Skyline Guest
Ranch--
Where Visitors Reach for the Sky
by Paris Permenter
& John Bigley
reprinted with permission
by the authors
"A guest
wrote us a note this year saying 'Skyline is a spiritual retreat
masquerading as a ranch,'" says Sherry Farny, half of the husband-wife
team who own the Skyline Guest Ranch outside of Telluride, Colorado.
"I like that description because the amount of beauty is what
affects a person who stays here. The setting is what sets us apart."
Perched at an
elevation of 9,600 feet, the spectacular mountain view, the rustling
aspens, and the alpine flowers are just part of the reason for Skyline's
success. The other factor is the focus of the ranch -- not that
of a typical dude ranch vacation. At Skyline, couples combine adventure
and the dude ranch experience for an insightful experience that
leaves them with a new view of themselves and their own limitations.
You'll find
that Skyline differs from a typical dude ranch because of its owners,
Sherry and Dave Farny. The Farnys were formerly the owners of the
Telluride Mountaineering School, and they've carried over that sense
of adventure and challenge to Skyline.
Whether it's
the spectacular setting, the challenging program, or the caring
hosts, one thing's for certain -- a vacation at Skyline is a chance
to get away, to take stock of your life, and to challenge yourself
to interact with nature. It produces 35 happy guests a week, who
bond together and soon interact as if they're long-time friends.
"We never hear a cross word because that comes from bad energy,"
says Sherry, watching a group return to the ranch after a breakfast
ride.
The Farnys describe
the special feeling that makes Skyline so intoxicating as "mountain
joy." Sherrie explains that "the mountain joy is a feeling
that through the mountain environment, you have learned to stretch
and expand personally, physically and emotionally."
The ranch is
perched in the San Juan Mountains, set in a beautiful clearing that
gives visitors a view of mile after mile of undeveloped wilderness.
"I never get used to the view," says Sherry, who grew
up in the suburbs of Chicago, a long way from the 14,000 foot peaks
that Skyline overlooks. "I didn't know this kind of world existed."
Skyline Guest
Ranch itself is located in pristine wilderness, a condition that
Sherry and Dave aim to maintain. They've even deeded over development
rights to the Nature Conservancy to preserve this natural beauty.
Skyline was
started by the Farny's daughter, Cindy, who now runs the winter
operation. A recent graduate of the New York Cooking School, Cindy
serves a chef during the summer months. During the winter, Cindy
hosts skiers in the six housekeeping cabins, and operates a gourmet
restaurant open to guests and locals who make the winding drive
from Telluride. Winter guests find cross country skis and ice skates
for use on the pond in front of the cabins.
In the summer,
the gourmet restaurant switches to a buffet to fill hungry hikers.
The ice skating area becomes a children's fishing pond populated
with rainbow trout and busy ducks. And the guests are provided with
organized activities to challenge bodies to stretch a little further
and reach just a little higher.
Summer guests
arrive on Sunday and remain through the next Sunday. Only 35 guests
are accepted each week, so the atmosphere is friendly and homey,
so homey in fact that guests are not even issued room keys. You'll
find guests of all ages, from grandchildren to grandmothers, literally
from all over the world. Many are returning visitors, come back
year after year for a week of challenges combined with fun. They
all have one thing in common -- they're energetic folks. "Our
people get out and do things, " says Sherry, looking out over
the dining room filled with hungry hikers, riders, and several people
who just returned to the ranch after a two day campout.
Every evening,
Sherry and Dave discuss the next day's adventures with their guests.
Two or three options are always available, ranging from horseback
rides to climbs to jeep rides cross-country to Silverton. For those
who want to strike out on their own, there are many aspen-lined
trails, fly fishing on three trout-filled lakes, swimming in invigorating
lake waters, or just sitting in a quiet wildflower meadow.
Horseback rides
are one of the ways the Farnys introduce their guests to the challenges
the outdoors present. The week begins with an introduction by the
wranglers, and progresses from two hour rides to overnight pack
trips if desired. By the end of the week, you may find yourself
on a horseback in a mid-summer snowstorm at 14,000 feet or riding
out to set up camp in an elk-filled pasture.
"No one
comes to this environment without feeling something," says
Sherry. "Dave has the ability to make people stretch."
Since 1962, Dave stretched climbers with his mountaineering school,
which originated in Aspen. Dave described the school as "a
way to teach leadership. It teaches people what they could and could
not do."
Dave took these
mountaineering challenges and applied them to Skyline, offering
climbs of all difficulties. At the end of the day when the guests
return to share their day's adventures before dinner, the climbers
who "took on the mountain" beam with pride, as do their
guides. "We really like to adventure with our guests,"
says Dave, and it's obvious. One day in particular, the Farnys were
especially proud of a climb up 14,000-foot Mt. Sneffels, a climb
which produced a three generation photo of one excited family --
grandmother, daughter, and grandchildren -- on the mountain summit.
At the end of
the week, a week filled with some newly discovered muscles, newly-learned
skills, and new-formed friendships, everyone hikes to the upper
lake for an after-dinner campfire. With the smell of frying crepes
and smores filling the ever-darkening sky, the Farnys lead a sing-along.
When darkness finally falls, an aspen float and individual candles
are handed to each family. The 35 tiny candles, carefully balanced
on the family floats, drift out on the lake. The first person's
candle to go out will have his wishes come true, according to Skyline
legend.
Watching the
candles light the cool Colorado evening and listening to the singing
voices of the Skyline "family," it's easy to imagine what
everyone's wish will be -- to return to Skyline again next year.
For more information:
Write P.O. Box 67, Telluride, CO 81435 or call 888-754-1126.
Copyright Paris
Permenter and John Bigley
reprinted with permission by the authors
