• “Sit tall in the saddle” and be aware of your location. Plan your journey – the next service station could be 130 km away! Several locations may not be cell phone accessible due to the terrain. Ensure your emergency travel kit in the car includes items typically recommended by the local Motor Association. Travel with a map – don’t rely on the stars!
  
• Please dispose of trash in appropriate bins (some are bear proof), and carry a garbage bag in your car as well – cattle nibble at plastic with tragic consequences and broken glass or tins can potentially injure the feet of horses, cattle, dogs and wildlife. The grass is mowed along the ditches to ensure wildlife can be seen as they approach the highway – watch for Bear, Deer, Elk and Moose crossing the road!
  
• Report Wildfires to 310-FIRE (3473) or #FIRE on TELUS Mobility Network. Be prepared to identify the approximate location. These fires can remove a grazing pasture from use for an entire season not to mention destroying 400 year old trees! Again, please do not toss your trash. Glass can start a fire as easily as a smoldering cigarette.
  
• Private Land vs. Public Land: Obey signs. Access points to recreational areas and trails are identified on maps available through local municipalities, AMA and outdoor enthusiast stores. Use respect and check for leaseholder conditions via www3.gov.ab.ca/srd/land/u_rec.html or 1-866-279-0023. Please visit designated areas only and be sensitive to the private landowners’ rights to maintain a safe environment for their livestock.
  
• Fence-ology: If you pass through any gates, leave them as you find them – be sure to leave open gates open and
  re-secure the closed gates, ensuring the wire is hooked over top and bottom. Leather gloves are the best defence against barbwire or let someone else handle the fence – especially if it’s electrified!
  
• Cattledrive Etiquette: Don’t panic! Slow down and keep everyone safe! There may be highway signs to identify the activity or a road crew to manage traffic, so travel slowly through the herd as directed or wait for the cattle to cross. It is okay to ask a rider any questions. Please be cautious as the horses or livestock may not be familiar with some vehicles or your movements – allow the riders to keep the herd moving calmly and steadily to their destination. Get the camera out and enjoy this unique opportunity. This traditional method of moving cattle to and from various grazing locations is rapidly disappearing... and the one wearing the white shirt isn’t always
  the “trail boss”!
  
• Livestock 101: Always ask before you approach, feed or pet any animal. Never assume it is safe. Please watch children around livestock, farm pets
  and wildlife. Control your pets around livestock and wildlife. You may need a quick exit, so check out the corral rails!
  
• Chinook Winds or “Snow-eater”: The southern portion of the province has always been attractive to ranchers because these winds blow in from the West, melting the snow and exposing the native fescue grasses for easier winter grazing. Drive with caution as the wind gusts can reach 120km/hr. Many folks used to have wind gauges but they blew away!
  

The more folks visit, the better the compliment! Thank you for coming! Happy Trails!

Today we headed out to our Tent Camp on Cutoff Creek in the Clearwater River Valley - also known as The Bighorn Wilderness Area. We had a guest from England and a guest from Germany with us. We were only going for one night but these two girls desperately wanted to see ‘our mountains’!

Of course as we headed up over Corkscrew Mountain we had to stop so the girls could get a photo of the vista spread before them - the Rockies with a fresh dusting of snow – ‘like icing sugar’ the girl from England exclaimed, the Clearwater River far below and the foothills furry green with a smattering of autumn poplars tossed in here and there for colour. Above Seven Mile Flats an Eagle soared - our first wildlife of the trip.

Just before the Blue Bridge over the Clearwater on the Cutoff Road a small herd of Elk bounded across the road. Then only minutes down the way, right in the middle of the Clearwater River were two deer drinking in the cool afternoon - they quickly splashed their way into shelter as we passed.

Four more deer later, we arrived to a snowy camp, ate a fast lunch then mounted up for a short afternoon ride. There were tracks everywhere! Wolf, coyote, deer, moose and even Grizzly - the snow certainly reveals all of the traffic! October is hunting season and we thought the game would be long gone.

The girls were desperate to hear wolves and certainly were not disappointed. From one until about three in the morning the wolves serenaded the valley on and off, interspersed with the yips and yikes of the coyotes. First one long, low howl would start across Winter’s Flat then a chorus would respond from the Rock Creek trail. It was a good thing the girls wanted to hear wolves and were awake - it was minus 20 that night and they had to keep their wood stoves stoked up!

Friday our intended short ride turned into six hours. The weather warmed up and the valley was just too inviting. As we headed down the trail Brenda spotted a wolf. We stopped and watched as he trotted into the willows, stopping to glance back at us, then turning right around to see what we were up to. He was a beauty with his thick winter coat - looked quite like a Malamute. Brenda LOVES wolves and would have been content with simply hearing them the night before but this was ‘fab’! We continued a short distance through the wooded trail by Moose Lake and sure enough – right out in the lake, breaking through the fresh thin ice was a big Cow and Calf. We shivered as we watched them eyeing us up from their morning bath.

Heading towards Bear Camp we spotted three more Moose, then another and another! There were SIX in total. Only metres away - a Huge Bull with a massive rack and such a shiny coat - how majestic! A younger Bull and then a yearling Bull with three Cows. We watched them and they watched us for ages. The photos the girls took should be awesome! The Moose came closer - our horses backed up! Then they glided off as only Moose can glide – but not in any kind of hurry - the younger bulls were jockeying for position - we hoped the Big Guy made it through hunting season in tact! A herd' of moose - a rare sighting!

The sun was warm and the trail full of treasures like jays and squirrels. As we made our way through the valley we crossed time and time again the Grizzly tracks - it was like we were doing a dance with him! A Mountain Rabbit and a Coyote along with some Spruce Grouse finished off our day trip.

On the way home late in the afternoon, another Moose right by the road before going up over Corkscrew again and then a small herd of Wild Horses with a foal rounded off our Day in the Mountains. Brenda and Bianca were THRILLED to say the least. We assured them it wasn't like that every trip but we generally see something each time we go out - even if it is just tracks. Depending on the time of year - the wildflowers and scenery are more than ample out here - the rest is simply BONUS!

Margie Moore

---

As your attorney, I must strongly advise you against participating in that showdown down at the corral. The liability issues are staggering."

"Take it from me, Festus, a good pair of nylons keeps chaps from riding up."

"Barkeep! Another round of strawberry-daiquiries for my posse."

"Miss Kitty, I don't think I've ever seen stirrups used quite like that before."

"In this town we got a way to deal with murderin' scum like you, Bart --civil litigation!"

"Whose turn is it to change the potpourri in the bunkhouse?"

"Well, men, the Apaches have burned down our fort and stolen our women...but considering what we've done to them, I think they're showing remarkable self-restraint."

"That's 'Sheriff' Richard Simmons to you, pardner."

"I cain't go in the saloon! Jesse's got the same vest I'm wearing!"

"Dadgummit, boys, slow down on that vichyssoise or you ain't gonna have no room for the tiramisu!"

---

1. Don’t squat with your spurs on.
2. Don’t interfere with something that ain’t bothering you.
3. Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
4. The easiest way to eat crow is while its still warm. The colder it gets, the harded it is to swaller.
5. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.
6. If it don’t seem like its worth the effort, it probably ain’t.
7. It don’t take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.
8. The biggest troublemaker you’ll ever have to deal with watches you shave his face in the mirror every morning.
9. Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.
10. If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else’s dog around.
11. Don’t worry about biting off more than you can chew; your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger than you think.
12. Always drink upstream of the herd.
13. Generally, you ain’t learning nothing when your mouth’s a’jawin’.
14. Telling a man to get lost and makin’ him do it are two entirely different propositions.
15. If you’re ridin’ ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure its still there with ya.
16. Good judgement comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgement.
17. When you give a personal lesson in meaness to a critter or to a person, don’t be surprised if they learn their lesson.
18. When you’re throwin’ your weight around, be ready to have it thrown around by somebody else.
19. Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back.
20. Always take a good look at what you’re about to eat. Its not so important to know what it is, but its sure crucial to know what it was.
21. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over an put it back into your pocket.
22. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
23. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.
24. Knowledge is a good thing. The trouble is some people know a whole lot that ain’t true.
25. Asking a dumb question is easier than fixing a dumb mistake.
26. If you’re gonna go… go like hell. If your mind’s not made up, don’t use your spurs.
27. Generally speakin’, fancy titles and nightshirts are a waste of time.
28. Never smack a man who’s chewin’ tobacco
29. There’s no such thing as strong coffee - only weak people
30. Trust everybody in the game, but always cut the cards.
31. Everything is interesting if you know enough about it.
32. There’s more ways to skin a cat than stickin’ his head in a boot jack and jerkin’ on his tail.
33. Some ranchers raise pigs and some will even admit it. Either way, they’re raisin’ pigs.
34. Life has a bit of cactus in it, but it doesn’t mean we have to sit in it.
35. We all have pain in our lifes, suffering is optional
36. You cannot go where you want to be by remaining where you are
37. Don't interfere with something that ain't botherin' you none.
38. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
39. If it don't seem like it's worth the effort, it probably ain't.
40. Good judgement comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
41. It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.
42. The wise don’t learn from their mistakes. They learn from other people’s mistakes.
43. Experience might be the best teacher, but the costs of that kind of schooling run awful high.
44. Some people mistake imagination for memory, and luck for good sense.
45. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
46. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.
47. Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good.
48. Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand.
49. Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
50. Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.
51. There's two theories to arguin' with a woman. Neither one works.
52. Never French kiss a woman who's chewin' tobacco.
53. There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.

We departed on July 26 to explore the Ram River from the falls on the forestry trunk road west of Rocky Mountain House to a bridge just west of the ram joining the North Saskatchewan River. The distance was 52 kilometres.

We drove north of Cochrane on the Cowboy Trail at 7.00 am. We loaded the gear and drove to the bridge at out take out point where we left a car. We then all pilled into the truck and drove to the Ram River campground. It was a about 75 minute drive. We had lunch and packed up all our gear, about 500 lbs worth.

Once we were ready, we carried the gear to the top of the bank looking over the Ram River and Ram Falls. We then roped the gear down. We the carried the dry packs (they have shoulder harnesses) down the hill. Our guide then gave us a course on how to manoeuvre our boats full of gear and we practised a few times. We would learn a lot in the next three days and get pretty good at manuvering on the river but even then having an experienced guide with us was absolutely manadatory. The first day we bounced off a lot of rocks and were grateful our boats were very tough.

We started down the river and had not gone very far before we came to the first of many obstacles that would confront us on this trip. It was about a 4ft drop but with no way to raft down, so we had to rope the raft. Unfortunately there was also no way to climb down and our guide said to just jump. It seemed like our baptism to start the trip. We all jumped and came alive immediately. The water was very cold. We were all wearing wet suits and boots which quickly warmed us up. We continued down the river that first day learning how to line up the raft for a lot of very sharp turns. We had a group of good paddlers and worked hard. By the end of the day we were all pretty tired, but a lot wiser to the ways of the river.

At about 5 pm we met our first real serious river obstacle. It was a series of three water falls about 3 - 4 and 12 feet high. We were not going to ride over these so we decided to camp above the falls. We pulled all the boats onto the shore and dug out the dry packs so we could get into some dry clothes.

We set up the tent and removed all the rocks. (we failed - I slept on three of them all night ) I got a camp fire going to help us warm up. There was a lot of wood around but it had rained and it was a little damp. We decided to go fishing at the falls and it was fantastic. The catch limit on the river was 0 which was not great, but we caught about 15 cut throat trout (12" - 18" in size) in 2 hours and threw them back.

We cooked supper over the open camp fire. We didn't bring soap to wash our dishes so we just used sand like the old mountain men did . It worked really well. We saw a lot of sheep on the cliffs across the river. They would walk along the cliffs like you and I would walk along a sidewalk. Wildlife was everywhere and included deer, a bear and even black bear cub. We got to bed about 10.30 pm and had a pretty good night sleep.

The next morning we went fishing and caught two nice trout and threw them back. I got a campfire going again the warm us up. There was a lot of dew and it was a bit cold. Being down in the canyon it took a while for the sun to come to us. We then had breakfast of pancakes and syrup, & some dried fruit.

We then packed up all our gear and headed out into what was to be the most exciting and challenging day of the trip. We first roped the raft down the three falls without too much trouble. One of our guides ran all three in his kayak. We had to hold the raft in a bit of a backwater at the base of the 12 ft falls and climb down through a notch in the rock to board the raft. A few miles down the river we met our first major obstacle. A 100 ft water fall that we had to rappel down with all of our equipment. We pulled everything ashore and our guide set up the rapelling gear. Shane went down first and then Jason. (Jason was a bit nervous, but he did a good job )We then sent down the kayak, all the gear and the raft. At the bottom it was like repelling into a hurricane. The wind and rain the falls created left us all looking like drowned rats. When you got to the bottom of the repel you landed on a ledge about 10 feet above the river. I looked for a way down but couldn't figure our how Shane and Jason had gotten down. (they had jumped onto a sloping rock about 5 ft off the ledge and then down to the river. Tyler came next. He had done very little rappelling and was also a bit nervous. Kris was last, He pulled the rappelling rope down and we packed up the gear into the raft and were ready for the next phase. The rappel had taken us two hours.

We shoved off and met what could have been a very serious problem for us the rest of the trip. As we got into the main stream the raft came into a large rock face with an undercut, which is very dangerous. I tried to get my foot out and push us off the rock and in the process got knocked out of the raft, and lost my paddle. We got the raft to shore in very fast water and looked for the paddle hoping that someone could pick it up. The paddle was no where to be seen. Tyler went back upstream and met Kris to see if they could locate the paddle. It was lodged under the rock that we had just hit. After some manoeuvring they were able to free the paddle and get it back, much to my relief.

We continued on down the river through a lot of rapids and some rock gardens (very large rocks in the river that are sometimes impossible to manoeuvre around. ) We had to do some roping of the raft but we got through them without any major problems. We then met the large sloping rapids. We pulled the raft out and lined it down. It was such a set up that we had to keep passing the rope from rock to rock and needed a person in the raft. No one really wanted to go in, but Tyler finally did. We roped it down without any incidents and Kris followed him down the slab in his kayak. We stopped on the slope and had lunch. There was a large rock that had fallen down on the side of the cliff and someone had built a camp under it. We didn’t go to see it, but it would have been a good campsite.

A few more miles downstream and we hit the second falls. It was also about 100 feet high but it landed on a dry shelf at river level. We were more experience now and we got right to it. Larry went over first, then Shane followed by the kayak, the packs and the raft. Jason came next, then Tyler and Kris.

After the falls we had a fairly long stretch of normal rapids and about 10 sets of ledges that dropped 3 - 5 feet each. We had a great ride on these. A few more miles downstream and we came to the most dangerous part of the whole trip - The sulphur canyon. It got it’s name from the many sulphur springs that sprung up in the canyon and also downstream - the springs were cold water and crystal blue. We pulled the raft out about 300 yds upstream and walked down to it. We had already passed the north ram so the single river was now fairly heavy in volume. The whole river now entered into the canyon in a chute that was about 20 ft wide with a large spine of rock sticking out to divide the chute in two. The far chute had a large rock in the middle which would have been very difficult to get around. The close chute ( on the side of the river we were on ) was fairly narrow (about 8 ft wide and ran some 100 ft with a very sharp left turn into more rapids and came out into a calm backwater). As we walked down to the chute we found an overturned canoe that someone had left with the paddles etc. They had probably come down the north ram, taken one look at the canyon and walked out (which would probably take two to three days if you didn’t get lost). We decided to run the narrow chute as there was less chance of getting sideways in (which would have been disastrous). With a whole lot of nervousness we went down to the entrance of the canyon and got ready to go. Our goal was to go through and get to the backwater and wait for Kris. We shoved off and had the most terrifying ride we had experienced so far on the river. We bounced off the walls a few times, but came out in one piece and intact. With great work on the part of all the crew we made it to the backwater and clung to the wall of the canyon. Kris came down with great skill (we would have never made it without his skills and expertise on the river). Our next obstacle was another chute and a need to get to a back water on the other side of the river because we faced a 10 foot waterfall into a major rock garden. Most of what we were going through were class 3 rapids. We got our minds fixed on what we needed to do and shoved off. We ferried across the river took the chutes and rapids and shot into the side water above the falls. By this time everyone had a full shot of adrenalin going through their system. We then roped the raft over the falls into a backwater to look at the rock garden. We decided it was doable so we lined things up and shoved off. It was very challenging with a lot of turns. Jason got knocked out of the raft but was able to get back in o.k.. After that Kris waved us over to the side before a 10 ft waterfall. He went over it and got flipped backwards, but signaled to us that it was ok. We took it on and it was a wild drop, but we made it in good fashion. We were now getting close to our next camp and had to be really careful because if we took the wrong turn around the island we could get caught in some class 5 & 6 rapids (we would never have made it through). We took the left channel past the island and pulled out about 500 yds before the heavy rapids. It was camp time.

We set our camp up about 100 yds down river. I got a fire going while everyone pulled the boats into camp. We set up the tent back from the camp in a very small area ( part of the tent was over some logs and it sloped somewhat. It rained a bit and we tried to put up a shelter, but eventually just went to bed about 10.30 pm. We slept fairly well, but by morning everyone had slid down the slope and were jamed into the bottom of the tent.

We broke camp fairly early and were on the trail by 9.00 am. We left camp amd portaged along a very narrow trail above the gorge with the class 5 & 6 rapids in. You wouldn’t want to fall into them, but then it was 250 ft down the bank and you’d probably be dead before you hit the water. The trail back down to the river was about 200 ft down a shale slide (about 45 degree slope) and the staging area at the top was only a couple of feet wide. We tied the raft to a line and slid it down with Tyler carrying a pack and going down with it. Near the bottom Tyler slipped and slid for a way cutting his hand and skinning his arm up quite a bit. We were about an hour getting everything and everyone down to the river.

Once on the water we had to get across the river and line up on a 4ft ledge after which we had a series of 2 - 4 ft ledges to go over. We were getting pretty good at lining up on them so they became a lot of fun. After that we had a lot of class 1-2 rapids and the guys really just had a lot of fun. We finally got to the point where we needed to really paddle or we would be late on the river . It started to rain and by the time we finally got to the take out point, everyone was getting pretty cold. We set up some tarps for protection, but the guys ended up staying dryer under the bridge. Jason fished and caught an arctic grayling.

IT WAS A MOST AWESOME TRIP.

submitted by Larry Henry