Meet Our Team at The Ranch

Meet the friendly faces of The High Lonesome Ranch. Our team works hard to ensure your stay is great and that our ranch’s rugged beauty, habitat, and wildlife are protected and return to their ecological health. A driving mission for us at the Ranch is collaboration to share the wonder of this place. Today’s world shows us how undeniably connected we all are. That’s why our collaboration efforts start between our departments and extend to our partner organizations, neighbors, and you.

Travis Brooks

HLR Ranch General Manager

Travis Brooks Bio

Travis was raised in northern Arizona spending his childhood outdoors. He is an avid sportsman with interest in archery and rifle hunting big game, upland bird hunting, fly and cast fishing, shooting sports, and horsemanship.

After high school, Travis attended Arizona State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. Subsequent to working in the development field for 8 years, he attended Colorado State University earning a Masters of Natural Resource Stewardship in Range Ecology. He has worked for several large ranches across Colorado as Operations Director and Ranch Manager before coming onboard with The High Lonesome Ranch as the General Manager.

As a private land manager, He has a passion for land stewardship as well as capital improvement projects. This is especially true when working in collaboration with others and designing projects with multiple advantages such as irrigation and wildlife habitat improvement.

Lloyd Calvert

HLR Livestock & Agriculture Manager

Lloyd Calvert Bio

Lloyd grew up in Colorado and has always had a deep-rooted connection to the land and nature. He started his working life as an IT consultant and earned a degree in Business Management and Information Systems Management at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. However, he was driven to find a career and lifestyle that satisfied his desire to be out on the land every day.

After a few years of working between the guest and working sides of a ranch in Steamboat Springs and running a remote event center in Dolores with his family, Lloyd finally made the complete shift into ranching. He learned the ropes of fencing, cattle handling, and pasture management, and was soon managing the cattle operation. He has experience working in a variety of terrains, from a large winter range permit in New Mexico to the high country around Dolores and Pagosa Springs.

Lloyd is passionate about caring for the land and animals, as well as constantly learning new skills and techniques. He is also skilled in project management, operational efficiency, and the ability to adapt to any situation. Lloyd is thrilled to be a part of the team at The High Lonesome Ranch and to work to further implement regenerative practices as well as help bring the vision of the ranch to reality.

Anna “Ace” Hartsock

Ranch Services Manager Bio

Anna “Ace” Hartsock's Bio

Ace, originally from Texas, grew up actively participating in the youth rodeo circuit and local saddle clubs, which instilled in her a deep passion for the untamed. This love for wildlife and nature led her to pursue a degree in Wilderness Horsemanship from Hocking College. Sharing the ranch’s commitment to regenerative and conservation practices, Ace’s personal values make her an invaluable asset. Starting as a seasonal employee, she quickly climbed the management ladder and currently holds the position of Ranch Services Manager.

With an impressive track record of over 20 years in hospitality management, Ace brings a unique skill set and extensive experience to the Ranch Services Department. Her contributions are instrumental in advancing the ranch’s mission with flawless execution and strategic foresight. During her leisure time, Ace can often be found exploring the country on her motorcycle or hiking along the ranch’s picturesque trails.

Aidan Strader

Landscape and Maintenance Supervisor Bio

Aidan Strader's Bio

Aidan has a background in fleet and automotive mechanics and joined the HLR team after working for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Growing up in Colorado and paying close attention as he learned the skills from his father and through his hard work and long hours in his previous jobs he has learned and progressed quickly. Not everyone is ready to hop in a dozer and clear a slope at 9,000 feet. Aidan readily jumps to help save and repair roads, equipment, and buildings following the extreme weather and natural events we’ve been experiencing at The Ranch over the last couple of years.

Zach Thorpe

Ranch Hand Bio

Zach Thorpe's Bio

As a Ranch Hand for The High Lonesome Ranch, Zach’s is primary responsibility is tending livestock and providing care for the animals from birth until they are taken to market. You can also catch him repairing fence line, moving and baling hay, and irrigating. Zach is a Colorado native with deep roots locally. He has worked a handful of cow/calf operations all over the state and even helps run his own family ranch in Roan Creek.

As an avid outdoor enthusiast, Zach’s personal ethos falls right in alignment with our ranching practices here. He has deep love for the land and the wildlife that inhabit it. Zach is a father-to-be and spends the majority of his free time with his beautiful wife and family.

Brian Rytting

Landscape & Maintenance Associate Bio

Brian Rytting's Bio

Brian Rytting, a Las Vegas native, spent his formative years at The Las Vegas Academy for Arts. Following his education, Brian embarked on a remarkable two-decade journey, specializing in the installation and design of water treatment systems. Since 2001, Brian has been an invaluable contractor for the ranch, but his dedication to our team has led him to make the decision to join us full-time. In his leisure hours, Brian indulges in his passion for art, trail running, and the exhilarating world of off-roading dirt bikes and 4-wheelers. Additionally, he is a devoted father to his teenage son, embracing the role of a full-time dad with unwavering commitment.

Joe Clark

Ranch Services Associate Bio

Joe Clark's Bio

Joe is a full-blooded Colorado native, born and raised in Montrose – a small western slope town nestled in the Uncompahgre Valley. He spent most of his professional career managing kitchens in a diversity of restaurant and resort settings and is now aiming at applying his experience to HLR’s direct to market beef initiative as a Ranch Services Associate. Joe loves to cook and has a knack for guiding our customers to the right cuts of beef and recipes to suit their specific culinary desires.

Since he was young, Joe has had a deep love and appreciation for the outdoors and all the activities that come with living in this wild state. He loves animals and has become our honorary ranch “Cat Daddy” – caring attentively for our population of feral barn-cats. He also has life-long passion for music and plays regularly with his own Country & Western band- “Farmer in the Sky”.

Nick Taylor

Landscape and Maintenance Associate Bio

Nick Taylor's Bio

Nick was born in Western Kansas but moved to Buena Vista, Colorado early in his life and with his family. After graduating high school, he continued to grow in automotive and diesel mechanics for the next several years. He recently moved to the western slope and joined our team with the desire to learn more about agriculture and pursue his passion in mechanics. During the summertime Nick enjoys bull riding locally.

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