Somewhere between trail markers G1 and G2 we met a couple hiking toward us. They quickly stepped off the trail to let the horses pass with a friendly comment about how pretty they are. I thanked them and commented “nice day for a hike.” The man replied, “It sure is, but I like your method better.” We wished each other a good day and continued our separate directions.

Shortly after passing the hikers, we went underneath a Pinon pine with one open cone still attached to a branch dangling at nose level. We turned right at the junction where the loop portion of the trail begins. Near G49 we saw a woman and her dog coming up the trail. She saw us at the same moment, quickly stepped off the trail and caught her dog. We greeted each other and continued our opposite directions.

Near marker G48 I noticed a truck carefully driving along Forest Road 9890G, then lost sight of it as the trail wound its way through the Junipers. A few minutes later the horses alerted at a dog running across the meadow to our right, then back toward a truck parked beside the trail. As we got closer, we saw two people playing fetch with their two dogs. A third dog headed toward us, ignoring the women’s efforts to summon it. They put the fetching dogs in their truck the moment they saw us. I commented, “Looks like you’re having a nice game of fetch.” And one of the women replied, “Yes, we were.” Velvet turned to look at the loose dog, who stayed a safe distance away and started trotting along parallel to us. The first women said, “the dog should be okay.” I replied, “The horses should be okay too, but no guarantees.” The dog was so fascinated with my horses he didn’t notice he was heading toward his owners, who caught him as soon as he got within reach. One of them said, “Thanks for your patience with us.” I wished them a nice game as we continued down the trail.

Ghost of Coyote is one of the trails that was built by the White Mountain Horsemen’s Association in the late 1980s. This section of Forest has many undeveloped single lane roads. The trail incorporates several of these, which was the Forest Service policy at the time the trail was created. Ghost of Coyote is the only trail in the White Mountain Trail System where motorized and non-motorized routes intentionally overlap on a Forest Road which makes this an All-purpose trail where you need to be prepared for anything.

Immediately after passing the game of fetch the horses and I followed Ghost of Coyote to the left where it merges with Forest Road 9890G and the Maverick Motorized Trail. We had the trail to ourselves, but there were tracks of animals, hikers, vehicles, and a bicycle in the sandy soil. We continued on Ghost of Coyote after the Maverick trail diverged to the left.

We took a slight detour over to Blue Grass Tank to see if there was any water in it. We rode along the top of the berm, angled down the outside, then walked through the spillway and across the bottom at the deepest spot. It was totally dry.

We returned to the road/trail and found rectangular tread tracks from some kind of heavy equipment. I didn’t hear or see anything that would make that track although I did hear shooting somewhere ahead.

The Maverick Motorized trail rejoins Ghost of Coyote on the road near marker G41. The three routes overlap from there to the gate beside a cattle guard at marker G40 where Ghost of Coyote makes 90 degree-angle turns to follow a fence line either right or left while the road and Maverick trail continue straight. This gate is signed as the junction for Ghost of Coyote Loop 1 and Loop 2. Turning right on loop 2 takes you around the entire 15-mile trail. Turning left is the Shortcut between G40 and G10. We took the Shortcut, also known as Forest Road 9890F.

The gate beside the cattle guard was open and the track marks went through it and continued up the Shortcut trail. Here the trail looked more like a bull dozer-built fire-break than a road. There was a faint smell of wildfire smoke on the wind and the shooting had stopped temporarily. The gate in the fence line that crosses the Shortcut trail was standing wide open so I left it that way.

We turned left when the Shortcut trail ended at marker G10. Here it makes a short, steep descent into and across a wash. I accidentally dropped Velvet’s lead rope while we were climbing out of the wash so I stopped Cinnamon. Both horses started grazing on the dry grass. I dismounted, checked Cinnamon’s hoof boots, picked up Velvet’s lead rope and re-mounted. We continued through the opened wire gate situated on the other side of a tree from the metal horse gate.

The trail climbs a hill then winds around the shoulder of another hill where there are panoramic views before descending into a valley. Looking across the valley I could see a white truck on the far side where the shooting had resumed in a methodical manner — sounding like responsible target practice. The Ghost of Coyote trail turned in the opposite direction so we were safe.

The trail makes another steep climb up and around a hill between markers G8 and G7. I stopped to admire and photograph the panoramic views of Linden and the Juniper Ridge Lookout tower to the right and Show Low, Porter Mountain, and the higher peaks of the White Mountains to the left. I realized Cinnamon had lost one of her boots. We backtracked and found it, then climbed up and around to G7 again. The views between G8 and G6 are spectacular from atop a horse.

There are views to the north between G6 and G4 as the trail descends into forest and hills. We continued down the trail to the junction where the loop begins, then followed our own tracks back to the trailhead.

At the trailer the horses dabbled in their water buckets while I unsaddled and prepared them for travel. Two contentedly tired horses and I headed home.