Backcountry Flying...

As I was sitting here at the kitchen table watching the day's sun dim through the snowstorm heading towards us down the canyon, I happened to glance down at our grocery list for the supply plane that will land once the snow has melted a bit more on the landing strip.  We're down to canned and frozen vegetables and fruits now.  All fresh food is gone, just canned and frozen options for our meals.  Which, is fine, but you never realize how much you have a craving for a salad when you haven't had one for 3 months?!  :)

In lieu of thinking about the supply plane that we expect will be able to land with fresh produce and whatnots (probably mid-March), I decided to do a blog about the views that we encounter flying in and out of this area.  

These are photos I have taken on various May month flights over the last few years.  Usually, we fly into the Diamond D Ranch the first part of May, taking over for the winter caretakers to spend the month getting things ready for guests and getting a head start on ranch work.   There is still alot of snow up high on the mountains first part of May, and the road is still closed due to snow (sometimes 6-8 ft still on the summit road!), but the ground at the Ranch elevation is usually bare.  So it is quite the contrast!

Sometimes we fly in from Boise, ID ( takes 1 hour)...sometimes we fly in from Challis, ID (15 minute flight).  Everyone has their opinion about backcountry flying in small planes  (185s or 206s).  I personally love it and think it's a great way to see country that you never would otherwise...Dana has a little different opinion!  (haha)  Either way, the view is spectacular, no matter the time of year, and if you ever get a chance to fly into the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and land on the Loon Creek Airstrip to visit the Diamond D Ranch, I highly recommend it!

















     Flying past the Sawtooth Mountains towards the Diamond D Ranch from Boise.






The Diamond D Ranch below!  Heading towards the airstrip (5 miles downstream from here)

South-Facing Slopes...

With blue skies the last few days and a winter storm on the way soon, we decided to take advantage of the bare ground peeking through on the south-facing slopes and do some hiking above the hayfield towards Deer Creek...




    

The Maternity Ward...

 

 

    We have a couple of mares that are expecting little ones this Spring, and with the conditions being so icy due to the freeze-thaw-freeze weather we've had and the moms-to-be getting a little cranky with the rest of the herd, we decided it was time to move them into their Maternity Ward accomodations!  :)

 

 



"Lilly" (~8yo) is a little farther along than the other mare, as you can see from the picture above!  She has had one other baby ("Miles"), who will be 2yo this year.  He is standing behind Lilly on the other side of the gate, wondering why his momma is in the corral.  He's a silly boy.  The daddy was a Red Dun.  Lilly is a Grey.  So, the color combination options for the baby are:  ANYTHING!  :)  (Miles is a bay roan-same stud).  It will be interesting to see what Lilly's baby looks like!

 

 

 

"Charro" is our other pregnant mare (~6yo).  She is a first-time momma.  She is very athletic, so this should help her with the process.  Charro is a Bay, and the stud was the same as above, a Red Dun.  The most likely color combination options for her baby are:  Bay Dun, Bay, Red Dun, Black and Sorrel.

 

 

The girls gearing up for a mommy snack!

 

The natural breeding season for mares is ~from April through September,

peak time in June. 

 

The average gestation period (how long the mare is pregnant) is ~320-370 days!*

 

During the last 3 months of pregnancy, a mare (~1100lbs in size) needs a minimum of 18,490 calories a day!  When the momma's are lactating/nursing, they require 30,610 calories a day!!*   

 

So you can imagine the saying "eats like a horse" really takes effect during this period!

 

 

 

 

We can keep a good eye on the girls in here...watching the babies kick and making sure they are safe and no complications are arising prior to foaling.  :)

 

 

*Specific Information Courtesy of Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook:  3rd Edition (2008)

Maggie!...

 

 

 

 

     Our other canine buddy in here in the backcountry is Maggie!  I am sure it is normal for a pet to have one or two nicknames, but Maggie (~3yo) has acquired quite the handful of aliases:   Mags, Magdalena, Moo, MaggieMoo, Chickamoo, Chickamoo Chief, Moo Bear, The Sherriff (because she is always trying to herd the horses or cats...mostly cats!), and I'm sure there are others, but this is what comes to mind!  :)  She is a very interesting little personality...can be content as can be on the couch then crazy the next second while outside!  A good lab and pointer mix dog!

 



 

 

     Maggie LOVES to run!  And, I think the only thing she loves more then running amuck is tending to baby animals!  She actually likes to get close to baby horses to give them kisses on their nose and if we have a litter of barn kittens then you can't hardly pry her away from them!  Maggie LOVES kittens!...She herds them so they stay grouped in a little pile...hours of entertainment!  Thankfully, for the sake of hers and our sanity (haha), no kittens right now!

 



 

 

 

     Ok, ok...I know it's silly to put a coat on a dog, but it was in the negative 20s for almost two weeks here and if you're familiar with pointer breeds, they don't have alot of hair!  :)

 

 

     Another quirk...most dogs stand when they eat.  Mags, on the other hand, prefers the luxury of breakfast and dinner in bed every day...well, her kitchen bed that is!  ;)

 



 

 The Sherriff tending to her horses.  :)

 

 

 It is customary for all baby horse to get Moo smootches!

 

 

Chickamoo enjoying the fire on a cool evening!

 

 

 

 

 

    Maggie is pretty fun to have around...She's a good girl! :)

Chainsaws and Alfalfa...

 

 

 

     It was another nice day today, so we decided to do some outdoor work and get some projects done.  One thing on our list:  build jacks so we can build some jack fence this Spring and Summer!

 

 



 

      First you line up the jacks then make the cuts so they ultimately sit flush against eachother...

 



 

     Then you knock out the slices cut by the chainsaw with a hatchet so the grooves are smooth...

 

 

 



 

 

 

    Then you hammer the two poles together, once they fit flush, with two 60-penny nails (6"long)...

 

 

 



 

 

      ...and soon you have a stack of jacks for building jack fence!  :)

 

 



 

 

 

 

      The horses had some visitors tonight for supper!...the Elk would peek their head around the barn, look around, then one by one jog over to a pile and congregate near the horses.  We sat and watched them from the bunkhouse deck...

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

These elk sure are cute and fun to watch when they decide to come by for a visit!

 

 

 

 

      Getting some tea hot on the kitchen stove after being outside all day...

 

 

 

...and we made a fire in the livingroom for Maggie so she could lay on her sleeping bag and warm up, too!