Truman, it's too bad you live so far away
from CA and Swanton Pacific 75/100. Both are one-loop rides, both are
tough, AND beautiful. I think you would like either one; they fit your
preferences of trail lay-out.
Barbara McCrary, ride mgr. Swanton
Pacific 75/100 "The most beautiful trail in the world"
Sometimes I think it's more about how the trail is laid out
than the distance. It is a lot harder I think on both horse and rider to have
all "checks in camp" on a 100 than to say have all checks on trail only
returning to camp when you are finished. The first 100 I did was a big 50 mile
loop. When you left camp in the afternoon after 50 miles you were done when
you returned. It a commitment at that point. I also think the horse
picks up and that and they know they are going in the direction of home. It
can be very easy to just bag it at 70 or 80 miles when the doldrums hit on a
100 if you are in camp. That's why I think rides like the OD are great - a 100
mile loop, you don't get to camp till you are finished.
I actually
don't see the jump from 50 to 100 any bigger than the jump from 75 to 100.
From some work done by Mike Maul some time back he showed that pull rates are
pretty consistent up to about 75 miles but between this and a 100 there is a
big jump. So that wall is somewhere between 75 and
100.
Truman
David LeBlanc wrote:
Kathy Ramspott said:
I don't know the last time I have heard one of the riders that got into the
sport after about 1997 mention that. This growing disinterest has cause ride
managers to stop running them.
I started in 1998, and one day I'd like to make a 100. I've done 2 75's, and
when I can get my horse and myself to not be completely done at 75 miles,
then I'll try a 100. My wife wants to do a 100 - again, 3 75's and haven't
quite made the jump to 100 yet. A friend who just started last year aspires
to do a 100. Most of the people I know who started in the last few years at
least aspire to a 100, even if most of them don't see it as achievable any
time soon.
Look at how many 100's we had in the SE in the early 90's and look today.
We have 10 on the calendar this year for the NW. IMHO, having a bunch of
75's available makes it easier to have more 100's. If all I'd ever done was
50s, a 100 would seem impossible. Having done 75, I know I can do a 100 when
I'm ready - if I can do 75 miles in 14 hours (counting holds), then I really
ought to be able to get that last 25 in another 10!
--
We imitate our
masters only because we are not yet masters ourselves, and only
because in doing so
we learn the truth about what cannot be imitated.
