GOING to Colorado, in the south-west USA, is like turning back time. Cowboys still round up steers on horseback, you can hop aboard an original steam train, and the hidden trails and ghost towns that dot the landscape offer a stunning echo of the Wild West. It is the perfect place to don your Stetson, hop in the saddle and hit the dusty trail.
All this and more is why I've come to the Wilderness Trails Guest Ranch, just a few miles from the famous Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The name alone is enough to set the imagination running, but the setting is even more awe-inspiring. Ou
r remote homestead is nestled in a glaciated valley, bordering the Piedra Wilderness study area and surrounded by peaks that are more than twice the height of Ben Nevis. This is truly the heart of cowboy country.
Having settled into my pine cabin and checked out the spacious main lodge, I'm ready to meet my trusty steed and companion for the week ahead. The staff are keen to ensure I'm paired with the right mount, and we chat briefly about my riding experience. I'm sure the wranglers have been caught out by guests who said they could ride and, when the dust settled, didn't know which end of horse the hay went in, so I'm up-front about my abilities. I'm not looking to get in a fix out on the trail. I immediately feel at home with my new equine partner, Matador, and it seems like we'll be a good match.
My group consists of riders of similar ability to me, and once we've mounted up in the corral, it's high-ho Silver and away we go – the staff time each ride to prevent a horse-jam outside the barn. With a guide, we set out to explore the area, riding through lush green vistas that the wranglers call 'parks' and on to the tree-lined slopes. The trails vary from easy paths to virgin slopes criss-crossed with fallen trees. In some places it's a case of 'find your own trail', but traversing the hidden wilderness is all part of the fun.
Our half-day ride is broken by a feast back at the lodge. Hearty and wholesome, it's up a notch or two on my expectations, the dishes coming close to those served in a top Edinburgh restaurant.
Ranch owners Jan and Gene Roberts, along with their staff, join us in the dining room. Riding is understandably the main topic of conversation, and we are introduced to the local concept of 'visiting', which translates as sitting around and chatting in the bar – a chance to put my storytelling skills to good use. I am quickly outclassed by Gene, the master narrator, and his talented wife Jan, a quick-witted cowgirl poet, who talks us through her love of horses, meeting Gene, moving to the Wilderness Trails and beginning their new life as ranch owners.
Our time on the ranch is split between riding and getting to grips with the cowboy lifestyle. After an early rise the next morning, our initial task is to find the herd and bring it back to the arena, so we can try our hand at cutting – when a single cow is cut from the herd – and team-penning.
Finding the 15 steers is more difficult than I expect, and while we locate the first 12 easily, rounding up the few remaining cattle brings my cowhand skills to the fore. I impress myself when I catch up with the escapees; Matador and I heading down a steep bank to turn the renegade three back on track.
My afternoon at the Natural Horsemanship Clinic is a much more personal endeavour, and I'm quietly confident after my recent success. I'm amazed to find that even the slightest touch and movement are crucial to the partnership, and I manage to walk, jog and canter on a regular ranch horse while maintaining steering and brakes – all without the use of a bridle.
The following day it's back on the trail, although the wranglers are happy for us to get off the beaten track and on to pathways that have never been ridden before. It's an exhilarating and challenging experience to leave the trails behind, and Matador proves more than happy to show off his skills at crossing the rough terrain.
At the tail end of the ride, we come across some cattle that belong to the ranch in the next valley. Our wrangler asks if I would like to help push them back over the hill. It will be a full day's riding, but I don't need to be asked twice.
We return to the ranch in late afternoon as the clouds roll in across the big skies of Durango. It's the start of a spectacular evening's rainstorm; the unsettled weather a far cry from the short spots of rain and pleasant conditions we've experienced up until now.
We wake to a calm breeze and set out to round up the neighbouring ranch's cattle. It appears that the wild torrent of rain has left us riding blind. Our tracks from the day before have been erased, and so, it seems, have the elusive cows, which are nowhere to be seen.
Rather than go straight back to the ranch, we climb higher up the mountain and take a detour via Bear Creek – a ride that allows me to test my mettle again. I can feel the oxygen beginning to thin, but my trusty steed knows the range well and copes in the varying conditions without a hint of disagreement.
Despite our bad luck out on the trail, the cattle that got away certainly haven't dampened my enthusiasm, and after a full day's riding I still find the energy for Thursday's dance night. Okay, I am no Fred Astaire, but having practised during the week, I have made significant progress with my two-step.
Accompanied by an authentic five-piece country band, we are soon shaking our stuff to the waltz and the western swing. I may not be on a horse, but it's all part of the cowboy lifestyle – and I might just be ready to try my hand in a honky-tonk bar in downtown Durango. If I keep my mouth shut and my accent a secret, who knows, I might even pass for the real thing.
Fact file: ColoradoA seven-night stay at the Wilderness Trails Ranch with Ranch Rider (01509 618811,
www.ranchrider.com) costs from £1,154 per person. This includes full-board accommodation, gratuities and all ranch-based riding and activities.
Return flights from Glasgow to Durango are £789 per person (including all taxes and fuel surcharges). Transfers are not included, but cost £35 per person return. Bookings are now being taken for next year.
The full article contains 1147 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
