[RC] Peace Point Ride- West Virginia - Laura Hayes
Good pal Libby Llop, her mare Fly, and my old girl,
Equal Terms, and I headed south to the Peace Point ride in Bethany
West Virginia on Friday. Just 211 miles away, it is one of the closest
rides to home, and as we found out - a hidden jewel in our
'neighborhood'.
All I can say is "WOW." I would have to
put this on my list of favorite rides - even with experience that spans six
regions. This ride has championship potential in both facilities and
trail. First time ride manager Samantha Lewis and a group who did not
previously know much about endurance, did an unbelievable job!
The trail wound around and up and down the
substantial WV mountains with deep forest, creek beds, and sharp vistas.
The footing was great - soft, but firm underneath, with very few rocks - and
little mud, even though it had rained earlier in the week. The abundance
of natural water on the trail made for hydration and safe riding.
Even though a grumpy neighbor with a spray can
of paint tried to 'unmark' the trail, and actually lead the riders astray,
management soon had living breathing markers in the form of volunteers on the
trail telling riders where to go, and very few were lost for
long. Regarding the vandalism, I am so naive that I thought the
words "Go Home" on the road meant that was the way into camp!!!
Even though there was only 25 miles of trail and
you did it twice, I opted to ride both days - not something I normally do
when you have to repeat trail - because the trial was interesting enough,
diverse enough and fun enough, that I WANTED to do it again!!
The end of the first and last loop had 3+ miles of
blacktop with very little or no room to get off the crowned road. I slowed
way down the first day and pitty patted into the check with my heart in my
throat and my mare slipping despite our best efforts. On the second day, I
carried four easy boots with me on that section, stopped and tied my mare, and
put them on in less than 3 minutes. With firm footing, we trotted down the
middle of the road (no traffic!) at about 14 miles/hour. It made the day
much more fun for us! Eliminating this stretch of pavement would make this
a FABULOUS trail.
The weather was really hot for this time of year,
and it slowed us old warriors down quite a bit, but it sure beat
rain!
Thanks Sam and the group for a great ride! I
would recommend it to anyone.
