop source for everything about the Quarter Horse. Don’t miss a single issue, subscribe now.
Comments
4 Comments on “American Quarter Horses on the Rawah Trail”
Add a Comment
July 28th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Adam is my Cousin – He filled me in on something about a month ago over a camp fire in North Carolina. If you have some questions, PR is a good thing when your trying to raise money for the Cancer Society. I am sure I can put you in touch with some people to get some more detail.
MO
August 7th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Christine,
We have something in common: the idea of these two young cowboys going into the wild blue yonder on horseback to raise money for the American Cancer Society touched our hearts. My daughter Kristy told me about them since she knows Adam. I couldn’t believe 26 year olds were that giving, adventurous, and for real; therefore she and I met up with them in Medicine Bow, Wyoming and I shot some pics of them and put it together in a slideshow for friends.
I figured you’d enjoy seeing where they are right now. Here’s the link:
http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d5441334e5449344e5442384d6a67324f546b774f513d3d0d0a&sb=1
Angela Shepherd
Denver, CO
303-521-8411
August 11th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
HI All, I’d like to update you on these two fine gentlemen a few days past medicine bow. I just returned from about 40 miles north of medicine bow where I spent a week on the 7E Ranch, owned by Ron Heward. My wife Lindsay and I live in Flagstaff Az. Lindsay grew up on that Ranch and we go up every summer for a week or two to see her parents and help on the Ranch. This year is special because on August 8th the Hewards celebrated this Ranch being in their Family for 100 years. Adam and Blake came up the little medicine river and showed up on August 6th. They asked if they could stay the night in the barn, and with family coming in to help set up for the celebration, that was about the only place available for them. Dad Heward told them they were welcome to stay and the horses were enjoying some good feed in a pasture along the river. We already had a good crew of family there to help set up so we were getting ready for a big dinner for everyone. One of the sons, Chad and his wife Martha brought with them two friends who are sisters, Epa 16 and Sana 17 years old who attend church with them back in Spanish Fork Utah to enjoy the celebration. They are of Samoan decent and are very talented Polenesian dancers. They had agreed to dance that evening for the family.
So there we all were in Grandads work shop, enjoying a nice big meal with two cowboys passing through, watching polenesian dancers put on a show. I believe it was Blake that mentioned when asked “yeah, we get this every night”. When Lindsay’s sister Kim showed up and walked in at the end of dinner, she asked her husband Tom, “who are the dancin girls” — Tom looked at her and said “Who are the cowboys”? We all had a great time!
We so enjoyed getting to know Blake and Adam, that Grandad Heward told them the next morning that they were more than welcome to stay and give their horses a rest for a couple of days. Their would be a lot of good food and good company for the celebration. We had about 250 people there. Blake and Adam were big helps with setting up and cleaning up–there was a lot to do and they were happy to help. My wife Lindsay mentioned, you just don’t see gentlemen much like that any more. Every time we saw them meet a friend or family member, they would stand, take off there hat and share their big warm smiles.
They met many that came for the celebration and shared what they were doing and why. Everybody seemed to love them, especially the kids and the heartbroken dancin girls:) They will always be welcome at our home.
Kyle McCain
Budget Blinds of Flagstaff
928-707-2199
August 11th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Thanks, everyone, for the updates! I’m back from the Ford Youth World, and will try to make contact with Blake and Adam – they left me their phone number. I’ll give you an update when I have one! Thanks so much for posting your SD Expedition “sightings”!
Christine Hamilton