My first rescue on horseback

So this last Saturday Darren and I are walking around the mall (trying to find shirts I won't feel fat in) and his dad calls us to inform us we've been called out on a Search and Rescue by horseback. -First off for those of you that don't know Darren, Don and I all ride in the Utah County Sheriff's Posse and the USWRCA riding club. Part of our duties to the Sheriff includes providing our service on search and rescue when they need the horses. Darren and Don have been going out on searches for years, the only 2 times I've attually saddled up and gone the search was called off, and they found the little boy before we got there. So this search I decided to go (not knowing how long the ride was) The 25 year old male hiker was sliding down the snow banks (11 miles up the mtn) and sprained and dislocated his knee and couldn't walk off the mtn. By the time we got there saddled up and ready to go it was around 5pm. They told us we'd get done around midnight! I thought about being a baby and staying behind, but it's a beautiful ride, and once we get to the top we can help the paramedics and on-foot searchers carry their gear on the horses. So this is how it all goes down... The begining of the ride starts out great its a beautiful day, nice weather, but the trail is a little rough on my and Oro (he's still kinda new to things in the Mtn's) We came across a water fall that you have to pass right in front of, and its narrow, Oro shyed away from the sound of the water just enough to loose his back leg's footing in soft dirt. The calm version, I almost rolled down a Mtn on my horse. Talk about getting your heart beating! But he got his footing and we were fine. About a mile later there were people walking down the trail in bright shirts just hiking and passing by. My horse froze at the site of them. For some reason Oro is terrified or Oriental people in bright t-shirts. He just stood there as they walked around eye-balling them like they were going to get him! It was so weird. Then Darren is walking out in front on Lucky and I'm on Oro right behind they both stop dead in their tracks and look to the left so when I look over there I see a HUGE black hump like 20 yards away in the bushes. OH SHIT A BEAR was my first thought, but just then it raised it's head, it was a big black bull moose (just as scary). I was like OK keep walking guys, I wasn't going to get close. But it didn't bother us. We finally got to the top about an hour and a half later, we threw the kid up on Quest (Don's paint horse) and loaded up Oro and Lucky with SAR gear and headed down the MTN. Oh did I mention by foot? In the dark? I was so tired and I rolled my ankle at least 30 times in my not made for hiking cowgirl boots.

We made it to the parking lot a little after 9:30pm but that was the LONGEST hike I've done in a long time. Now that I have a horse I can't figure out why people walk up a MTN that far and get hurt. I'm glad we were there to help, but my preggo search and rescue days are over. Here's some pics of that area. And a black moose cause I felt like it.

Timpooneke Trail- Emerald Lake