We booked our horse ride for the morning of the 4th of July. The morning of our ride, my husband,…read moremy 11 yr old and I met Big Al at the foot of the mountain with three other people. Big Al was unmistakable. His physical presentation leads you to feel like his personality will be larger than life, but he is really such a gentle, laid back man. When the entire riding party was signed in and present, we all loaded up in the "pope-mobile" - a truck with a large glassed in camper- it is top to bottom plexi-glass in the back, so the view in the back is completely panoramic. The others in our party opted to ride up front in the cab, but we are scrappy, adventurous types, so the camper on the bed of the truck was just the spot for us. The slow trek up the mountain was a rough, fun experience. It's very steep, and with the completely open view in the back, the scene was just spectacular. The path up the mountain is so steep, and the lane is so small, you can look over and see all the way down. We made it to the top in about 20 minutes. The ride in the back was an experience in itself! Reaching the top, you come upon a gorgeous little encampment with the most breath-taking view. We gather up at the edge of the vista with Al, and he gives us a crash course in riding technique, putting each rider on his dummy horse so you can get the right actions down.
As Al walks each of us through the process, I suddenly realized who he DEAD-ON reminds me of. Big Al is the Bob Ross of horse riding. Plain and simple. His manner is SO gentle, but unmistakably authoritative and knowledgeable. The way he described the appropriate way to interact with the animals, you absolutely understand the depth of his appreciation for what he does; his respect for the animals, and his deep well of knowledge in how the horses think and behave.
After the crash course, we were all assigned horses based on our experience and build. I was given Badger first, but after giving it some thought, Al decided I would do best with Milagro. My daughter rode Sorpresa, and my husband rode Freckles. Rio, Badger and one other whose name I can't remember were the other horses that the other parties rode on our trek. The ride was nice and slow, and we had two other guides that accompanied Big Al to assure everything would go as planned, and it did. The pictures we took on our ride just could never do justice to the real view, and the ride was the most exhilarating experience. When we rounded back to the encampment, there was a variety of snacks and drinks set out for us to choose from. We gathered in a circle of chairs, and talked while Al leaned back in his chair, crossed his feet in front of him, and tipped his hat over his eyes, seemingly taking a little nap. We riders chatted for maybe half an hour, enjoying the air and the atmosphere while he rested. I sat there under the sun, enjoying a little bee friend that came and sat on my hand, and just felt immense gratitude for the day and the experience, and for Al's place in the world.
I have never met another human being who was so in tune with himself, and with his role. Al knew what he wanted in life, and he set it up for himself, and now he spends his days giving people a once in a lifetime experience on the peak of a mountain. What a beautiful way to live.
While we were chatting there in that circle, seeing Al seemingly in a little snooze, we were discussing how carefully Al's world had been constructed completely outside the perimeter of the labyrinth of the daily grind - everyone hurries everywhere - everyone's busy, everyone's got to go here, then go there, then get this done, then get that done; Al's gait and his manner are purposeful, but absolutely devoid of any imminent expectation, devoid of any timeline which must be met. It was a beautiful thing to behold, and a joy to be a part of. As my husband and I were expressing that observation to our fellow riders, Al suddenly spoke, revealing that he was, in fact, awake - and imparted on us something that I know we'll never forget. He told us that there is one word that he will never use, because it seems to take so much from everyone. Al said you will never hear him describe himself as 'busy'. He said that when someone asks how someone else is doing, they always respond with, "Well, you know, just staying busy."
He said that when people assign themselves the term 'busy', it takes so much from them- that it's only a way to express what you will have to give up; that it denotes a lack of freedom. He revealed that, instead of responding with, "Busy" when someone asks him how he is doing, he simply replies, "Forthright."
What a life.
We forgot to bring cash to tip with, so he offered to ride us through the ski town to find an atm, but we couldn't find one. EVERYONE around us knew him by name, and greeted him; he returned a warm greeting in kind. We'll mail that tip to you soon, Al - it seems we've been just a little... forthright.
