What We Find

“What we find changes who we become.” ~Peter Morville

Okay, I lied…today I may not be jumping in with both feet. Looking out from my view this morning at socked in mountain tops, heavy skies, and my face on fire from the unrelenting wind yesterday, and sourdough waffles on the menu for tonight along with a free pass to the Buffalo Bill Center for the West this afternoon, and did I mention it’s Sunday, a day of rest, well probably not for the wild ones….weekends are when they get pressure from the public. So yes, I won’t be jumping in with both feet today, as I catch up and do research but feel the Peaks pulling me regardless.

Yesterday was pretty awesome! Storms rolled in and out over the mountain range behind Cody which is the backdrop for the Peaks and how lucky can a gal
get when a wild one stops to take in his view and oh what a view it is!

Reconnoitering yesterday, I found the horses scattered all over the Peaks. A large group near Bridger Butte, another small group closer to the eastern boundary of the Peaks at Highway 32, a small group sporting that beautiful blonde stallion north of one of the water tanks/holes which would put them north of Bridger Butte on a precip overlooking the badlands below, and then this beautiful black stallion running with two other boys, a pinto who I believe they call Rerun, and then who else, but the boy Jamie and I had this amazing time photographing back in July of 2016! Oooooo I was excited when I saw those split ears!

Then there were forty who were driven out of their watering area at a dead run toward the southern boundary of the Peaks, Greybull Highway, where I sat and watched the drama unfold, from the highway, through field glasses at the end of the day yesterday. There was a bay stallion who went back out to challenge the vehicles, he was not happy. Whether inadvertently or on purpose, either way the horses were unhappy with the situation. I was disappointed to see one of the vehicles sported photographers. That made me sad. Not because I wasn’t out there, but sad that they felt they needed the shot so bad they couldn’t recognize the horses were in distress, which was very obvious from the reaction of the bay stallion.

Was it good to be out? Oh without a doubt! Did I find a ‘true’ wild….no, but I’ve heard tell of a group that stays to themselves and are hard to get to. Will I try to find them….I’m not sure. I am starting to believe that those who are lucky to stay without human contact….maybe they should remain that way.

The McCulloch Peaks wild horses have an advocacy group called F.O.A.L — Friends of a Legacy! They work closely and successfully with the BLM field office here in Cody in managing the wild ones of the Peaks. When you go to their website they have identified some of the lineage, show names of some of the horses, and accept donations to help them make sure the horses have what they need. Show them some love! Their website is:

Friends of a Legacy – F.O.A.L. and their Facebook page is Friends of a Legacy!

Have an amazing Sunday in your part of the world! In the time I have taken to write this post the fog lowered, the flakes flew, and as quickly, the sun is making it known she still rules. So I lied again, I will take a drive out to the Peaks, but I will definitely be back in time to enjoy the free pass to the Buffalo Bill Center and tonight those sourdough waffles I have been bribed with. I must admit, I did Airbnb for the first time and have been very blessed to have a room that’s hard to leave and hosts who are graciously offering the waffles and pass, AND they have this awesome gray and white feline named DumDum, that fixed my longing for Johnny D back home!

(I am working on a laptop and can’t see detail well so I hope the images meet your expectations!)