It is dark outside, and warm. So is my memory of this past weekend, so I want to write it down before it becomes cold.
The wind blew warm from the south, and the colours were astonishingly bright, yellow aspen and dark green spruce. What a weekend to go riding! The dust was thick on the gravel road leading to Blue Bronna Wilderness Camp. In among the trees were cows and calves, placidly watching us, and breathing in our dust. Small groups of tents and trailers indicated other people camping in this beautiful Willow Creek wilderness.
Louise and I were eager to meet our friends again. There was Cyril, figuring out the easiest way of collecting the sponsorship booklets and money. And Martha, always busy in the kitchen.
We picked where we wanted to sleep. Louise chose a tent, and I a cot in a cabin. It did not take long to put my feather bed on a lower bunk.
While waiting for supper ( hamburgers) I talked to Dwayne Bradley from Calgary, the pastor and speaker for the weekend. He had quite a story to tell, which he later shared with everybody.
Around 8pm people started to gather around the fire. There were three generation families, and young people, all enthusiastic about God and the camp. John played his guitar, and I my recorder. Soon a violin joined us. And we sang! Hymns and choruses, old and new, almost all the songs in the songbook. Dwayne closed the evening with a talk about sowing. We must always sow the seed (share the gospel), and not worry about where it falls, just sow the seed.
Walking back to the cabin in the dark was another awesome experience. I did not have a flashlight, so looked up instead of down. It was clear, no moon, and the sky sparkled with stars and the milky way. And the Lord of the universe named each star, and not just numbers, either!
"O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds your hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Your power throughout the universe displayed! "
Three ladies joined me at breakfast on Saturday morning. They had seen an ad in Nanton, and decided to come at the last moment. I always enjoy meeting new people and making them feel welcome.
The all-day group left first. We watched them disappear under the yellow canopy of the trees. They would eat their lunch on the trail.
We left after the trail boss prayed for a safe trip. It was a long string of riders, with staff among them. There were gates to be opened and closed, because the cows were on the range. Some mooed at us, others just watched or ignored us. It was a very peaceful scene. Louise on Maggie, a 16 hands + paint, was somewhere far behind me, while I was more up front.
My horse was Pepsi, and very peppy. May be a little more than I had bargained for, but it felt good to be challenged. He had a nice gait, and a very comfortable saddle. He was an impatient fellow though, scraping the ground with his hoofs till it was time to go.
Pepsi was one of four horses borrowed from the same stable, so they were more than a little cliquish. He was determined to join the others when they decided to navigate a gully to the right instead of to the left. A gully being what it is, was deeper than he had anticipated, so we landed among the willows heads down. I kept the saddle, and knew that it was much harder to climb back on the bank and the horse after I got off, than to hold on. So down and around we went. There was never a thought from the leaders that it would not turn out just right. Their prayer before leaving was like swinging a lasso to the throne of God, and holding on.
We crossed creeks, climbed hills, and wound our way through trees. It was hard to imagine a world with wars and sickness and pain and loneliness. Here was only the beauty of the foothills and the overarching sky. I looked at a bend-over tree on a bald spot high up, visible when we left, and again on the way back.
The neighing of horses told us we were close to the camp again. The horses were taken care of, before the sound of Jim's shell conch called us for lunch.
At 2 the afternoon ride started, but I stayed behind. I had signed up for dishes, and later visited with new friends, rode on the wagon and had a nap. After that I could have gone riding again, but now it was time for supper.
The next opportunity for riding was Sunday morning, before breakfast. When we got up at 6 am, it was dark. We brushed our assigned horse (this time a large appaloosa) and tacked up. The sun had just peeped over the hill when we were ready to leave. We were going to climb the mountain where the funny shaped little tree grew.
I was thankful for my horse. She was steady and strong. The mountain was steep, but she just kept putting one foot in front of the other.
We stopped for awhile on the top to enjoy the grand vista that lay below us. We could see the enormous barn of Blue Bronna, Willow Creek, and the rolling hills with their fall coloured trees far into the distance.
Going down was more scary than going up, but the horse was surefooted. There were no mishaps, and before we knew it we were back in time for breakfast. Now it was over till next year. The horses were all leaving this week.
What a wonderful weekend! What a gift from our Creator!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me,
Is the current of Your love
Leading onward, leading homeward
To Your glorious rest above!
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