It was below freezing and the wind was blowing across the valley. The cold was biting.
The ability to document anything at this site is practically impossible and the trap has been there for more than one week…. 1.5 miles away. About a 40-55 minute drive (depending on roads) AFTER you hit dirt.
However today a horse broke from his/her band. The horse stayed at the mouth of the trap and watched his/her family chased in.
Watching family driven in
Then the horse ran the length of the trap without entering, looked toward the family and headed on… hesitantly.
good-bye...
I honestly can’t see much even through the camera lens. I was shooting the trap then the single horse hoping to see something when I got it onto the larger screen. I looked back over for the single horse and did not see him… and hit the shutter anyway, one last time, as the chopper was driving in another band. I enlarged the frame and I am sick that I was kept so far away. I can not tell if this horse is down… or over a rise and I can’t see from where they have me to document much of anything!
I will try to head back there tomorrow if I can. (Now I know BLM reads my blog and maybe they can get back in there at dawn? Please…)
heading hesitantly away
Is the horse down?
I was told that the chopper would most likely ground as winds were kicking up and I wanted to make holding for the trailer offload. (BLM had brought in about 30 from this trap, 8 later in the day: 38 total) So I left with escort. At every other roundup we have been told that moving vehicles are a distraction and a safety hazard during a drive and have been vehemently told to stop (even being held for an entire drive and the next at one location at Silver King). I thought I heard the chopper (hard to hear over the rattling now taking place in my vehicle from the roads) I looked over to my left and horses were very close and running down a mountainside out of the Wilderness Study Area. I stopped. I was reprimanded (complied immediately) and told I need to drive faster. This is another instance of arbitrary safety standards.
Perhaps they just didn’t want me to see that the horses were lathered on a horribly cold morning?
Lathered in below freezing weather
Apparently no contract staff present to refill water containers at holding. Horses in stud pen appeared to refuse the water in one tub and had drained the other. I have not been able to evaluate water in any pen except the stud pen.
AND folks we have holding packed with horses and another storm coming… If you are checking weather check Wendover Utah to Ely Nevada… Roundup right now is running Alt. 93.
Article for Horseback coming soon… and check Grassroots Horse or Saving Americas Mustangs for full update and photos… I only have time to upload a few… bedtime.
Edited to Add (cause folks had trouble understanding the last weather here… West Wendover and Pequop Summit would be of particular interest and give you an idea… holding is a bit south… about 50?… someone google, I’m tired… miles north of McGill.)
| Winter Weather Advisory (as of 3:55 PM 2/18/2011) |
| SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM TO AFFECT NEVADA TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING… .A LARGE WINTER STORM WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL ACROSS ALL OF NEVADA TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. HEAVIEST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED IN THE RUBY MOUNTAINS AND ACROSS NYE COUNTY… BUT ALL LOCATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RECEIVE MEASURABLE SNOW.NVZ031gt;033-036-191200- /O.UPG.KLKN.WS.A.0001.110219T1800Z-110220T1200Z/ /O.NEW.KLKN.WW.Y.0004.110219T1200Z-110220T1200Z/ NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY-SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO COUNTY- EXTREME EASTERN ELKO COUNTY- NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND NORTHERN EUREKA COUNTY- INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS… JACKPOT… WILDHORSE… OWYHEE… H D SUMMIT… ELKO… SPRING CREEK… PEQUOP SUMMIT… WELLS… CARLIN… SILVER ZONE PASS… WEST WENDOVER… BATTLE MOUNTAIN… EMIGRANT PASS 355 PM PST FRI FEB 18 2011 … WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM SATURDAY TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ELKO HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW… WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM SATURDAY TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: WIDESPREAD SNOW AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE EXPECTED. HIGHER AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ABOVE 6000 FEET. * TIMING: WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN SATURDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL CONTINUE… HEAVY AT TIMES… SATURDAY AND SATURDAY EVENING… BEFORE TAPERING TO SNOW SHOWERS SUNDAY MORNING. * LOCATIONS INCLUDE: JACKPOT… WILDHORSE… OWYHEE… H D SUMMIT… SILVER ZONE PASS… WEST WENDOVER… ELKO… SPRING CREEK… PEQUOP SUMMIT… WELLS… CARLIN… BATTLE MOUNTAIN… * IMPACTS: WIDESPREAD ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL CREATE SNOW COVERED ROADS MAKING TRAVEL DIFFICULT. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… (Data provided by the National Weather Service) |
