Caretaker Trail

Springtime for Colorado shepherds is a busy, busy time!  Shearing and health checks must be accomplished before the start of lambing.  And once lambing starts, round-the-clock attention is required until the very last ewe bears the very last lamb.  The exhaustion gives way to joy as life begins anew and the ancient rhythms continue. 

In most parts of the country, sheep remain on or near their “home place” year round.  Deep snowfall, impassable mountain roads, and inaccessible feed makes this impossible for many Colorado wool growers.  So sheep are trucked from their summer pastures to winter feeding grounds, usually in more temperate locations.

The Theos Swallow Fork Ranch, however, has stayed true to one of the oldest western traditions:  the trailing of the sheep.  Each spring, following the emergence of healthy grass, Angelo, Anthony, and Brady, along with their many helpers, begin trailing the sheep from their winter pasture near the Utah border to Meeker, Colorado.  The trip is slow and measured for the health and well-being of the ewes who are heavy with lambs.  With a pilot car and rear guard, herders on horseback slowly move the ovine parade toward their lambing grounds and the lush, verdant grass. 

Arriving at the home place, the ewes begin lambing in a setting so beautiful and serene it feels sacred.  Once the lambs are established and the ewes rested, the Theos follow their sustaining ritual of trailing up into the high country.  They wait for the grass to emerge and thrive, and when the timing is just right they carefully move the sheep through, never staying long in one area.  In this careful manner they steward their flocks and their land at the same time. 

High Country Wool’s Caretaker TRAIL is a celebration of that journey.  This rustic, unpretentious 100% Merino yarn is reminiscent of hand spun.  The next-to-skin softness makes it perfect for hats, cowls, shawls, and sweaters. 

100% Merino wool
Worsted weight, 220 yards
Sport weight, 315 yards
2 ply