On the trail: Lambing Grounds to Forest
We have completed our annual trek from the lambing grounds, north of Dixon, to our national forest grazing permits on the Routt and Medicine Bow National Forests (which is really one forest. It just has different names in Colorado and Wyoming.) It is a big piece of our overall 150 mile trail from our winter grounds on the Red Desert, begun in mid-April to our summer country, hard by the Continental Divide.
On the trail for the Routt Forest
photo by Lynn Cox
For about two weeks, we arise at 4:30 a.m. or so, in order to trail the sheep, and flag them on roads when necessary. On some days, we have six bands of sheep on the trail. After they separate on the Savery Stock Driveway, we are in two states, and have to have two camp movers in order to keep everyone moving along in an orderly manner. Lots of days, we have two herders with each bunch. For the first few days, the lambs want to run back, since their instinct is to return to the last place they 'sucked', i.e. saw their moms. We have two big hills to climb. The first is just as we leave the BLM for the Forest, and cross the "Boyer culverts" (formerly bridge) at Savery Creek. The second is the Battle Creek crossing from Stemp Springs to Upper Big Gulch. Both involve challenging a very steep hill at a very early hour. This is where we depend on our experienced ewes. They know the trail and embark on the climb, leading the younger and less experienced sheep behind them. We definitely want two herders with the bunch on these days, but it is the ewes who lead the way.
At the same time, we have two bunches of cows and calves to trail to the Forest--one to the Routt and one to the Medicine Bow. We ended up trailing cows and calves and ewes and lambs on the same day from the same pasture. Eamon and Megan left first with the cattle, since they move faster, and our daughter Meghan followed with Pepe's bunch of ewes and lambs.
Jose carrying a little lamb
Savery Stock Driveway
photo by Sharon O'Toole
Sheep in Government corrals
Savery Stock Driveway
photo by Sharon O'Toole
Antonio blade shearing a wooley ewe
Government corrals
photo by Sharon O'Toole
the long tailed lambs
Government corrals
Savery Stock Driveway
photo by Sharon O'Toole
The new face of Bahnay
Government corrals
photo by Sharon O'Toole
Calves ready to hit the trail
Bull Pasture
photo by Sharon O'Toole
Seamus, Siobhan and Meghan
on the trail, Routt National Forest
photo by Pat O'Toole
Seamus, ready to rope
On the trail
photo by Pat O'Toole
Edgar and Eamon
on Routt County 129
photo by Pat O'Toole
Bahnay Jussila
trailing sheep through the Three Forks Ranch
photo by Pat O'Toole
Pepe
Beetle-killed pines in Routt National Forest
photo by Lynn Cox
Dunkin and friends
on the trail to the Routt National Forest
photo by Sharon O'Toole
Rear-view trailing in the rain past decorative fences
on the trail to the Routt National Forest
photo by Sharon O'Toole
