Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast
Adventures in the U.S. National Parks and public lands with Matt and Karen Smith.
29 Horse Pack Trip into the Wilderness
Saddle up, partner! Apologies for the corny opening, but—spoiler alert—more horse-related puns are awaiting you in this episode. We’ve taken many treks into wilderness areas in the past ten years, yet most of them have been of the two-legged variety. On this adventure, we let our four-legged friends do the hard part, carrying us (and our stuff) deep into the Pasayten Wilderness of north-central Washington state. As it seems with most of our exploits, there were a few bumps in the trail that we didn’t anticipate. But by the time we ended our four-day, three-night trip, we were ready to do it all over again. We just needed a few days for our butts to stop aching.
Some of the topics we discuss in this episode:
- What it was like to ride a horse for the first time in 25 years
- The curious suggestions we got from friends as we were preparing
- The unique characteristics about each of our horses
- The magnificent setting of our camp and the details of camp life
- Why our horses deserted us and how we got them back
- How it felt to wake up in a frozen tent in August
- Our amazing daytrips
- And, it wouldn’t be a Matt and Karen adventure without a guest appearance from an oh-too-familiar slithery companion
Links to more information:
- Photos from our trip
- Where to learn more about our books and travels
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- Check out our Instagram account
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