Plot

"The Haymeadow", by Gary Paulsen, takes place on the 960,000 acre Three Bar S ranch in Wyoming. The ranch was started by John Barron's great grandfather, John Barron. The story starts with the 14 year old John and one of the ranch hands, Cawley, at the ranch house getting ready to move the sheep up to the valley in the mountains, the haymeadow, so the sheep can graze for the summer. John's father and the other ranch hand, "Tink", have gone to town. John doesn't know it yet, but Tink is sick and won't be able to tend the sheep this summer and John is about to be assigned to stay up with the sheep this summer.
Staying with the sheep frightens John because he doesn't know how to do it and he doesn't want to be alone for three months. It takes John and Cawley a few days to drive the sheep to the haymeadow, and Cawley tells John about the things he needs to know to take care of the sheep. Almost as soon as Cawley leaves the meadow to get back to the ranch, all kinds of huge problems start to happen in the haymeadow that John has to deal with.