I just solicited a cell phone report from Liza Cotter, Red Rock whipper-in (reached a car full of mostly awake folks, heading back to do the horses). Red Rock moved off from High Country's Antelope Hills fixture at 7 am with, if I remember correctly, 13 and a half couple which have been on the Tour since Colorado. Slightly smaller field than yesterday, owing perhaps to the earlier start time. A quiet day, apparently. Windy, and only one brief run on a viewed coyote. But, hounds worked well and Lynn as usual covered a lot of ground.
Yesterday afternoon's hunter pace was apparently a lot of fun. They had about 30 entries,
and three different levels of jumping, so plenty of awards to distribute, and the proceeds
go to the Western Challenge Prize Fund.
Cooler temps today and a 7am start were not enough to overcome the very dry conditions here in Flagstaff. Thankfully coats were made optional so at least the riders were more comfortable.
Lynn Lloyd's Red Rock Hounds hunted hard for 3.5 hours in the beautiful Antelope Hills about 15 miles north of Flagstaff. This is wide open country with juniper, cinders, dry grass and some nice ravines we felt sure would hold coyotes. Hounds were able to work a few lines, and interestingly the best scenting seemed to be on the exposed hilltops. The high temps and rough ground (those cinders are sharp) forced us to halt early, but we could see what great territory High Country Hounds have to hunt.
Tired Red Rock Hounds - Pictures Courtesy John Auborn
Red Rock Hounds again