Coming across the cowboy and his two horses, I knew I had to take their picture. Set against the upright backdrop of the Klickton Divide, on the boundary marker of the Yakima Indian Reservation, my hiking partners and I met the equestrian group as they were enjoying the view.

The cowboy didn’t mind his picture being taken, neither did the horses I suppose, and their photo would eventually land me second place in the Equestrian Category of the 2017 PCTA Photo Contest. After four months of daily hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), the route never failed to provide something new to appreciate. Little did we know at that moment though, standing next to our cowboy gate-greeter who had just come from the other way, this was just the beginning of the most beautiful stretch of trail on the entire PCT.
“Ya’ll have yourself a good time,” our cowboy companion tipped his Stetson our way.
