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Sweat, horses and sage, a summer at Three Peaks Ranch
By Danielle Naplews
Reprinted from The Leader, Fall 2002, Vol. 18, No. 1
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Danielle Naples loads up Waylon before heading out to reration a NOLS course in the Winds.
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We ride in silence for awhile, listening to the woods come alive. The sound of the horses’ deep, rhythmic breathing is hypnotic. The coolness of the air keeps me alert, but my mind begins to wander as it usually does while riding rerations. The air is so clean and the scenery more beautiful than a postcard. What could be better than this? Life looks better from the top of a horse and I can’t help but reflect on the three summers I’ve spent working at Three Peaks.
I first came to Three Peaks Ranch as a student on a NOLS Wilderness Horsepacking course in 1997. The course was a 21st birthday gift from my parents. After graduating from Appalachian State University with a degree in education, I became a teacher. Now I spend my winters in the classroom and my summers working at Three Peaks. The past three summers have held new experiences and challenges, but it’s the people and horses that make Three Peaks the place it is today. Without a doubt, the horses and staff at Three Peaks are the hardest-working creatures I’ve ever seen. They are the heart and soul of the ranch. At the ranch, we’re a lot like family since we all exist in a communal living situation. We not only live and work together, but we laugh, cry, play practical jokes, and occasionally bicker. In the height of summer when NOLS has courses all over Wyoming, the ranch staff is comprised of eight full-time employees from all over the United States. In addition to the staff, there are always instructors, visitors and students passing through the ranch to spice things up and lend a hand.
When we’re not riding rerations there’s plenty of work to be done around the ranch. A few of the tasks include “vetting” injured horses, mending fences, repairing roofs, making and repairing tack, and running the issue room. Jim, the ranch’s farrier, shoes each of the horses in our herd of 60 several times every summer. Then there’s all of the managerial and logistical duties carried out by Glenn, Jacki and Steve, each of whom handle a different part of the ranch, the horses and the NOLS horse program. Three Peaks isn’t just a place where rerations of food and gear come from, it’s the hard work and dedication of all the staff and horses that get the rerations to the courses. Courses are always so happy to see us, and it’s very rewarding because a tremendous amount of time, planning and preparation go into each reration.
Despite the heavy workload, we always find time to have some fun and blow off steam. Whether we’re preparing a meal together, watching the sun set, or enjoying the guitar entertainment of Jim and Jacki, it is in these simple moments that I find myself not wanting to let a minute of it slip away. All of my Three Peaks friends have heard me talk about how good the ranch is for my soul. Three Peaks truly recharges my body both mentally and physically each summer.
Back on the trail, Palmolive stumbles on a rock and my senses are once again alert. Goldie and Kirby are still striding in sync behind me as I follow Fat’s lead into Indian Park. I begin to sing Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” Fats and I know every word — well, almost every word.
Later in the day, after having completed the reration, the sun will begin to hide behind the Wyoming Range to the west. We’ll be in the truck, our tired horses resting in the trailer, on our way home to “Mother Three Peaks.” I know we’ll see the smiling faces of Nikki, Danielle Nicholas, Glenn, Jacki, Steve and Marlow, awaiting our safe return. It will be good to be home.
When she’s not throwing the box hitch as a full-time horsepacker, Danielle Naples keeps her second graders in Greensboro, North Carolina, entertained with stories of the Wild West.
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