WHERE ARE THE BURROS?
After Tally had the horses ready and waiting for a start in the morning, Ranger Johnson announced: “Sorry I’m not to be in on this picnic to-day, friends, but my pal Oliver and I take turn and turn about. And this is his day off. He says he’ll be delighted to ride over to Lake Park with you-all and back-trail to Grass Mountain after leaving you in camp up at Mountain View.”
“Is Lake Park near the trail we plan to follow?” asked Mrs. Vernon.
“Yes; in fact it forms the eastern boundary line of the Park,” explained Johnson. “By riding to Lake Park you get a wholesale group of sights in one day. There is Santa Lake, Aspen Mountain, Stewart’s Lake, Santa Fé Baldy, and Spirit Lake. You ought to be able to get along the up-trail before sundown and pitch camp at the first good spring or camp-site you come to. Oliver says he can see you comfortably settled for this night and then ride back here, as he knows these trails by heart.”
“That’s awfully good of him, Johnson, but we have no right to take his day like that,” said Mr. Gilroy.
“Why, he’ll enjoy the outing more than any of you. It’s so seldom we get a chance to picnic with the sort of people who make things pleasant,” said Johnson.
So it was settled that Oliver should go with them that day, and in less than ten minutes’ time Johnson was left standing on a bowlder envying the good times his chum was about to have with the scout-party.
Having ridden down from Grass Mountain and crossed the trail to take a short cut to Lake Park, it was Oliver’s suggestion to leave the three packburros hobbled somewhere along the trail. As the scouts could ride on twice as fast, and be able to get back to the Pecos River trail that much sooner, this plan was agreed upon, and Oliver showed Tally an excellent spot where the animals might graze during the day. The packs were cached under some rocks, and the burros secured, then the scouts rode away to the park as had been outlined by the Ranger at breakfast that morning. By four o’clock that afternoon, the scouts sent Tally for the burros, and then, reaching Winsor, said good-by to Oliver, who continued on the trail to his station, while they rode on further and pitched camp on the Pecos River, just south of Panchuelo.
They had been undecided whether, after reaching Panchuelo, to take the trail that followed the Rio del Pueblo for some distance on the trail to Taos, or whether to turn northwest and follow the trail to Truchas, thence northeast to Taos. Therefore at the breakfast, next morning, a vote was taken and because there was a possibility of having Ranger Sanderson and Mr. Burt overtake them on that trail from Santa Fé to Taos, Truchas trail won the election.
Panchuelo was located at the fork of these two Taos trails and the scouts wished to ride on a short distance to visit Round Mountain and Pecos Baldy, so they debated what to do with the burros.