Re: Klickitat Trek

["Mike Sofen" <miksof7@gte.net>]

Things may not have been quite as bad it seems from the description below.
I was at the first vet check on the 75, when word came in about TWO horses
without riders, one was Lucy Pope with a possible broken leg, and the other
was, and this is a pretty close quote, "...a guy wandering around with a
possible concussion, he can't remember a thing...".  Lucy was about 3/4 mile
from camp, I have no idea where the guy was, and I believe they sent someone
out from the start line (rather than backwards along the trail from the
finish line) to locate him.

So, one of the first riders who passed clearly told the ride managment about
it, and they responded.   It was extremely hectic at that time, because Lucy
had apparently received a compound fracture and ride managment was
scrambling to get blankets and arrange for helicopter transport for her.
And if all of that weren't enough, a short while later, a THIRD riderless
horse was announced, which may have been a duplicate of the concussion man,
as they mentioned cracked ribs.

Did people pass by without asking if help was needed?  Possibly.  But I had
a ringside seat at Emergency Central, and we knew about both riders by about
8:30am, AND action was taken for both riders.

Please don't brand us as "too competitive"... we may spit a lot, but only
'cuz we don't get to shower much...   :-)

Mike Sofen
Seattle, WA



-----Original Message-----
From: MCShasa <mcshasa@email.msn.com>
To: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Monday, July 06, 1998 3:05 PM
Subject: Klickitat Trek


Just finished a slow 25 at Klickitat Trek and had a wonderful time.  Good
trails, nice scenery, well organized, etc.  My partner didn't have such a
good time.  This was his first endurance race, he was riding one of my
horses and really looking forward to it.  He does a lot of walk-gallop and I
do a lot of trotting so we weren't riding together.  At about 22 miles he
lost a stirrup at a gallop and went sailing off the horse.  Landed on his
head and rolled, cracking a rib and getting fairly well banged up.  He
hobbled down the trail about 1.5 miles until he hit a creek and a road.  He
was getting dizzy by then and it looked like a good place to wait for help.
During this time he was passed by over a dozen riders, headed back into
camp.  Half the riders asked how he was and promised to send help back and
half the riders shouted "get out of the way".  He doesn't know how long he
sat there until a pickup came down the road and stopped.  He asked for help
and they drove him back to camp.  One of them led his horse in also.  Very
nice people.  I was waiting at the finish line, getting anxious when he came
driving in.  Not one of the riders that had passed him had notified anyone
that there was an injured rider on the trail!!

His injuries were not real serious and he is recovering fine.  But he sure
isn't impressed with endurance riders.  I am disappointed also.  I know we
can get competitive as the finish gets near but to leave an injured rider
alone and fail to notify anyone to get help is inexcusable.

I thought we were better people than this.

Barb (& Mac, whjo waited patiently with Wm)