Corona was taken off the Arizona Trail Expedition when the team learned she was pregnant. The vet said she was due in February. But this morning, Corona surprised us with a beautiful baby boy.
More pictures of baby Phoenix can be seen here.
Introducing…
September 29, 2009 at 7:53 pm (Horses)
Tags: baby, Corona, foal, horse, Phoenix
To all you students and teachers
September 27, 2009 at 4:31 pm (90 Days... 90 Lessons..., Jordan)
Hello all,
The AZT team has some questions that would be helpful to get some answers to and we are wondering if you could help us out.
Andy – Why are there so many bugs in the bottom of the Grand Canyon but not as many seen up higher by the rim?
Paul – How many gallons of water are used per day at Grand Canyon National Park and why is this an important issue to bring up?
Chris – Why do we not see many animals while we travel, but can hear many at night?
Eleni – What types of flowers grow in a ponderosa pine forest and which ones are currently in bloom?
Nikki – Why is there very little water in Arizona?
Mary – What are some stories about the constellations that can be seen this time of year? e.g. Corona Borealis, Betelgeuse…
Natasha – What conifers are additionally present in a ponderosa pine forest?
Jordan – Why is it constantly sunny here and what has contributed to Arizona having such a dry year?
Pam – Why do some rocks have fossils in them in a land locked place – shells…?
Any help with these questions would be wonderful, and I am sure that you are eager to know the answers to them as well. To question what our environment holds is the key to understanding what is possible – it is never about having enough resources, just being resourceful.
It’s been a while…
September 27, 2009 at 4:07 pm (Horses, Nikki, On the Trail)
Tags: Churro, grand canyon, Navigation, Nikki
It’s mildly strange that I am currently on the internet at a place in the middle of nowhere called Russel Tank. Granted, it took several hours and multiple people to get the satellite to work, we now have full access to the web and communication with the world.
The Grand Canyon was a blur, although my calves seem to remember every step of it. I’m glad Churro didn’t go, I’m pretty sure he would’ve stumbled right off a cliff. Sometimes I swear he has four left feet. It was amazing at Phantom Ranch. The climb out was a lot harder for me than the climb down. There were many moments when I looked up and thought I would have to live in the canyon for the rest of my life, there was no way I could hike to the top. But I did. And then I got some ice cream 
157.4 miles into the trip and it still feels like we’ve just begun, and in a way we have. We still have a very long way to go. We’re still figuring out the details. We have yet to gain any sort of true rhythm. Navigational work has been great. I really enjoy being able to sit down with all of the various maps and the GPS to scout out our upcoming travel days. I had two frustrating days of trying to find trails and roads that appeared on my map from 1980, however, no longer exist. Another frustration is dealing with roads and trails that now exist however are no where to be seen on any of our maps or even the GPS. I’ll admit, navigation can wear on me sometimes at the end of a long day when we’re trying to find camp and everyone is looking at me – and the maps are inaccurate. However, I wake up the next day ready and willing to do it all again. I’m glad that I chose an independent study that I am able to work on every single day. I’m making real progress with my map reading skills and mileage/time estimations. It’s been a great way for me to feel like I have some level of responsibility for the group and this journey and – sometimes it’s nice to have all the answers.
Churro has been Mr. Crazy-Pants lately! He consumes a large amount of grain and it’s obvious that he can feel it. He likes to play a lot and is more alert than he normally is… which usually looks sometime like a narcoleptic state. He has been testing my boundaries more and more. He was starting to figure out that he is in fact bigger than me and can do anything he wants if he chooses to – I can’t control him. It was a challenge to find a way to get respect from him without making it a battle of physical strength or ‘bigness’. More recently, something seems to have clicked with him. He’s listening to my first ask more and more, which enables me to make that ask lighter and lighter. He’s a big boy so it’s nice that I can just squeeze him lightly with my heels to ask him to go forward instead of kicking him with all my strength just to get his attention off the green deliciousness he tends to focus on. It feels like we’re really in sync right now. He’s an awesome guy, and I admire him. He’s extremely resilient and steady a.k.a. “a big dumb gelding” as Eleni calls it. He doesn’t spook easily or get caught up in herd excitement. He’s also quite affectionate. I’m having a great time with him. He’s teaching me how to take life one blade of grass at a time.
Next stop: Flagstaff. We should be there four to five days from now. We’ve been having some pleasant warm weather, I’m sure that’s about to change as we head into the mountains. Wish us warmth.
Tonto is quite the teacher
September 23, 2009 at 6:09 pm (90 Days... 90 Lessons..., Jordan)
So far, my horse partner Tonto has taught me many lessons on what it means to have a healthy relationship.
One of which, is that in order for there to growth and happiness, both beings must share their needs and compromise – only then will growth and authenticity appear. Another lesson is one in personal space and patience. As many sages have noted, the truth is found within, we must be able to stand on our own in order to discover who we are, not having someone’s head in our armpit like a crutch propping us up. These are just a few of the things that being in this kind of relationship has taught me – a relationship filled with trust, communication, patience, and the freedom to move.
To all you students out there, what kinds of relationships have you had, healthy or unhealthy, that you have learned something from? Furthermore, what do you consider to be a productive environment, not necessarily a place to do homework, but a place to be yourself and grow?
Do not feed wildlife
September 23, 2009 at 5:57 pm (Horses, Natasha, On the Trail)
Tags: equine-assisted learning, letting go
So we made it out of the Great Big Hole in the Ground much to our amazement (or at least those of us taking our time on the B team). It’s an amazing hike: sheer cliffs and wheeling birds, twisted rock and falling water…
This morning we took some intentional time to reunite with our horses, most of whom had taken a trailer ride around the Canyon and spent 3 days resting without us. I spent time just hanging out with Black Oak in his pen, scratching his neck and playing games. He has been tearing the bark off of the Pinyon pines that he can reach over the rails, so I started helping him by tearing off pieces he couldn’t reach and feeding them to him. I was feeling really good about our energy and his playfulness right up through the point when neither of us were paying attention and, in taking a shred of bark, dear Black Oak bit off a small piece of the tip of my right thumb.
As I stood there, realizing what had just happened, staring at my bleeding hand, I noticed an absence of any kind of anger in me. I knew it was a mistake, I knew it was pretty much my fault, and in the past these truths had not helped to quell any negative feelings. Somehow, in this particular instance, something in me had changed. So out with the Neosporin and bandages, time to smile, move on, and heal.
Penny Has a Hurt Leg!
September 23, 2009 at 5:21 pm (Andy, On the Trail)
On the South Rim (after our amazing hike through the Grand Canyon) we met Shane, Raphie, and the Ponies on the South Rim. Imagine my surprise when I found Penny with a hurt left hind leg! As far as we can tell, she hurt it during some horse shenanigans on the trailer ride from the North Rim. Her lower leg has a series of gashes and cuts with quite a bit of tenderness/ swelling. Luckily, she’s moving better every day. I even spent about twenty minutes today spraying her leg with cold water from a hose. Judging by her dancing, she wasn’t too thrilled about it! Pam and Paul tell me that this should help with the swelling, but I’m having a hard time communicating that to Penny =) Needless to say, I plan on walking a good bit for the next week or so!
Website Problems – Updated 9/21/09
September 19, 2009 at 9:24 pm (CLS)
Tags: CLS, website
Update: The website is back up and running.
Hello Readers,
The website A Centaur’s Journey is currently down due to the overload of visitors to the site. I am working to get it back up, please be patient
Smoke and Fire
September 19, 2009 at 3:51 pm (Natasha, On the Trail)
Tags: Arizona Trail, Ecology, Fire
I believe the Ponderosa pine forest of the Kaibab Plateau is the most beautiful place I’ve seen, or one of a few places. Underfoot soft needle duff hides small stone imps, and the air is filled with the scent of cotton candy. Some people say it smells like cake, I think it smells like whatever is going to make you happy. The pines themselves are stoic megaliths, widely-spaced dark columns that wave their far-off feathery tips in accordance with the benevolent winds. Softly green grasses rustle their dry selves in the wide spaces beneath the high ceiling. The only other plant life are dwarf Gambel’s Oaks, possibly young colonists since the last brush fire burned through, clearing dead refuse and returning nutrients to the soil. As we climb into the afternoon, slopes get steeper, and drifts of pale ghost smoke wash up and over the trees along the trail and hillside. The smoke gets thicker and its smell becomes a constant companion. There is fire ahead, along the road, a Forest Service employee informs us. He is friendly and concerned for our welfare. Soon there are more muscley pickups stopped on the road to offer their wisdom. We decide to stay where we are, and I am grateful the next morning, when the buttery post-dawn sunlight warms my cold shoulders and imbues the forest primeval with overpowering grace.
At the Grand Canyon
September 19, 2009 at 3:46 pm (CLS, On the Trail)
Tags: Arizona Trail, grand canyon, update
The team is currently at a layover at the Grand Canyon. They will hopefully be able to post pictures and stories tonight or tomorrow.
They have been traveling. When crossing the Kaibab Plateau, they had to pass around a wildfire; but the horses did well despite the smoke.
Their days typically start at 5:30am, with taking care of horses, getting breakfast, and packing up camp. They try to be on the trail by 10am. Each day, they travel 10-16 miles, getting to the next camp around 5 or 6pm. In the evenings they take care of the horses, get dinner, take care of any school or other work, and are asleep by 9pm, ready to do it again the next day.
View A Centaur’s Journey map to see the current location of the team.
I’m Pretty Sure Penny Doesn’t Hate Me…
September 19, 2009 at 3:00 pm (90 Days... 90 Lessons..., Andy)
…and I’m not sure if I’d know if she did. I mean, she isn’t actively trying to get me off of her back, but she doesn’t seem to care much that I’m around. We’ve recently turned tacking up into a complex dance (one in which she seems to be leading) complete with an actual, if half-hearted, bite attempt or two. So far I’ve figured out that she doesn’t like her face, gums, nose, ears, or butt rubbed. She DOES seem to enjoy her mane being brushed and me breathing into her nostrils, both of which I’m learning how to do without upsetting her (You can’t just rip tangles out!). I find myself in a day-to-day struggle to make myself relevent to a horse that appears to think that it is her right to be pampered. She’s pretty, she knows it, and she takes herself VERY seriously…it’s an interesting partnership, one in which she seems to be the dominant force. That’s a definite change of pace!
