Article and photos by Allanna Jackson

On the morning of June 20, I hitched the trailer while the horses finished their breakfast. Velvet watched and then dashed around worriedly. Cinnamon went to the far side of her corral. I caught Cinnamon, tied her and went to get Velvet. Velvet met me at the gate and rushed out, eager to go on the outing. I led both of them to the trailer. I dropped Velvet’s rope while preparing to put Cinnamon in first, and Velvet walked briskly away. When we caught up with her, I informed Velvet she could stay home and put her back in her corral. When I led Cinnamon to the trailer, Velvet threw a tantrum. She galloped, trotted, and paced around in her corral, whinnying loudly while I loaded Cinnamon and drove away.

There were seven vehicles in the Timber Mesa trailhead parking lot when we arrived about 9:45 a.m. One vehicle was leaving. I parked my truck and stayed in the cab while a boy caught a dog that was trotting around loose. When the dog was leashed, I got out, unloaded Cinnamon and began saddling her. Several more people came down the trail and joined a man, the boy and the dog, talking to each other cheerfully.

I was putting Cinnamon’s hoof boots on her when several OHVs and a motorcycle came down the road through the middle of the parking lot. They were all traveling slowly enough that there was no dust, and they kept their machines as quiet as possible. I assume the group on the other side of the parking lot appreciated their good manners as much as I did. Cinnamon stood stoically as the parade of machines went by, so I gave her a cookie. It was a good thing Velvet stayed home!

The people with the dog left as I finished booting Cinnamon. One couple waved at me as they departed. We had the trailhead to ourselves when I mounted Cinnamon and set off up the Timber Mesa trail. We met a couple of hikers near marker Timber Mesa (T1). They got off the trail to let us pass. We wished each other a good day and continued in our separate directions.

Cinnamon climbed slowly but steadily up the rocky trail. When we reached the junction with Osprey Connector Trail, Cinnamon looked down the trail, expecting to go that way because we often do. This time we continued up the Timber Mesa trail.

Cinnamon strolled along the Timber Mesa trail, looking down all the side trails. When we got to the Flume Connector, we turned right and followed it. We had just passed F5 when I heard some OHVs. A little further along the non-motorized Flume connector trail crosses a motorized trail. As we crossed it, I saw an OHV coming toward us. The OHV driver saw us, stopped, turned off the music in his machine and waited until we were well along the Flume Trail before resuming. We were too far away to thank the driver. I greatly appreciated meeting so many polite, responsible OHV users.

Cinnamon continued strolling along the Flume Trail past marker F4 to where the Flume Trail crosses the Maverick Motorized Trail. We didn’t hear any machines, so we turned left and followed the Maverick Motorized trail for about a quarter mile, looking for the trail we’d taken around Porter Mountain last month. I turned Cinnamon right onto a trail I thought was the one and quickly discovered it was not when it turned right instead of left and began climbing up a mountain slope that I did not recognize. I could hear the snarling of an OHV on the Maverick trail below us to the left, so I turned Cinnamon in that direction.

We followed another path, climbing a slope past a pile of chrome metal pipes. The path suddenly ended in some trees. I wasn’t sure where we were. Cinnamon didn’t seem to know either, since she didn’t offer any opinions about which direction to go. I’ve been slightly lost while horseback riding on Timber Mesa more times than I can remember over the past 30 years. When that happens, I pick a direction and go in a mostly straight line until we find some place Cinnamon or I recognize. We usually find ourselves within half a mile.

This time I rode Cinnamon up the slope to the top of the hill, looking for a road, or the Sawmill Connector, or the Panorama Trail. At the top, we found a water collection station that I had not known was there, and a large pipe sticking out of the ground with a mesh cover falling off it. From this vantage point, I could see the motorized trail.

Cinnamon picked her way carefully down the slope to Porter Mountain Loop motorized trail marker 31. We both recognized this spot, and Cinnamon happily turned left onto the motorized trail. I didn’t hear any machines, so I let her stroll along the Porter Mountain Loop.

Several minutes later we found the Timber Mesa Trail crossing the Porter Mountain Loop and a parched stock pond growing foxtail grass. Now we both knew exactly where we were. Cinnamon started to turn right onto the Timber Mesa trail, then changed her mind. She looked left at the Timber Mesa trail, then opted to continue following the Porter Mountain Loop motorized trail. By this time, we were on top of Timber Mesa, well west of Porter Mountain and slightly west of the Timber Mesa trailhead.

We followed the Porter Mountain Loop through the forest to the next place it crosses the Timber Mesa Trail. Cinnamon again turned right toward Timber Mesa Trail, then changed her mind. She looked left at the Timber Mesa trail before continuing down the Porter Mountain Loop trail. The motorized trail is rockier than the non-motorized trail going down the face of Timber Mesa. Cinnamon carefully negotiated the descent, and we arrived safely at the road behind the chimneys.

The cholla cactus patch just west of the chimneys was in full bloom with quantities of both yellow fruit and deep purple flowers. I rode Cinnamon over to photograph the cactus. We followed the path along the irrigation ditch in front of the chimneys, then circled up to the road and took it back to my trailer at the Timber Mesa trailhead. There was a different collection of four vehicles in the parking lot. I unsaddled Cinnamon, loaded her into the trailer, and took her home.

Velvet was standing quietly in her barn when I got within sight of my yard. As soon as she heard my truck, she dashed out to greet us with more galloping, trotting, pacing, and whinnying. Velvet settled down as soon as I unloaded Cinnamon. I fed them both lunch before parking the trailer.