"Continually Under Construction"

Welcome to our High Country Page. Patti and I spend lots of time in the Washington Cascades and thought it would be fun to share some of it with you. It seems we used to take a lot of pictures, but have slowed down in recent years. The horse's and Mule's are our summer time fun and Snowmobiling takes over in winter. We hope you take a look at our High Country Pics. You can click on any thumbnail to see an enlarged picture. Then you can right click on it and save it.

Patti & I have packed all over the Cascade Mountain Range. Mike started packing in Alaska in his youth and is now gray around the muzzle. (lots of wrecks to learn from) We have packed most any gear you can put on a pack animal and some things you can't imagine. "Try bed springs sometime" We presently use both Decker & Sawbuck saddles. For most of our personal packing we use Ralide Panniers. These panniers are made of super tough space polymer. Although they are light, they are also waterproof, vermin proof, and virtually indestructible. They come with heavy duty nylon rigging straps for attaching to the pack saddle. The bottom cinch (from box to box) almost eliminates the need for a lash cinch. The back sides are contoured to comfortably fit the sides of the pack animal. Size is 23" wide by 11 1/2" deep by 21" high. Top opening is 21 1/2" x 9". Weight 14 lbs. each. They come dark brown, also available in green and hunter orange. I would highly recommend them for any recreational packing. Our Tack Room does include soft panniers (for packing boned meat), some reinforced plywood boxes and many manty tarps. Every Lash Cinch we have has 50' of 1/2" climbing rope on it which I have found... "to not stretch and still untie when frozen or wet". In packing there are no set in stone rules and what ever works well is the name of the game. Understand that "what works well" comes from the experience of many wrecks. Most of us old timers have been taught by the school of hard knocks and get set in our ways, so listen to many and take the best from each of us. One of the best things I have learned is... If you are going to try something new on your stock... Tire them out first... this seems to take the powder out of em some. 160 pounds of load is plenty for a pack animal in good shape in the backcountry. Stay lighter if the going is rough.

Spring of 2013

We lost two of our Horses this winter. Guy & George have gone to visit the Happy Hunting Grounds.

Guy from old age & 35 years with us.

George from a broken hip in his pasture & 19 years with us.

PCT Info from Mike & Patti

We are listed on the PCT website for Thru-Ride help in the Central Cascades

When I get an email from someone, my first thoughts are always... how experienced is this person?

The PCT through Washington State is not for the inexperienced horseman in many places. Sure, sections of it are easy and can be ridden by most anyone with a good pony. Other sections are a wreck waiting to happen. The problem is the easy sections might be divided by these possible wreck sections. Riding these sections is one thing, having pack stock with you might be a whole different story. By no means am I trying to discourage an experienced horseman from doing a Thru-Ride, I would just like to caution the inexperienced.

Goat Rocks = Steep country, skinny trails & rocky

White Pass through Snoqualmie Pass = Easy country

Alpine Lakes Wilderness = Steep country, skinny trails & rocky

One of the worst sections of trail I have ridden, just north of Snoqualmie Summit on the PCT. I was headed to Little Joe Lake on Friday night to meet some buddies that had packed in from the Salmon La Sac side earlier in the week. I thought I would cut a fat hog and just pack in from the summit instead of going all the way around to where their trucks were parked. I unloaded at Snoqualmie and started north on the PCT on my saddle horse and leading my packhorse with boxes. I was on the Katwalk before I could turn around. (it is much better now than in the early days) I rode across to the saddle as it cross's over to the east side. Stopped & got my breath, did some serious thinking and decided that if I continued in to their camp and spent the night... I would not have the nerve to ride back across this section. I turned around and went right back across, back down to the truck and went home. That is were I cleaned my drawers. My pack horse was bumping the load on the rock on the uphill side every few feet and my feet were out of the stirrups both ways.

Check out this video on youtube to get an idea what it looks like...

Kendall Katwalk on youtube

email me with questions

PCT & Equestrians 2010

My friend from Eastern Washington, Harold Beebe “Muleskinner”

is starting to ride some of the southern PCT starting April 4, 2010.

Here is a link to his Trail Journal.

When you get to his page, you can click on “List” on the left side of his first page to read his entries.

 http://www.trailjournals.com/about.cfm?trailname=10483

Better Read this...

Weed-free Feed Required in Northwest Forests

Not that we agree with it, but don't forget to buy the now required "Northwest Forest Pass" if you plan on using any trailhead in the Northwest.

See "High Country Links" for more info.

New Permits needed for recreation in Washington State

Trail Reports

  Trail Maps "Started 8/23/04"

High Country Pics

High Country Links

Hunting Page

Little Cowboy & Cowgirl Pics

Mule Page

Pictures of Chinook Pass Arch at Summit

If you like to Sing and need the words to some songs... Check out the "Cowpie Bunkhouse"

Wyoming River Pilot Tours  "America's Best Tour Company" has put together a great 

"Long Distance Horse Riding Best Practices Procedures and Equipment" document in pdf. Click here

Or go here...
http://www.riverspilot.com/Travel-Documents 

Gala Carriage "Sandy Thomas"

Sgt Reckless The Marine Pack Horse

Reckless was a pack horse during the Korean war, and she carried recoilless rifles, ammunition and supplies to Marines. Nothing too unusual about that, lots of animals got pressed into doing pack chores in many wars. 

But this horse did something more…. during the battle for a location called Outpost Vegas, this mare made 50 trips up and down the hill, on the way up she carried ammunition, and on the way down she carried wounded soldiers… 
What was so amazing? 

Well she made every one of those trips through enemy fire and without anyone leading her. 

Here’s her story and photos to prove where she was and what she did. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=YIo3ZfA9da0