POTATO & 2001 WS 50

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GUEST ENDURANCE.NET
DITTO TO THE PRIOR POSTING. WHAT WONDERFUL ENTERTAINMENT WE HAD FROM
SOURDOUGH SLIM, THANK YOU AND THE CHAMPAGNE AND CREPES BREAKFAST, WOW. BUT
THE RIDE WAS DOWN RIGHT DANGEROUS FOR HORSES AND RIDERS. POTATO ASKED HOW
MANY OF US HAD NEVER BEEN ON THE TRAIL (ABOUT 15 OF THE 30 OR SO RIDERS).
HE ASSURED US HE HAD MARKED THE TRAIL FOR US A FEW DAYS AGO AND PUT OUT
GLOW STICKS TO HELP US, AND THERE WOULD BE PEOPLE AND MARKERS AT THE RIVER
CROSSING, WHICH HE TOLD US WAS NOT BAD AND ONLY AS DEEP AS HIS KNEES ON
HORSEBACK, HA ! NOT SO. IT WAS A 60 BOAT (MAXIMUM RIVER RAFTING DAY ON THE
AMERICAN RIVER !) HE TOLD US THERE WOULD BE PEOPLE HERE AND THERE ALONG
THE WAY TO MAKE SURE WE WERE OKAY. HE READ US AN INSPIRATIONAL POEM CALLED
"DONT QUIT". AND THEN HE LEAD US OUT (FIRST OF COURSE) ONTO THE TRAIL.
EVERYONE, LOCALS INCLUDED GOT LOST ALL DAY. I NEARLY DROWNED WITH MY HORSE
ON TOP OF ME AT THE RIVER CROSSING, NO ONE WAS THERE TELLING US WHERE TO
CROSS. THE FOUR "FISHERMAN" PARKED IN THE BRUSH THERE WHO SEEMED AS
SHOCKED AS I WAS, OFFERED ASSISTANCE, ONCE I SOMEHOW GOT BACK TO THE BANK
AFTER THEN BEING WASHED DOWN STREAM A WAYS. I DO WANT TO THANK THEM. IT
WAS AFTER MY NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE POTATO'S RIVER
CROSSING HELP, BUT THEY DID NOT SEEM TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHERE TO CROSS
OR WHERE TO HEAD TO. I STILL WISH TO OFFER SINCERE THANKS TO THEM FOR JUST
BEING THERE, EVEN THOUGH AFTER THE FACT. THEN EVEN WITH ALL THE DIFFICULTY
SO FAR, WE STILL WERE ON SCHEDULE TO FINISH WITH PLENTY OF DAYLIGHT, 8
MILES OR SO TO GO? WHEN MORE INTERSECTIONS UNMARKED AND THEN DARKNESS
FELL. WE PICKED AND FUMBLED OUR WAY AROUND FOR ANOTHER 4 1/2 MORE HOURS
AND ENDED UP ON WHAT I AM SURE WAS A SHEER TRAIL RIGHT ABOVE THE HIGHWAY
FOR A LONG LONG TIME BEFORE THE TRAIL INTERSECTED TWO RIDERS WITH GLOW
STICKS WHO ONE OF WHICH WAS A LOCAL TRAIL EXPERT (ALSO SOMEWHAT LOST) AND
THE OTHER A PRIOR TEVIS RIDER. ALL PICKED AND GUESSED OUR WAY ALONG IN THE
DARKNESS, STILL NO TRAIL GLOW STICKS TO SHOW US OUR WAY. WE FINALLY
ARRIVED AT THE FINISH AROUND 12;30 am I THINK IT WAS. I HEAR THERE WERE
MANY WHO HAD "WORDS" WITH POTATO FROM THOSE WHO WERE ABLE TO FIND THE
FINISH LINE, MAYBE 17 OF 30-ISH? AND ALSO FROM THOSE MANY RIDERS WHO HAD
TO BE PICKED UP AND TRAILERED BACK DUE TO BEING LOST. THERE WERE NO DRAG
RIDERS, ONLY ONE VET CHECK AND NO ONE CHECKING OUR SAFETY ALONG THE WAY
LIKE HE TOLD US. AND THE BIGGEST PROBLEM, THE TRAIL WAS NOT MARKED FOR US.
ONE RIDER THREW A HANDFUL OF COLORED RIBBONS AT POTATO AFTER SPENDING HIS
TIME ON TOP OF SOME WRONG MOUNTAIN AND THEN BEING TRAILERED BACK. I DONT
KNOW HOW MANY OF HIS FRIENDS HAD THE GUTS TO SAY SOMETHING TO HIM, BUT I
DID NOT HEAR ONE SINLGE PERSON SAY ANYTHING POSITIVE AT THE FINISH. HE
ENDANGERED OUR HORSES AND LIVES AND HE WON THE RACE, OF COURSE. OH DID I
MENTION HE WAS HEARD TELLING THE VET AT THE ONE AND ONLY VET CHECK TO CALL
IT CUT OFF TIME AFTER HE AND HIS THREE COMPANIONS CAME THROUGH? THANKS I
THINK TO THE VET FOR WAITING FOR THE RIDERS. MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE ALL
PACKED IT IN THERE AT FRANCISCOS AT 5 PM? THAT WAY WE WOULD NOT HAVE ALL
BEEN SO ANGRY AT POTATO FOR PUTTING US OUT THERE IN THE DARK WITH NO GLOW
STICK MARKERS? OH AND NEXT TIME I GO TO A RIDE, I WANT TO LEAD EVERYONE
OUT ON THE TRAIL, FIRST, SO I CAN LOOSE EVERYONE ON THE UNMARKED TRAIL AND
WIN MY OWN RIDE, HOW IMPRESSIVE ! THIS MAN SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO PUT ON
A RIDE, SANCTIONED OR UNSANCTIONED, YOU DONT SCREW WITH PEOPLE'S LIFES,
HUSBANDS, WIFES, KIDS OR THIER HORSES!