点评:Our morning started off with our group split between a 4x4 pickup and a Jeep, driven by our fantastic guides, Steve and Nancy. The 1.5-hour drive up the mountain was an adventure in itself—a rough, exciting, real 4x4 trail! Steve shared his extensive knowledge with us, and we shared a lot of laughs throughout the day.
As with any wildlife tour, sightings are never guaranteed, but we were incredibly fortunate. We first spotted horses on a ridge, parked the vehicles, and walked as close as permitted. It was so special to observe them in their natural habitat. We were even provided with a list of all 195 horses, complete with names and herd information, to see who we could identify. We drove around quite a bit and saw several herds, with Nancy expertly assisting us in matching names to the horses we found.
We enjoyed our lunch in the shade with an amazing view. Afterward, we walked into the forest area to search for more horses and were lucky enough to find some resting and grazing. Later, we waited by a watering hole and were thrilled when they came down to drink and play in the water right near us! We also saw some bear footprints; luckily we didn't run into any bears, but our guides were fully prepared with bear spray and bells just in case.
We ended the day taking in the breathtaking scenery of the area before starting the trip back down. You can truly tell how much our guides love these horses—especially Nancy, who has been with the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center for 30 years. It was an absolute privilege to experience the wild horses with them.
Keep in mind that this is a full-day tour and involves a lot of walking, but I would highly recommend it to any horse lover visiting Lovell. It was a day I will remember forever!
翻译:我们的早晨是从分组开始的:一部分人乘坐四驱皮卡,另一部分人则坐上吉普车,由我们出色的向导史蒂夫和南希驾驶。这段长达1.5小时的上山之旅本身就是一场冒险——一条崎岖又刺激、真正的四驱车专用路线!史蒂夫向我们分享了他丰富的相关知识,而我们一整天都欢声笑语不断。
和所有野生动物观赏之旅一样,能否看到动物其实无法保证,但我们实在是幸运至极。我们首先在一处山脊上发现了马群,于是立刻停车……我们尽可能靠近地观察它们。能在它们的自然栖息地中观察它们真是太特别了。我们甚至还得到了一份包含全部195匹马的名单,上面有每匹马的名字及其所属的马群信息,这样我们就能辨认出哪些马了。我们开车四处转了转,看到了好几个马群,南希也熟练地帮我们把看到的马与名单上的名字一一对应起来。
我们在荫凉下享用午餐,眼前的景色美不胜收。之后,我们走进林区寻找更多的马群,很幸运地发现了一些正在休息和吃草的马。随后,我们在水源旁等候,当那些马儿来到我们近旁饮水、戏水时,我们激动不已!我们还看到了一些熊的脚印;幸好没有遇到熊,不过我们的向导们以防万一,也备好了防熊喷雾剂和铃铛。
一天行程结束时,我们尽情欣赏了这片地区令人叹为观止的美景,随后便踏上了返程之路。从向导们的言行中,你就能真切感受到他们有多喜爱这些马匹——尤其是南希,她已在普赖尔山野生野马中心工作了30年。能和他们一同体验与野生马群相处的时光,真是莫大的荣幸。
请记住,这是一场需要一整天时间、且需要大量步行的游览活动,但我强烈推荐给所有喜爱马匹的游客来洛威尔体验一番。那是我毕生难忘的一天!