Cattle Drive!

Most people probably think that the days of the cattle drive are long-gone but they are part of the regular cycle of the seasons here in the Sequoia National Forest. Several area cattle ranchers still have “grazing rights” for land in the national forest. The rights have been passed down through the generations of their families. As long as they keep the land they own in the lower elevation foothills and the title of the land stays in the family, we will see cattle traveling up to the forest in the spring and then back down again in the fall.

The cattle winter in the warmer climate of the lower elevations and enjoy the meadow grasses in the high forest during the summer.

I will admit that anytime I get caught up in a cattle drive, it makes my day. If I’m late for a meeting, I have an excuse that is completely unique and interesting.

The video below is a clip as they travel into the foothill area. The picture above is a cattle drive I caught last spring up higher in the forest.