Day 6 - Horses & Old Faithful

Day 6 started with a half day horseback ride through part of Yellowstone - not too far from Mammoth Springs. We anticipated this treat with both excitement and trepedition. Monica had not been on a horse for 16 years, and except for a few 30-60 minute rides I had not in even longer. We met our crew leaders, Abby and Carey at 0915 at Mammoth Springs and followed them out to the trail head. There the 2 guides unloaded the horses and gave us a quick lesson on how to make the horses go and, more importantly, how to make them stop. There were 14 "dudes" along with the 2 guides so we made a pretty long string. The horses were all great. They had been well trained and had great trail manners. The ride was gorgeous. We rode for about 2 hours until we arrived at our lunch spot. After lunch we mounted up and headed uphill. The trail became more interesting as we followed what felt like a teeny ledge along the side of the mountain until we reached the peak. Yet another fabulous view! The ride down was thankfully uneventful but very enjoyable. Unfortunately, after dismounting, walking seemed to be unaccountably difficult. We may have remembered what we were supposed to do on horseback but I must conclude that our muscles had not. Hot showers were definitely indicated.We took a break during the heat of the day and headed back to see Old Faithful at sunset. Frankly, I did not expect it to be nearly as awesome as it was. It was incredible. Kudos, mother nature!