The Great Escape

This morning I woke up at 4:30 with the purpose of trying to see a little bit of the meteor shower before the sun came up - I didn't see anything. But, Joe and I had planned on meeting at 6 to get an early start with the cows so I made a hearty breakfast and hit the road.

Joe and I took up some fence and brought in cows that had gotten out over night. Joe showed me herding techniques of Bud Williams - they are based on "feel", watching the reaction of the cow and using your slight movements and positions to get the cow to freely move to where you want them to. The idea is to use as little pressure as possible and allow the cow to make the decision.

Joe headed home, leaving me to herd the cows and practice my herding skills. I played around for about an hour, moving the cows around in a new paddock, leaving them to graze. With that, I had time to kill. Being alone and with no means of transportation, I decided to hike to the top of Bald Ridge - the ridge at the top of the Picnic Grounds, named for its lack of vegetation other than grass. The fog was dense this morning and I new there would be spectacular pictures from so high up. So, with camera and water in hand, I started my 30 minute trot to the top.

When I got to the top, I immediately noticed ATV tracks, and they looked fresh! Uh Oh! First thought that came into my mind was "Marijuana Growers". We had speculated that there might be growers in the back part of the ranch but have never had tangible evidence. For me, the ATV tracks were evidence enough and I turned around and hopped down the hill as fast as I could.
Five minutes down the ridge I heard the sound of an approaching ATV. "They've seen me!!!", I thought as I picked up the pace and dodged under brush.

I got back down to where the cows were, under the cover of fog, thoughts racing through my mind. Did the ATV see me? Were they coming for me? I also heard a shout as I was running away - were there more of them? Just as I decided it would be best to sit tight some where and wait for Ev to arrive I heard the sound of a fast approaching helicopter, flying low. They were coming for me!!!

I quickly started to jog back down the hill. The Kelly Thompson barn was a long ways off but I was not about to stick around, alone, in a field, as marijuana growers swooped in on me. As I moved, the helicopter quickly got closer - hovering just out of sight in the fog. Were they looking for me? I kept moving and after about an hour, I made it back to the barn to find Ev's truck empty and the mule gone. Ev soon returned and I explained the events of my morning.

He was on his way up when he heard the helicopter. Helicopters have been known to fly low around the ranch (a previously speculated, possible indicator of the marijuana growers). I told Ev the story and he thought that maybe the helicopter was dropping supplies and the ATV was picking it up... and, that they weren't chasing me.

Either way, I had a very stressful morning. I totally bugged out. In my mind, I'd unwilling stepped into a terrifying game of cat and mouse. I survived. I also learned really cool herding techniques. Ranch life is crazy.