The horses are in fairly good shape. My pack horse Tuffy is only four years old and has never been on a long pack trip before. He is a stout 13 hand sorrel pony, and Rusty, my saddle horse, is a fourteen-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter, strawberry roan in color, and stands a shade over 15 hands tall.

I spent a lot of time getting ready and plan to ride the old pack trails I found on historical maps; many from the research library at the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona. This is going to be a real challenge, as I don’t know if the old trails I want to travel even exist today. Much of the country we will be riding through has some of the roughest terrain in the state of Arizona with water holes few and far apart.

I’m starting from Dewey, which is just east of Prescott, riding out through Bloody Basin, and then into the Mazatzal Wilderness. When I return I’ll be traveling through the Verde Valley and up over the Black Mountains to Dewey and home.

Don’t know how long I will be gone and really don’t care. There are no time limits on this trip. To me there is a pleasure like none other riding through the silent mountains and picturesque valleys of the Southwest; a rugged land rich in beauty and adventure.

On the trail I know my strength will increase in every way; physically, mentally, and spiritually. I never have to worry, for God tells us in Proverbs 3:6 that if we acknowledge Him in everything, He promises to direct our steps. So come along and ride with me!