Co-Op Creek Trail Ride
Just not being able to stand the heat, we opted to go up into the mountains on Sunday with the horses. Be assured we kept a wary eye on the sky for the pop-up afternoon thunderstorms and accompanying lightning which have sparked several devastating wildfires here in Utah.
D and I, the horses, plus Pam and John and their crew drove east into the Strawberry River reservoir area and made for a trailhead that would take us along Co-Op Creek in the National Forest. D and John had plotted out our course on a couple of topos maps and we were not disappointed. The first 3 or 4 miles of the trail wound along the creek, through huge aspen groves. Because of the water source, everything up here is lovely and green and (relatively) cool.
D and Hap stopped frequently to double-check the GPS coordinates he had plotted.
After winding through the forest, the trail opened up into a 2-track, accessible to ATVs, although we only saw 2 guys on 4-wheelers. It wound in and out of small meadows and then back under the trees.
There are tons of flowers out right now - indian paintbrush, wild roses, lupines, wild geraniums - and we enjoyed looking at the brilliant colors as we worked our way up to about 9000 feet. We saw an elk, several deer, lots of birds, and as we finished up the loop, to return back to the trailer, we stopped to admire the handiwork of the beavers in creating log-jams across the creek.
This was a great summer ride (although it would also be beautiful in the fall with the aspens). It was about 10 degrees cooler up here than in the valley and it is not particularly a technically challenging trail. There are a couple of spots near the edges of drop-offs, but space is wide enough you can move the horses away from the edge, off the trail, if you need to.
About 2 miles from the trailer, D spotted a folded print-out map on the ground. I hopped off Diggs to pick it up, thinking one of us had dropped it, but it turned out to be a copy of a map from a recent endurance ride (Strawberry Fields Forever, Day 2) in the area that gave us two MORE local trails to explore. We might even go back this weekend for another tour.
All for now....
How different the ground cover. My fern is nearly as high as I stand.
Posted by:Judy | July 10, 2007 at 09:28 AM
Oh my. Isn't that beautiful? The best part about endurance rides is the new local trails you learn about. Ride as much as you can this summer - fall and hunting season & winter and mud season will come soon enough.
Posted by:Cathy | July 10, 2007 at 11:02 AM
So beautiful up there!
Posted by:Meadow | July 10, 2007 at 11:28 AM
What a lovely spot for a ride! :-) No smoke in the air (that I can see) and I guess that means it was cooler and fresher... I really am sorry to hear from the Utah contingent just how bad things have been over there.
:-(
And can I just tell you how anxious I am for the bee shawl kit? :-) Quivering with anticipation, practically...
Posted by:Beth S. | July 10, 2007 at 12:39 PM
Looks like a nice ride! I didn't know they made equine Magellans, though: what, do they neigh?
Posted by:Marcia Cooke | July 10, 2007 at 12:55 PM
What a nice way to beat the heat!
Posted by:Sheepish Annie | July 10, 2007 at 01:07 PM
what a beautiful ride!
i got my sock kit, and i am suitably impressed!
Posted by:minnie | July 10, 2007 at 07:51 PM
Seeing these pictures makes me miss my riding days. Beautiful scenery!!
PS..........I would love a Bees kit when they are ready :-)
Posted by:Kim | July 10, 2007 at 09:33 PM
Jealous. Very jealous.
Posted by:Rachel H | July 10, 2007 at 09:52 PM
A great way to get out of the heat! I heard it was 67 at Mirror Lake! I'd be heading that way if we weren't going away this weekend.
Posted by:margene | July 11, 2007 at 08:16 AM
so gorgeous there, I love the Shimmery trees (that's what we called aspens when we were kids), everything look so lush wheer you were riding
Posted by:Liz | July 11, 2007 at 09:06 AM
It sounds like it was a lovely ride. Ten degrees less can feel a lot cooler in this heat!
Posted by:Karen | July 11, 2007 at 09:31 AM
Oh, what a find...a map with new trails! So I guess your horses are not scaried of ATV's, wild animals, and such...?
Posted by:PJ | July 11, 2007 at 08:23 PM
Oh thank you thank you for taking me on another wonderful ride. Did you see i am having a contest. ????? check it out. Let me know if you need my snail mail, but be sure to leave me your email address. :)
Posted by:kathy b | July 12, 2007 at 06:36 AM
That was a beautiful trail! Thanks for the ride!
So interesting to hear of the flowers that are blooming now--and amazing that it was cooler up there -than down in the valley!!
Posted by:cyndy | July 12, 2007 at 05:05 PM
That looks like a really nice place to escape the heat. Really cool how you came upon a map for new places to go :)
Posted by:Carol | July 13, 2007 at 02:00 PM