Barley: Memories of a Trail Dog

By Lance M. Huff

Trail dogs are an important part of an outfitter crew. They offer security and companionship to crew, stock, and clients alike. Now one of those special dogs shares his story and his memories.

Barley is a little brown dog, just the right size for a bedroll. Although he’s retired now, he used to be a trail dog, working with Creel Canyon Outfitters in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico. As a small puppy, he lived with a family and two other dogs, but eventually he goes to live with a man he calls Big Guy. Together they travel and take clients through the wilderness of the Southwest, from Pryor Cabin in the Western Gila Wilderness to Franz Springs in the Blue Range Primitive Area Wilderness in Arizona. Barley recalls tales from when he was in the prime of his youth and in the thick of having fun only a dog can have in the great outdoors.

Told from the perspective of a retired trail dog, this narrative presents fun and exciting tales of traveling in the wilderness of the American Southwest.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728359625

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© 2020 Lance M. Huff. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/21/2020

ISBN: 978-1-7283-5961-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-5962-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020907268

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Illustrated by Rexanne Eby Jones

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to our

mother, Mary Ann Doolittle;

our family, friends, and loved

ones. They helped us be us.

Blue%20Range%20back%20or%20front%20of%20the%20book.jpg

PROLOGUE

When the white man first came to the area that is now known as New Mexico, they found some of the most beautiful country in the world. The Indians living there had enjoyed and respected the land for centuries.

Located between Arizona and Texas, stretching along the Western side of the State of New Mexico, almost the full length of the state, it was a vast and wonderful area.

In the early l900s men like Aldo Leopold, Ben Lilly, and J. Stokley Ligon were early to recognize the ecology of the area and all it had to offer. In September of 1924 the first Wilderness Area, located in New Mexico, was established by The United States Government under President Calvin Coolidge. He declared the entire area both a Wilderness and a Primitive Area.

As part of the Wilderness designation, all means of motorized transportation such as cars, trucks, four-wheelers, and so on were banned. All traffic, regardless of the purpose or cause, was to be by primitive means, such as horseback, on foot, or wagons and teams. This has led to a unique lifestyle for those who travel the Wilderness and guide others into the area to experience the wonders found there. These special folks bring their specialized and old fashioned skills, along with saddle horses, pack mules, horses and burros, camping gear and the knowledge of how to use it all correctly. They honor the concern for the care and keeping of the Wilderness area as intended and responsibility for the land. This also includes the special kind of dogs that are part of this great lifestyle.

This is the story of one such Wilderness trail dog, Barley, as told by Barley himself.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Barley Meets Big Guy

Chapter 2 In The Beginning

Chapter 3 Waking Up In Heaven

Chapter 4 Barley Meets a Bear

Chapter 5 It’s Not About How Tall You Stand

Chapter 6 Fishing on the Middle Fork

Chapter 7 Porcupine Quills

Chapter 8 Daisy

Chapter 9 Another Way to Unpack a Mule

Chapter 10 Finding the Evidence

Chapter 11 Biggest Cat I Ever Saw

Chapter 12 Robbers, Big and Small

CHAPTER 1

Barley Meets Big Guy

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Hi, there, nice to see ya! My name is Barley, by the way. I’m retired now, but I used to be a trail dog. I worked with Creel Canyon Outfitters in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico.

The Wilderness is a vast amount of land set in the mountains with lots of creeks, rivers, tall pines, and lakes. It is so beautiful I don’t even know the words to describe it. It is my very favorite place in the whole world. Tall Folks refer to it as pristine. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I guess it is something like perfect. I’ll accept that because Tall Folks usually know stuff like what words mean. After all, they make noise they call talking all the time. I’ve learned to understand a lot of it