Trail dogs are an important part of an outfitter crew. They offer security and companionship to crew, stock, and clients alike. Now one of those special dogs shares his story and his memories.


Barley is a little brown dog, just the right size for a bedroll. Although he's retired now, he used to be a trail dog, working with Creel Canyon Outfitters in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico. As a small puppy, he lived with a family and two other dogs, but eventually he goes to live with a man he calls Big Guy. Together they travel and take clients through the wilderness of the Southwest, from Prior Cabin in the Western Gila Wilderness to Franz Springs in the Blue Range Primitive Area Wilderness in Arizona. Barley recalls tales from when he was in the prime of his youth and in the thick of having fun only a dog can have in the great outdoors.
Told from the perspective of a retired trail dog, this narrative presents fun and exciting tales of traveling in the wilderness of the American Southwest.



LANCE M. HUFF was born in Silver City, New Mexico. A fifth-generation Grant County native, he has a deep, historical family heritage from the area. To explore his family history, he decided to journey the areas of his ancestors, the Gila Wilderness. His profession as a chef gave him the opportunity to go discover that country while working as a camp cook for an outfitter. He currently lives in Glenwood, New Mexico.
REXANNE EBY JONES, illustrator, is Lance's older sister, teaches reading, English, and writing at a small school in northern Texas and is also a skilled artist. She currently lives in Chillicothe, Texas.