Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Back in the 70's and 80's we used to take off with our "house on our 
backs" for 2 to 3 weeks in the wilderness. This is when once you left 
the trail head in say the Maroon Bells, Shining Rock or Slickrock Creek  
you didn't see a soul till you go back to the trail head. I remember 
spending two weeks in the Flattops and not seeing a single sole - except 
my wife.  I fear those days are long gone. I'm glad I was there when you 
could get alway. We didn't have, shudder,  Blackberrys or cell phones. I 
had a fairly "responsible" job with 8 guys/gals working for me. I just 
told them where I was going and if they couldn't handle it - send an 
Army chopper for me. They managed. It was amazing they could make a 
decision without "dad" - but they did and they made good ones.

Carrying you supplies for a couple weeks means you have to be very 
concerned about weight - hell I can get by with two pairs of underwear, 
two pare of socks and two shirts ;-) . The one luxury I did take was my 
trusty fly rod and a few flies and a little corn meal. Trout sure taste 
good after days of 80's era backpacking food. The other luxury was a 
little Wild Turkey for around the fire at the end of the day.

When I discovered endurance - it wasn't quite the same as taking off but 
there were similarities - similarities I liked. It was a challenge. It 
was a sport of like minded people gathered around a campfire after the 
end of a good day - all days are good you spend with a horse. To me 
ridecamp was a sort of an escape from the BS of the daily grind. A few 
people had LQ trailers but not a lot and those people would no more 
think of running a generator all night than the man in the moon.

That part of the sport has I fear changed - and not for the better. Yet 
still there are those rides where the RM puts up a big stack of wood and 
after the ride meeting lights it. People wonder over with their chairs 
and and the beverage of their choice and sitting around the fire with a 
million stars shinning in the sky - it all comes back.

Truman

D'Arcy Demianoff-Thompson wrote:
> I guess if these situations were "just camping" it
> would be a whole different story.  However, for many
> people it is all about having enough rest to complete
> a 50 or 100 mile endurance ride!  
>
> I liken it to when I was in college and had to study
> for finals.  I had a noisy neighbor that played his
> music LOUD to all hours of the night. I lost sleep and
> it did not make me HAPPY!  I would have to wear
> earplugs, play a piece of equipment that filtered out
> white noise, and hope to God that I got the rest I
> needed to write a 10-20 page essay for a Poli Sci
> final!  
>
> So, long story short, endurance competition, to me,
> and I may be wrong about this, but I think one would
> really need their REST!  Being kind, considerate, and
> above all compassionate for one's fellow endurance
> campers, seems to be paramount for making everyone's
> experience a pleasureable one! JMHO!
>
> D'Arcy
>
>
>
>
> D'Arcy L. Demianoff-Thompson    
>   liberty4640@xxxxxxxxx
>
>    
>
>   


--

"Life is about obstacles. Endeavors in life are not to be overlooked. 
Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but how we react to 
what happens. Not by what life brings us, but the attitude we bring to 
life." Wade Boggs, on his induction to the baseball hall of fame. 


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