Re: [RC] Spike in Heart Rate/Backpackers - MtnRondi
In a message dated 5/20/2004 7:47:59 AM Pacific Standard Time, bigcreekranch@xxxxxxxxxx writes:
Backpackers are dangerous horse-eaters. I've had otherwise sensible horses come unglued over the sight of a backpacker. They just don't look normal to a horse.
I encountered a backpacker on a very narrow switchback trail on the side of a mountain. My horse went into reverse, I kept screaming to the backpacker to say something to let my horse know he was human, but the backpacker was scared and froze and of course my horse didn't back quickly around the switchback, he went straight off the trail. I bailed and grabbed some bushes and watched the horse bounce all the way to the bottom and out of sight. Thank goodness the place he went over had some vegetation and he did stay upright on his way down. The hiker pulled me up to the trail and I finally found my horse at the bottom. He went through a tree and the branches were under his body but his feet had just barely touched the ground. Yes, those backpackers look like aliens.
