Warmest wishes to
Marcia Harmon for a rapid recovery. Please let her know that her
fellow compadres pray for a peaceful and harmonious hospital stay and that
the energy of our horses send the message of healing and
strength.
When a tragedy such as this
strikes it is always difficult to express the good times without first
acknowledging our sadness and concern for the sufferer. With all due
respect, I would like to say that this ride proved to be challenging and
adventurous all the while offering some of the greatest beauty Mother Earth has
to offer! The PCT trail was exciting and often daring as we meandered
through some of the most delightful mountainsides nestled in the high
desert of So Ca.
After the first vet check,
I hooked up with two of the most pleasant women who lead the way for the
next 10-15 miles of single track trail. I am afraid of heights so I
spent most of the time looking in to the mountain side and praying that
Spiderman would take each step carefully as we trotted along like a locomotion
spiraling up and down, in and out through the woods. It was very exciting
and daring at times. Marge and Vern did a terrific job of providing water
for the horses and a very well marked trail. The last leg did offer
a grueling climb that never seemed to end.
The weather was warm
considering Friday morning there was a brief flurry of snowflakes that
dusted the landscape. There were even places on the trail that still had
ice shavings that survived the chilly evening and sporadic wind bursts that were
harsh enough to rock my van on occasion throughout the night. There
was a cool breeze the morning of the ride and therefore the 20 minute hold was
abandoned at the first vet check but there was plenty of time to rest and
refuel at the remaining holds. The trail provided an abundance of green
grass for grazing and there was many wild flower bouquets that decorated the
hillsides.
The camp was nestled on this amazing horse ranch that
must have been built in the early 1900's. The BBQ was hosted up at
the barn which was an obvious treasure from the past. It was a big
beautiful old fashioned craftsman style wood building that once housed
many Quarter horses, which were raised and trained there for racing.
They had pipe stalls and a big racetrack for training purposes.
There were green pastures that housed beautiful long horn cattle, which
spooked the heck out of Spider as we walked into camp after the finish. It
was very historic and a great place to celebrate the accomplishments of the day.
Nina Bomar
