{"id":4693,"date":"2018-02-09T11:35:00","date_gmt":"2018-02-09T18:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/forestcamping.com\/blog\/2009\/09\/04\/thoughts-on-national-grasslands\/"},"modified":"2018-01-22T15:39:42","modified_gmt":"2018-01-22T22:39:42","slug":"thoughts-on-national-grasslands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestcamping.com\/dow\/suzi\/thoughts-on-national-grasslands\/","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts on national grasslands"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Grassland trail must deal with barbwired pasture land<\/p><\/div>\n

I love national forests but national grasslands are special and unique unto them selves. Maybe it’s because they are so open and vast and empty.<\/p>\n

They are cris-crossed by barb wire fences so cattle can safely graze on the tall rippling grass, so maybe they aren\u2019t really so open.\u00a0 And as to empty?\u00a0 Grasslands are full of amazing plants, special animals, and isolated ranches and farms.<\/p>\n

So what makes them special? Maybe it\u2019s the imprint left by those who went before and those who continue to try to tame the land.<\/p>\n

Perhaps its the recilence of the land itself.<\/p>\n

In some ways I envy the folks we meet that have a connection to one place. Especially when a place has the unique beauty of a grassland. You can see the love of the land and a way of life in the basswood carving done by a gentlemen who spent his life on a plot of land in Sheyenne National Grassland.<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And then there is the couple how live overlooking the expanses of the Curlew National Grassland<\/a> from their farmhouse and welcome strangers like us with open arms. They know every hillside, stream, and secret of this area. They told us about Colen H Sweeten Jr. who writes about his time on the Curlew. A favorite piece of theirs is \u201cField Thirteen\u201d (fenced pastures are all given names so the permittee will know which is for his use). It reads like a mini-novel.<\/p>\n

Here are few lines from \u201cField Thirteen\u201d:<\/p>\n

A blizzard comes up
\nWith no warning at all
\nWhen you\u2019re cuttin\u2019 out cattle
\nLate in the fall.<\/p>\n

The horse you are on
\nTurns from ornery to mean
\nThere\u2019s a pretty good chance
\nYou are in Field Thirteen.<\/p>\n

. . . .<\/p>\n

Field thirteen can get pretty mean,
\nBut, today I\u2019m enjoying the ride.
\nThe feeling won\u2019t last, but ghosts of the past
\nRide along in the dust at my side.<\/p>\n

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