:A flowing stream in the background as riders follow a trail

From the April 1998 issue of Mules and More

Although the weather forecast called for sunny skies, clouds covered the sun on Saturday, February 21, 1998, for the Arizona Mule and Donkey Association and North American Saddle Mule Association combined ride. That may have scared off some of our fair-weather riders, as we are pretty spoiled by our mostly sunny skies; however, 18 riders did join in for a spectacular ride in the Superstition Mountains in central Arizona. All the rain in the area has made the desert a sea of green grasses, and all the streams are flowing, while the surrounding mountain peaks are capped with snow.

AUGIE ROOT, Miss Ellie, SHARON ROOT and Patch and Howdy take a break on the trail

The group traveled the Dutchman Trail to Boulder Creek, where lunch was enjoyed. Shirley Brown, an AMDA member and one of the newest NASMA members, traveled from Tucson to spend Friday night at the trailhead and join the ride. Her 25-year-old mule did a great job of negotiating the rocky trail. Whitney Lightfoot, the youngest member, was on a novice trail horse, but by following the experienced mule, the horse quickly learned to sidestep the muddy puddles and pick its way through boulders.

After lunch, riders climbed the Black Mesa trail, carefully rode through a forest of cholla cactus, and wandered down the other side to Garden Valley. The last part of the ride was along First Water Creek, past the remnants of an old holding corral and windmill, and back to the trailers. Despite clouds all day, a gorgeous ride was enjoyed in one of the most beautiful areas of Arizona, the Superstition Mountains!

February 1998 NASMA and AMDA TRAIL RIDE