I worked for the CM Ranch in the early 1970’s, and was the Simpson cook during the summers of 1973 through 1976. Each Simpson trip started at the ranch up the Jakey’s Fork trail.  The trip was 13 miles and usually took 6 or 7 hours. We rode through the Whiskey Mountain burn, which was a steep and rocky trail. The CM Ranch maintained the trail and kept it clear of fallen trees.  At least once a summer, Alice Shoemaker and I, along with anyone else available (usually a maintenance guy) would clear rocks from the trail. I never thought it really made a difference but I always enjoyed being with Alice. 

 

During a typical trip to Simpson we would eat lunch at Noon Park after a hot morning of riding through the Whiskey Mountain Burn.  At Noon Park, the trail split. One way went up Whiskey Mountain and the other towards Soapstone and Simpson. After the split, the Simpson trail went through trees and was more pleasant than the Whiskey burn section. I had a wonderful mare named Blue who knew the routine, and I would often doze off while riding through the shade.  I usually led two stubborn pack horses, Pudge and Rusty. Their sudden stops would abruptly interrupt my naps.
         
Fishing was first on the agenda after the long ride to Simpson, and after getting the horses taken care of we would all grab poles and lures, and oars that hung on the cabin walls, and jump into two of the three leaky boats to get out to the middle of the lake.  We called the boats the Titanic, the Nautilus and the PT109. We were constantly patching the boats, but the Titanic was beyond repair by the time I was Simpson cook.  The boats took on so much water that a designated bailer was necessary, and we took turns fishing and bailing. Trout stayed alive in the bottoms of the leaky boats and when we returned to shore, we kept the ones we wanted, then tipped the boats over to release the rest of the fish back into the lake.
 
It took a lot of organization to shop, prepare and pack enough food and supplies for a trip to Simpson. Most trips were three days, and there were usually 6 -8 guests, plus the wrangler and myself.  There is always weight to consider when packing and we were very careful not to pack a horse over 100 pounds, due to the steepness of the Whiskey Mountain Burn trail.

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Meat was packed frozen and wrapped in layers of newspaper. Once at Simpson, the meat was stored by hanging it in the meat house, along with other perishable items. I tried to bring as much fresh food as possible without overloading the horses. Cucumbers, apples, oranges, lemons, potatoes and onions were easy to pack and traveled well. Tomatoes were wrapped in newspaper then placed in a coffee can to be put in the panniers.  That was also the way I packed eggs, and I never had one break.  
     
Lunches were packed for the ride to Simpson and for the return trip back to the ranch. Bread was the most miserable item to pack. Even frozen, it would get squashed. Back then there was one choice of store bought bread – white. Sometimes I would use buns or rolls, but I always thought the sandwiches were consistently terrible.
 
The tired guests were famished after a long tiring day at an altitude of 9,000 feet. They would eat anything and swear it was the best food they ever had.  In addition to whatever was on the robust menu, every meal would include trout. Simpson fish were plentiful and easy to catch, and even people who did not like fish almost always loved eating the bright pink flesh of 10" – 12” Brook Trout. I coated them with flour and cornmeal and fried them as soon as possible after they were caught. The fish were so fresh that they would curl into an arch as soon as they hit the skillet.

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The guests were appreciative and helpful, and always willing to pitch in with dishwashing and cleanup. After dinner we always had dessert with coffee, followed by games of cribbage, spades or gin rummy. 

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There are many incredible places to ride to from Simpson, so on most mornings after breakfast, we would get the horses saddled and take off for an all day trip to one of the other lakes in the area. Alice Lake was my favorite. Alice Lake is in a crater and the trail down to the lake is steep and treacherous, and even worse climbing out, but the fishing was phenomenal and the lake is surrounded by wild blueberries and raspberries.

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My other favorite ride was to Lost Lake, another wildly steep trail, but there were no fish in Lost Lake so I would pack the usual, unimpressive sack lunches.  Pinto, Sandra and Rim Lakes had fish, and although the views were tremendous, the higher lakes were often very windy and cold.  Day rides from Simpson were long so I usually prepared beef stew or a pot roast in the morning to leave simmering on the stove during the day.  This could be tricky – the wood burning cook stove did not have a large firebox but I accomplished low heat that would last for 7 to 8 hours by using just the right size of a single piece of firewood, and placing it in the firebox at just the right time.

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Simpson is still my favorite place on earth, and I return there as often as possible. Saving the cabins was a dream of mine for many years. With the help of amazing partners, donors and volunteers involved in the preservation of the structures, the historic value and treasured memories of the Simpson Cabins remain intact.