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On August 2, 1993, Mac Black, Tim Fuchs, Craig Sax, and I packed up and left the North Fork Cabin to do much-needed repairs to the Thorofare cabin roof. It had been 38 years since the cabin was built, and deep snow and the fires of 1988 had taken a toll on the cabin's shingles. After the usual dealings with putting strange horses together and some minor repairs to tack, things lined out, and we headed to Thorofare. It was a beautiful day and the trail up Eagle Creek and over Eagle Creek Pass was in good shape. We made good time considering some of the horses were out of shape. We arrived at Yellowstone Park 's Howell Fork cabin late in the afternoon. Horses were unpacked, picketed, hobbled, or turned loose to feed. Then everyone took some time to relax and stretch tired muscles and aching joints before we started dinner.

Around dark we discussed whether to tie horses for the night or to just keep a couple picketed and let the rest loose to graze. After discussing the pros and cons of leaving the horses loose, we decided to picket some (Mac's and mine) and let the rest loose to graze. Sometime after midnight, the clanging of bells and the thundering of hooves as the horses went past the cabin interrupted the snoring going on in the cabin. Mac got up, caught his big gray horse, Scooter, and went to see if he could head them off before they got over the pass. Luckily, he was able to get in front of them and within an hour or so had them back at the cabin. Everyone got up, caught their horses, then haltered and tied them up. We then went back to bed and tried to get some sleep, but Mac's grumbling about having to wrangle horses in the middle of the night for those not smart enough to tie them up delayed our peaceful dreams for sometime.

After breakfast we packed horses and headed for Thorofare. It was another beautiful day, and everything went pretty much without a hitch, although Craig did provide us with a little entertainment when the lead rope from his packhorse got under his saddle horse's tail, and they went crow hopping out across the meadow. Everything turned out fine, but I was glad we hadn't packed the eggs on his string. We arrived at the Thorofare Cabin late in the afternoon, and after unpacking horses and putting them out to graze, we started to set up housekeeping. The cabin was opened up, shutters taken down, and groceries put away. After relaxing a little and some good-natured ribbing about runaway horses and bucking horses, Mac and Tim fixed dinner. After dinner, having learned a lesson the night before, we put the horses in the corrals for the night.

Bright and early the next morning, horses were put out to graze, and, after breakfast, reshingling of the roof began in earnest. The Park Service had packed the shingles to the cabin for us. The first order of business was to remove the old shingles. While Mac and Tim began removing the shingles, Craig and I started to oil the cabin. I decided my career would last longer if I wasn't on the roof at the same time as Tim. Once the shingles were removed, we began putting the new shingles on the cabin. Mac, Tim, and I took turns on the roof and putting oil on the cabin. Craig disappeared somewhere, something we learned he was very good at. It took two days to get the shingles put on the roof and the cabin oiled, but the effect on the cabin was dramatic.

It was a neat sight, but it caused us to keep a watchful eye on the horses as bison are a little protective of their turf. I'm not sure what we would have done if anything had happened, but we would have probably had to rely on Mac saving us, and none of us wanted to go through that again. Fortunately, the bison behaved themselves.

The following day we decided to ride up Thorofare Creek to see if there were any fishermen along it. Unable to locate any fishermen, we decided to ride into Hidden Creek. Hidden Creek is a beautiful drainage that comes into Thorofare Creek from the southwest about eight miles above the cabin. When we reached the outfitter camp in Hidden Creek, we found where a bear had dug up some barrels of camp supplies and scattered them around. We picked up what we could, secured the barrels, and made a mental note to notify the outfitter when we got out. We headed back towards the cabin as the thunderheads were beginning to build.

I had to be in Cheyenne on Monday—something wrong with my priorities—so on Saturday I packed up and headed out. I had planned to stay over at Howell Creek, but it was a nice day and the horses were well rested, so I continued on. I made it back to the North Fork early in the evening, a little tired and sore but with a rejuvenated spirit.

Tim and Mac left two days later, and Craig stayed on for a couple of more days to check fishermen. Tim and Mac were delayed on Eagle Creek Pass when a bull bison refused to get out of the trail. The old buffalo hunters and trappers used to tell stories of having to wait for days while large herds of buffalo blocked their routes but they never mentioned one buffalo impeding their progress. Because of the delays they decided to spend the night in Bragonier Meadow, a small meadow above Eagle Creek Meadows. You have to wonder how much they were really slowed by the buffalo and how much was just a lack of desire to leave such a special place. After sleeping out under the stars for the night, they packed up and headed for the trailhead. They arrived at the trailers without incident, loaded up, and headed home with more than a few special memories.