Wild Horse Island
I knew when I started this trip that it was going to be an adventure, but I didn't fully realize just how much of an adventure it would be. Our first effort towards searching for wild horses began in our very own state of Montana. The biggest lake this side of the Mississippi, Flathead Lake is located very close to where we've made our temporary home. The largest island in it is Wild Horse Island, and that is where our journey truly began. Sitting at just over 2100 acres, the island is expansive, mountainous, and very dry. Home to a very small heard of horses, deer, wild sheep, and bald eagles, the island provides ample space and opportunity for each animal to hide deep within its heart.
Day 1 on the island...
It was excruciatingly hot, the temperature hitting a high of around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the the sun bearing down on us, uninhibited by clouds. Our morning began with a 2 mile canoe trip through Flathead Lake from the closest town of Dayton. We maneuvered out of the way of sail boats, wave runners, and yachts, finally arriving at our destination. Like any "good" hikers we started out on the trail, however, half way into the 3 mile path that didn't cover even a quarter of the island, we stepped off trail to seek out the wildies deep in the heart of the island. We walked for hours up and down the mountainous terrain keeping an alert lookout for any sign of wild horses. After several hours of scaling mountains with no luck of seeing horses, and running low on water in the vicious heat, we turned to go back the way we had come, or so we thought. That was when the real adventure began. Those of you who know me personally know that I am directionally challenged to say the least, but little did I know the girls I have partnered with on this journey, are equally challenged. One would think that after our lesson from DAY 1, we would have brought a map...or a compass...or even taken note of the direction of the island we had disembarked on, but no. So there we were, lost in the middle of 2100 acres, on a scorching day, with no water, and very little energy to continue on with. We rested and reconvened, running through our options, and decided to hike to the top of the closest mountain to get a bird's eye view and make our way from there. Several hours later, from the top of the ridge, we found the trail which was visible despite the thick pines that filled the mountains. Making our way back was difficult but hope and relief work amazingly like adrenaline and successfully, very little worse for the wear, and much burnt by the sun we made it back to our canoe. The cool water of Flathead was refreshing as we drank from it gratefully. The canoe trip back was peaceful and the breeze on the water was a blessing from our ever watchful Creator as He guided us back home.
Day 2...
After having no success of finding any wild horses on the first day, we were more determined than ever to find them on our second day. We were careful to take extra water and have a better plan as we revisited the site of our latest encounter with danger. The canoe trip in was again peaceful and calming as one's time on the water often is. We returned immediately to a meadow that we had found the day before, knowing that the horses often frequented it, and from there split apart to cover more of island quicker, with the plan of meeting back for lunch at a designated spot. A few hours later we all returned with again no sign of our wildies. After eating our tuna which we had conveniently forgotten the can opener for, we left to return to the canoe and head to the other side of the island by water in order to hike farther inland. Several more hours of hiking up and down mountains, although these were more thickly wooded, and we walked in shade thankful for that small blessing. We returned to our canoe, amazed at the beauty we had seen, and thankful for the protection of our Father, but discouraged at our lack of success. The lesson we learned however was not one of discouragement, but rather perseverance and amazement at the ability of these horses to so successfully hide. God truly has given them a skill to survive that allows them to remain hidden despite drastic effort to find them. If we have the opportunity, we might again return to "our island" as we now affectionately call it, to once more seek the wildies. A new respect for them has been born, as we begin to understand the magnitude of the task we have undertaken, begins to surface.
Day 1 on the island...
It was excruciatingly hot, the temperature hitting a high of around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the the sun bearing down on us, uninhibited by clouds. Our morning began with a 2 mile canoe trip through Flathead Lake from the closest town of Dayton. We maneuvered out of the way of sail boats, wave runners, and yachts, finally arriving at our destination. Like any "good" hikers we started out on the trail, however, half way into the 3 mile path that didn't cover even a quarter of the island, we stepped off trail to seek out the wildies deep in the heart of the island. We walked for hours up and down the mountainous terrain keeping an alert lookout for any sign of wild horses. After several hours of scaling mountains with no luck of seeing horses, and running low on water in the vicious heat, we turned to go back the way we had come, or so we thought. That was when the real adventure began. Those of you who know me personally know that I am directionally challenged to say the least, but little did I know the girls I have partnered with on this journey, are equally challenged. One would think that after our lesson from DAY 1, we would have brought a map...or a compass...or even taken note of the direction of the island we had disembarked on, but no. So there we were, lost in the middle of 2100 acres, on a scorching day, with no water, and very little energy to continue on with. We rested and reconvened, running through our options, and decided to hike to the top of the closest mountain to get a bird's eye view and make our way from there. Several hours later, from the top of the ridge, we found the trail which was visible despite the thick pines that filled the mountains. Making our way back was difficult but hope and relief work amazingly like adrenaline and successfully, very little worse for the wear, and much burnt by the sun we made it back to our canoe. The cool water of Flathead was refreshing as we drank from it gratefully. The canoe trip back was peaceful and the breeze on the water was a blessing from our ever watchful Creator as He guided us back home.
Day 2...
After having no success of finding any wild horses on the first day, we were more determined than ever to find them on our second day. We were careful to take extra water and have a better plan as we revisited the site of our latest encounter with danger. The canoe trip in was again peaceful and calming as one's time on the water often is. We returned immediately to a meadow that we had found the day before, knowing that the horses often frequented it, and from there split apart to cover more of island quicker, with the plan of meeting back for lunch at a designated spot. A few hours later we all returned with again no sign of our wildies. After eating our tuna which we had conveniently forgotten the can opener for, we left to return to the canoe and head to the other side of the island by water in order to hike farther inland. Several more hours of hiking up and down mountains, although these were more thickly wooded, and we walked in shade thankful for that small blessing. We returned to our canoe, amazed at the beauty we had seen, and thankful for the protection of our Father, but discouraged at our lack of success. The lesson we learned however was not one of discouragement, but rather perseverance and amazement at the ability of these horses to so successfully hide. God truly has given them a skill to survive that allows them to remain hidden despite drastic effort to find them. If we have the opportunity, we might again return to "our island" as we now affectionately call it, to once more seek the wildies. A new respect for them has been born, as we begin to understand the magnitude of the task we have undertaken, begins to surface.
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