Distinctly Montana Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.distinctlymontana.com/i/726072
D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • FA L L 2 0 1 6 30 in the woods. In talking with Hawk, it was imme- diately apparent that here was a man passionately involved with horses, wil- derness, and the history of the mountain west. Clearly we had a lot in common. Hawk spent every available childhood mo- ment hunting and fishing. e 1972 film, Jeremiah Johnson, created a power- ful urge in Hawk to live his life in the manner of the early mountain men. He studied countless books and old documents, experimented on his own, and gradually learned the history and ways of the EuroAmericans who first ventured west to hunt, trap, and live among the Indians. Dunrovin Ranch recently received a permit from the Lolo National Forest to offer guided trail rides along a very primitive section of the Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail that runs through the Bitter- root Mountains above Lolo Creek. is ancient trail is the same one that Old Toby (Pikee Queenah or Swoop- ing Eagle), a Western Sho- shone Indian, shared with Lewis and Clark in 1805 and 1806. Upon meet- ing Hawk, we knew that we had found the perfect person for guiding guests along this historic trail. Like Old Tobey, Hawk escorts our guests and shows them the way on a trail that is so lightly used that there really is no "trail" to follow. e undeveloped nature of the trail combined with Hawk's commanding presence and his authentic gear immerse riders directly into the mountain man era, experiencing the country much as Lewis and Clark did on their epic journey. Hawk's enthusiasm for this country and the moun- tain man way of life spills out of him as he explains, "e mountaineer trappers that left St. Louis to come West might not see civilization for years again if ever. e Indians that used the Nee-Mee-Poo trail would leave their families behind with a hug and hope to see them again when they returned. Sometimes it was Hawk's tipi at Dunrovin Ranch In this video Hawk meets famous horsetrainer Pat Parelli www.distinctlymontana.com/hawk164 DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL DANIELLE LELLEK JOHN ASHLEY