Mark’s Photos #8

Hiking the CDT, I had camped at Mormon Springs, located on a spur of the Oregon Trail in the Great Divide Basin of southern Wyoming. Mormon Springs was a bit of a misnomer as there was no spring there, just a small collection of rock outcrops in this vast, sparse plane. I was up hiking by 5:30 and watching the world of sage come alive. As I came over a small rise, there, in front of me, not more than 50 feet away, were two groups of wild horses. One group ran away immediately, but the other group was slow to leave. They trotted a short distance, then they all turned as one to look at me. It was like it was choreographed. We watched each other, and they edged closer. They seemed quite curious about me. When I moved toward them. They moved back. When I moved back, they moved closer. We were dancing! They were a magnificent sight silhouetted against the predawn sky. I, of course, took a few photos. And after a couple of minutes, I moved on, and they watched me go. As I slipped over the next little ridge, I looked back to see 10 pairs of eyes still looking at me. Quite beautiful animals.