Summer is here!

The arrival of summer means a few things for us at the ranch.

One of which is that the sheep will be brought home from the windmill on Friday and start their very long trek to the high country on Saturday.
The sheep spend their summers in the mountains and will graze thousands of acres of green grass over the course of about 4 months.

This picture was taken last year during my visit to the high country.

I can't wait to take a trip up there this year, the vista is absolutely beautiful. Here is a blog post about a visit I made to the high country last year to give you an idea. I have learned my lesson since that post...I will be taking a whistle with me on my next trip!

One of our herders stays up in the high country all summer however, this year two of our herders will be there since one is in "training". Our newest herder will learn all the camps we will move to over the course of the summer and learn more about sheep.

J will take supplies to them weekly and will move camp every few days. When they move camp the supplies like food, water, the tent, dog food and clothing will be packed up and moved via ATV to the next "camp".

We have several permits on the high country. Each permit has different restrictions as to how long we can be in one area and what area we are allotted. It's important our herder(s) keeps track of this because there are other sheep permits in the high country and we don't want to mix or get in any trouble for grazing an area we don't have the rights to.

So, we are getting ready for the big move. I'm excited to get the sheep up to such great pasture where they can roam freely. At the same time I'm nervous because well, it's nerve-racking seeing hundreds of sheep on the busiest (and only) highway in town!

My mother-in-law, Gell told me she gets nervous every time we trail sheep on the road, even after all these years. She said seeing those babies on the road is just terrifying and after this move a few weeks ago, I completely agree.

When she starts to feel nervous while trailing sheep she reminds herself of a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, "You must do the things you think you cannot do." That, my friends, is what I will be saying to myself Saturday morning at 5am.


Please send your positive thoughts and prayers our way! We want every one of our furry friends to make it safely to their destination.