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GUIDE SERVICE WEST ELK WILDERNESS OUTFITTERS Pack trips and horseback trail rides and trout fishing in Colorado's West Elk Wilderness and Fossil Ridge Wilderness! Full service big game outfitter, guided hunts and drop camps. Authentic Colorado vacations with Gunnison country's best adventure outfitter! Wilderness horseback camping adventures, in the most spectacular part of the Rocky Mountains. August 01, 2010 |
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More than a few years ago, John began reciting poetry around the campfire to entertain guests and other the other wranglers and guides. He remembers when one guest remarked "John, You're good at reciting other people's poems, but have you written any of your own?" 
Since then, he has written a book of his own poetry ("My Participle's Danglin"), been published many times and has performed for numerous groups and gatherings. He has been televised often including several appearances on the Outdoors Wisconsin TV Show.Much of John's personal poetry is influenced by a wry sense of humor and themed around his experiences in the outfitting business and working with horses and mules, other guides and outfitters, cowboys, and of course, "dudes". He also recites many of the works of other contemporary and classic poets. John has performed at Michael Martin Murphy's West Fest in Vail, Colorado, and has been a featured performer at the Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Arvada, Colorado, as well as other Colorado gatherings. He performs weekly at guest ranches in the Gunnison Country throughout the summer season. Email packtrip@adelphia.net or call 970-641-2830. |
by John Nelson, Christmas 2004
 | MY PARTICIPLE'S DANGLIN' |
BY
JOHN NELSON
or a hunt begins to drag,
how your guide will pull an apple or orange
from his old saddle bag.
He'll unfold his Buck, then carve ´er up
in four quarters neat and nice,
with hand outstretched, eyeball the dudes,
and insist they take a slice.
The greenhorns to this adventurous gang act
with zest to his tempting morsel,
slam ´er down the hatch with a toast to health
on its way to their twisting torso.
But, the old hands keep their distance like
an old mule you might try to halter.
Regardless sweet juicy tempts and chides,
in negative response they never falter.
"No", they say, "I've got my own," or the Doc
says it gives ´em a sporadic liver.
It´s not that they don´t partake of fruit.
It´s the guide´s knife that makes ´em quiver.
Just watch this salty mountain gent as he
goes about his back country duties,
and heed the ways he wields that knife.
You´ll find he has some beauties!
He´ll pick up a horse´s gimpy foot, and
commence to clean out all the crud.
Your nose says bet that scraped out
stuff (sniff) surely ain´t all mud.
He´ll take your daily catch of trout,
slit and clean them in one sitting.
Then cut through the shiny pile that´s
left, just to see what the fish were hitting.
He´ll set a screw in your fishing reel,
cut the twine from alfalfa bales,
splice reins, scrape the bot eggs from horses´
hair, and clean his fingernails.
He´ll cut bandages from an old wound, and
use the blade to bell a mule,
skin an elk, pry the caps off fly repellent
and the cans of Coleman fuel.
"Don´t you think you should wash your knife?"
You offer him this warning.
"Sure," he nods, "I boiled it in the coffee pot,
just the other morning."
He looks at you, then smiles and winks, says,
"Just kiddin´, I don´t really mean it."
"When I think my ol´ Buck needs a change of
oil, I slice an orange to clean it."
So, if your guide offers an apple slice,
just smile and say, "Of course."
Then ease off gently away from the group,
and feed it to your horse.
But, if an orange slice is his only gift, and
now your gut´s not feelin´ placid.
It´s time to develop a sudden allergy
to all forms of citric acid.
Colorado Outfitter Registration #249.
Operating under special use permit when in the Gunnison National Forest.
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