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Tracking Bears and Bobcats

by Sophie :: Wednesday November 8, 2006

I spent this past weekend horsecamping at Patton's Cabin in the wilderness of the Sespe. It was great to get back to see all the places I'd gone camping in previous years.  Patton's had a lot of work done on it while I was gone.  This weekend was a great opportunity for all of us who went because the horse program had asked this guy, Jim Lowery, to come out and go tracking with us.  So after a huge barbeque dinner and a night in cold, clean air under the stars, listening to the horses settle down for the night, he showed up and shared his knowledge with us.  By the end of the day we had learned about some of the plants, and we had made tea out of berries, cord out of yucca, and fire with some dry cottonwood and a lot of patience. We also explored paths and river bottoms, finding tracks of possums, mice, grey foxes, deer, jackrabbits, toads, bobcats and bears! We spent one more night around the campfire, enjoying our burnt brownies and raw doughnuts.  The  next day we made record time going over the ridge and getting back to school - only five hours.  There wasn't much evidence of the day fire besides the fireroads on the top of the ridge. It was great to get back and have the chance to ride the old trails on a new horse and remind myself how much this place means to me. 

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