Re: RC: POTATO & 2001 WS 50

["Colleen Kirkpatirck" <polaristhewonderhorse@hotmail.com>]

This was what endurance riding use to be about 10 years ago.
Potato still thinks he's the "man" when it comes to endurance.
But I don't think he relizes that this sport has toned down a little bit.
Happy Trails
Colleen K.


>From: guest@endurance.net
>To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
>Subject: RC:  POTATO & 2001 WS 50
>Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2001 19:58:11 -0700
>
>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!
>
>
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