Having just arrived in Salt Lake City from the wilds of Orlando, the four eco-naturists, err uh, eco-terrorists, uh, eco-something wannabees stopped at the nearest Utah State Liquor Store to stock up for the week. They were headed to their favorite part of the world, southern Utah, roughly anywhere south of I-70.

Anticipation doesn’t adequately describe the feelings they shared. This was the fourth trip to the area within three years, but this trip was to be special. Required reading prior to the journey was anything written by Ed Abbey, but especially The Monkey Wrench Gang and Hayduke Lives! They called it their pilgrimage, which they loosely defined as "trying their damnedest to make Ed proud."

After stocking up, they headed the rented SUV southeast, toward Moab. It was a long day of travel, a cross-country two-legged flight, followed by the six-pack and a half drive. Of course they stopped along the way and drank the beer, since they didn’t believe in drinking and driving. Knowing the liquor laws of Utah, it was probably illegal to even consume it, but that was their plan. Their destination: Green River, UT, home of Ray’s Tavern and, along with at least one town in every state, the self-declared "Watermelon Capitol of the World" Annual Parade. It was just their luck, stuck in a traffic jam in downtown Green River.

After an evening of Ray’s burgers, beer and several games of pool, early in the morning they headed off to hike into Horseshoe Canyon. Little did they know, the fact they actually made the effort to get to Horseshoe Canyon and experience The Great Gallery, may have saved them from certain death at the hands of Ed’s good friend and cohort, Seldom Seen Smith. Even on a Saturday, the canyon wasn’t crowded, but it probably never is. It’s a long drive over rough roads just to get to the trailhead. The recent rains made travel even more difficult; the road now consisting of muddy ruts and long stretches of standing water. The total visitor count that day was nine, not counting J. R., the SCA volunteer ranger (they called him a "Bush-Man"…… the only new "employees" our Park Service can afford). The count consisted of the four Floridians, two other couples from Arizona and one straggler that had just arrived and started the hike at 4:30 P.M., when all of the others were coming out. He’s probably still in there, having joined the rock art figure "Holy Ghost" in The Great Gallery. Beginning the hike that late, he definitely deserved the chance.

The next adventure was the one that the four had been looking forward to and anticipating the most. Although hikes were planned in Arches National Park’’s Fiery Furnace and Primitive Loop, as well as Big Spring/Elephant Canyon in Canyonlands National Park, nothing could compare to a trail ride with Seldom Seen Smith. Seldom may not have shared their sentiment.

A small flash flood had made it nearly impossible to reach their rented house, hidden in a beautiful red rock canyon, south of Moab. Arriving after dark, the full moon helped light the way. It seemed that Ed’s mystical horse, Moon Eye, was there, hiding behind every shadowed turn.

Feeling closer to Ed, they settled in to an evening of poker and beverages. Later that night, they were awakened by a thunderstorm, accompanied by a cold wind. When they got up early the next morning, Mt Peale was shining white, having received the first snowfall of the season. It was a brilliant beginning to the event planned for this day, a trail ride at Pack Creek Ranch with none other than Seldom Seen Smith himself.

Driving to Pack Creek Ranch early that morning, they headed up the road, directly into the rising sun. Blinded by the bright light, it was hard enough to see the road, let alone see a sign. They had been told to go to the office, but no signs for "Office" were visible. As they slowly drove up the drive, they finally saw a sign that said "Trail Rides". Knowing they were there to do just that, they assumed this must be the place. As they turned the SUV left into the corral area, they were met with a shout from someone that appeared to be a ranch hand. He yelled, "DIDN’’T THEY TELL YOU TO GO THE OFFICE?" The driver’’s immediate thought was, Yeh, but if the cheap son of a bitch that owns the place put up a sign that said "Office" we would have gone there. Deciding that might not be a good way to start the morning, the driver replied, "Sorry, we didn’’t see the sign". The man replied, "Well, go to the office first". The driver mumbled an "OK" and proceeded to turn the vehicle around and do as he was told.

Immediately, the other three in the car yelled, "LOOK OUT!" In trying to turn around, they had come within an inch of running over the wooden steps that were used to help the tourists mount the horses. They were certain that, like everything else around, the steps were probably something that had been there for years and carried special meaning to Pack Creek Ranch.

By this time they had guessed that the "ranch hand’’ was actually Seldom himself. On the short drive to the actual office, they all agreed that driving over the old wooden steps would have stopped their adventure in its tracks. The sight of an SUV, loaded with "city slickers", smashing the wooden steps (probably built with his own two hands), would have been too much for Seldom to take. He would have either shot them on the spot or at the very least banished them from the property and refused to take them on the trail ride.

After checking in at the office, it was confirmed that Seldom, aka Ken Sleight, was, in fact, waiting for them at the corral. They were also advised to get down there right away, since Ken didn’t like riders to be late. Sheepishly, they hurried to the corral, trying to put their best foot forward. At this point, they didn’t know how the meeting would go, but they were going to do their best to get back on his good side.

Actually, the meeting went well. As they introduced themselves, they wanted to impress Ken with their feelings and respect for the area, people who lived there and, in particular, Ed Abbey. During the conversation, it was relayed that all of them had read the Monkey Wrench Gang and Hayduke Lives. Ken seemed more impressed that the first Abbey book they read was Desert Solitaire and that it was actually their favorite book that Ed had written.

However, it was when he was told that just yesterday they had hiked into Horseshoe Canyon that Ken’s eyes lit up. There seemed to be an acceptance of the four travelers at that moment and, perhaps, a little respect for their sincerity about the issues facing this beautiful area.

The rest of the morning was as good as expected. The time spent introducing horse to rider and rider to horse, i.e., "Kimo you get to ride Killer", and the trail ride, complete with humorous stories, allowed them to get to know Ken better. By the end of the morning, Ken laughed at them referring to themselves as "Jack Presbyterians" as Ed had referred to Seldom Seen Smith as a "Jack Mormon".

The four eco-wannabees are certain that Ken Sleight has "made Ed Abbey proud", and hope that they did, too. If you haven’’t experienced a trail ride with Ken Sleight at Pack Creek Ranch, find the time to get there and do it. You may hear a "Sleightly" Exaggerated Tale or two.