Pryor Mountain Horse Range ~ Part 2

In 2015 I found myself living out a dream that had only birthed the previous week as I traveled along the edge of McCullough Peaks.  Realizing I was close to where there were wild horse herds, I recalled parts of the PBS Series on Cloud, a mustang stallion.  His young life had been documented with pictures and videos and the series continued as he aged. ‘How cool would it be to hang out with a herd of wild mustangs’, I thought to myself. My life felt disrupted in many ways and the thought filled me with a peaceful feeling. The first part of my desire can been seen and read here. What follows is the second part:

I did not think I could top the exhilaration of standing my ground in the path of a wild mustang stallion. I did in a way that I could not fully appreciate in the present moment. While at some level I understood the uniqueness of the that space in time, I feel the specialness more now.

A few more pictures of me on this special trip taken by Denise. They had plans for the evening and we had a 2 – 3-hour return drive.  I did not mind our time on the mountain was considerably shorter than the time spent driving.  The experience made it worth every bumpy mile!

A short distance back to the first watering hole we noticed more vehicles parked along the way. Certain this indicated more horses at this location we stopped.
This was what we found.

Cloud, the wild stallion, made famous by the PBS 3-part mini-series hanging out with another bachelor stallion. These videos share part of the story of his life from the time he was foaled.

Cloud had recently (in the last year) lost his band of mares.

He was around 20 years old here when these pictures were taken in July of 2015.

As I knew my companions were needing to continue home, I satisfied my heart knowing that I had seen and photographed Cloud.  This trip gave me considerably more than I had expected.  I ran up the hill from the watering hole.  Surprised at how easily I accomplished that feat even in the high altitude,  I simply felt an exhilaration and peace for my time spent ‘hanging’ with the wild mustangs.  This seemed to trump the physical struggles I had been having.  The mind is a powerful tool!

The last anyone seen of him was in the fall of 2015.  I might find myself tearing up a little when I realize I seen him in later part of his life.  Yes! A special moment realized at a deeper level after the fact.

I would love to explore that mountain top and other parts of the Pryor Mountain Mustang range.  Perhaps one day I will camp up there.  I think I would enjoy that!!!

Here a few websites to learn more about Pryor wild mustangs and other mustang herds in the United States. The mustangs on the Pryor range are closely monitored by volunteers who name and document the bands, stallions, mares and foals.  They keep track when a one stallion steals another’s mare(s).  I find this fascinating? Do you?

http://www.pryormustangs.org/

https://www.thecloudfoundation.org/

Facebook page for Pryor Mountain Mustang Center

Facebook page for the Cloud Foundation

Denise and her husband kindly transported and shared this adventure. Denise takes beautiful pictures and owns a better camera. Generously, She allowed me to use photos of me shot the day we experienced this story. Credit for her photos are noted under applicable pictures. Every year she offers calendars for sale featuring Wyoming wildlife. To order your own beautiful calendar, email her at:

dconnelly1970@gmail.com