Walking on the tundra is like walking on your mattress at home. It is spongy and one can easily sink in a foot even in places not waterlogged. The most enjoyable way to explore the tundra is aboard a horse who knows what he's doing. This was our case...I had old "River" and Mary had "CJ". I'm not sure what the CJ stood for but I suspect it was "Charlie...something".
Mary and I had no prior riding experience. Fortunately the horses we were issued were selected based on the rider's proclaimed experience/or not. Certain rules of the road were laid down by the horse handlers/guides and riders were expected to comply. Walking was the rule! Only once did my horse fall behind as a result of taking a snack break on the local shrubbery along the dirt access road. I gave him a gentle nudge in the sides and he actually shifted into second gear long enough to catch up to the rest of the pack. It was an interesting experience for a person whose prior experience was only with the plastic and wood variety of stallions found on amusement park merry-go-rounds.
The vast openness and endless expanses found here were other-world experiences. Pictures can only minimally capture the concept. Riding a horse here was like sensory overload to me. Not only was the terrain and scenery spectacular, my anticipations and expectations of what the horse might do next was always a factor in my imagination. Fortunately he knew what he was doing and compensated for my total lack of experience.
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