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DEAR FRIENDS OF RING LAKE, " There is much comfort in high hills, and a great easing of the heart.” ~Geoffrey Winthrop Young How often during the course of the year do you think of experiences or images from Ring Lake Ranch? So much of the renewal that Ring Lake offers us not only comes during the time we spend there, but in the memories we take home. There is a certain feeling of peace of mind in knowing that the "sanctuary" of wilderness, beauty, and harshness that is Ring Lake is still there, hundreds of miles away, as we go about our daily lives. How often the hectic nature of our lives finds ease when we remember the feel of the sun on our face as we enjoy the views of Arrow Mountain or Lake Louise. These are the intangible effects of wilderness renewal we can continue to enjoy long after we've come home from our second home high in the Wind River Mountains. The people and wilderness that is Ring Lake Ranch have always been an important part of my life. Years as a junior staff member have karmicly given way to being a Board member. It's been a wonderful feeling to know that I can try to give back some of what Ring Lake has given me. Keeping the Ranch affordable for individuals and families continues to be a Board priority. Spiritual renewal in wilderness should never become a luxury only for the rich. Yet we are facing an aging Ranch that finds itself more and more in need of repairs and improvements. As a Board, we continue to prioritize the capital and repair needs of the Ranch, but often it can be difficult. So I ask those who can to consider an additional gift to Ring Lake this season. All donations to the Ranch help offset the costs of improvements, repairs, and operations so it may continue to be affordable for all. We would like to do all we can to maintain the atmosphere, heritage, and physical surroundings of the Ranch. We can only do this with your help. For many of us, the peace of mind the Ranch gives us is laced with its timelessness and the fact that although faces change, the spirit of the Ranch and the sanctity it provides us is unchanged. I love Ring Lake Ranch and what it offers to people who go there every yea r. I see new faces and new staff members coming through and I cannot help but feel jealous of the time they will get to spend and the new memories they will create. I feel very fortunate to have had the experience of a childhood at Ring Lake Ranch. I will always contribute to the Ranch so other children and adults will hopefully have the same experience and learn the same love and respect for the wilderness that I have. A little peace of mind goes a long way. The hustle of our daily lives can easily be offset by a simple flash of thought to a quiet ride along Trail Lake. One may also find even more peace of mind knowing that they were able to help a little to preserve our Ranch in the wilderness. ~ Henry Everding
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SEMINAR ADJUSTMENTS At the last Board Meeting in August a decision was made to extend our 5 day seminars to 6 days, each seminar beginning Sunday at dinner and ending the following Saturday after breakfast. With the addition of another day, you will notice a slight adjustment to the rates for these sessions.
CREDIT CARD USE You might have noticed that Ring Lake Ranch deals with credit cards in an old-fashioned manner. Because of our radio telephones, we must record the numbers by hand and call them in batches to the processing companies. For this "service" the Ranch is charged an inordinate fee of several hundred dollars. In our efforts to avoid this expense we are asking that payments to the Ranch be made by check, cashier's check or cash.
Kurtis Smith, Amanda Long, & Scott Darnell with a major find -- a set of elk antlers. NEW CORRALS Future guests at Ring Lake Ranch will no longer find the horses waiting to greet them as they arrive. Because of drainage problems and the wood of the corral fences falling to the ways of the natural world, the corrals have been moved to the area in the fly pasture below their original location. This move will also bring the horses closer to their source of water. While the old tack shed and hay barn remain in place, a new, spacious tack shed with a porch for waiting riders has been built next to the new corrals, thanks to the generosity of a dear friend of the Ranch.
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