Ride Story - EHSC

[Lauren Horn <lhorn@home.com>]

I'm sure you all can stand just one more Eastern High Sierra Classic
Ride Story:

It took 9 1/2 hours to drive home from the Eastern High Sierra Classic
(CA) but it was worth it!! Not only did I get an 
official completion but I came in 11th or 12th place in the 30
miler(unofficial, of course)
. Not bad after my last ride where my motto was, 
"We are just taking our time..., no hurry" and I went overtime and thus
was not given a completion. 

I pulled into camp Friday at noon and looked over the beautiful green
meadow which was home to base camp. "Where 
do I park?" There were about 15 rigs scattered around and I choose a
nice flat area off to the far side. Too soon did I 
regret my choice to park as I had to lug horse water constantly as there
was only one source of water for the camp . My 
two horses sure drank a lot that first day and my arms turned quickly to
"bucket arms" from carrying buckets of water to 
our camp. Lesson #1: Find out were water is BEFORE you set up camp. I
was also glad that I was stocked up on fly 
spray as the bug brigade (assorted misquitos, deer flies, no-see-ums and
other biting insects) were out in full force. 

At the ride meeting we learned that the map and directions were no
longer correct; with one loop entirely taken away 
and the other loop was to be done backwards. One change was due to a
difficult water crossing and the other change 
was to accommodate a mule pack trip that was using part of the same
trail. Ride Management decided it was in the best 
interest and safety of the pack trip people NOT to have endurance riders
running up behind the mules and safer to 
come head on. This directional change proved to be a factor as the
ribbon markers were placed on the trail for one 
direction, while we rode the opposite direction. We missed a couple of
turns but it didn't cost us too much time. 

The 30 milers didn't start until 8 am, which gave me a nice leisurely
morning to get ready. My camp neighbor, a nice 
man, Jim Fox, age 65, riding a Tennessee Walker was tacking up and he
invited me to ride with him as I didn't have 
anyone to ride with. I said "that's great, but I don't want to hold you
back or feel pressured to stay together" He wanted 
to start in the pack and I didn't so we each said, "See ya, have a great
ride" 

I started after the pack but with riders still around waiting. This is
Kyla's second ride and she did her usual Grand Prix 
dressage movements but she is fairly easy to control while doing these
upper level show horse feats. I started out by 
myself, with a good pace going. At the first gate opening, where a
another rider was unsuccessfully trying to unhook 
the "cowboy gate", my neighbor, Jim, rode up on his Walker. "So, Jim,
how did ya get behind me, when you started 
before me?" He explained that a group had missed a turn and they had to
back track. Also at the gate crossing was a 
lady and, I presume, her husband, riding a nice appy mare. Husbands
first ride and appys first ride. From this point on, 
Jim and I would stay together and also the couple, whom we would
rabbit-hop through out the ride. The appy husband 
(as he will be called as I don't know his name) unhitched the gate for
all of us and we rode off. 

I'm soooo glad that I rode with Jim as he has done the trail before. His
Walker and Kyla were matched pretty well; Jim 
with an extended walker walk (whatever it is called) and Kyla in a nice
medium trot. There were a couple places on 
the trail that we missed the ribbons (ribbons? what ribbons?) and one
detour around a fallen tree that went up the side 
of a hill with slippery pine needles. We did a nice solid, fast walk up
the first big grade and passed a few people who 
were walking their horse up on foot or who were going at a slow walk. 

It seemed pretty quick when we came down the mountain into the valley
where the vet check was. It was a 15 min. 
hold. Kyla takes at least 15 minutes to relax and calm down before she
eats so I was not expecting much from her. She 
only took two swallows from the stream and I was a little concerned that
she wasn't drinking that good. But not too 
concerned 'cause she drank buckets full the day before. She quickly
vetted through, ate a few bites of hay and a watery 
slop of a little grain and some electrolytes. My mom, Jeanie, was there
to meet me and she filled my water bottles and 
gave me some tangerine and cherries. Mom's make the best crew people!
Twenty minutes later, Jim and I left the vet 
check. Onto the backwards loop around a beautiful meadow and valley. 

Needless to say, there was lots of rain and snow this winter and that
left lots of water. It seemed we were crossing 
water all the time. In this particular meadow, we came across a few
bogs. One muddy area was so bad that Jim's 
Walker sunk in all the way to his chest. I had crossed first and we sunk
a little and Jim followed me. I look back and I 
don't see the Walkers front legs and Jim's feet are touching the
ground/mud. I yell at him to get off, but he wisely dug 
his stirrups into his horse and the Walker jumped and struggled and
freed himself and jumps free of the mud The 
couple, who were behind us and saw the situation, rightly decided to
cross at a different place. 

Our next difficult and to-be memorable situation occurred at the stream
crossing where we were told it was deep and to 
be careful. The appy-husband starts to cross first, right where the
ribbon marker was. His horse immediately falls 
forward as the front feet go down into a deep hole while the hind legs
are on the river bank. In an instant the husband 
has been pitched into the icy stream. It is not just a foot or two deep,
it is "swimming" deep. The appy gets loose and is 
quickly caught while the husband climbs out of the stream. Obviously, we
all won't cross there. For some strange 
reason an urge comes over me to be the next one to try to make it
across. I enter the water at a pebbly sandbar area and 
decide my best course is to cross a deep area to another sandbar and
then cross the major deep area to the other bank. 
We hop/swim over to the sand bar only to be unexpectedly met with 
soft/mushy very deep footing in the water. Now, 
my horse is one who definitely hates bogs and mud and when she feels her
legs being swallowed up by this mud/sand 
gunk she starts rabbit-hopping around wildly. I BARELY stay on and got
her calmed for two seconds, just enough time 
to point her in the direction of the opposite bank and leg her on
through the deep water. We get to the other side and 
she lunges up the bank. Oh my God, I made it!! I'm dry except for my
calfs and shoes. Jim goes next but his horse gets 
"stuck" at the sandbar area and doesn't want to move. Jim has to
dismount in the water for some reason, then gets back 
on and makes it across where I am. The wife goes next, and she decides
to stay away from the sandbar and she sort of 
swims in the deep area toward the shore. Her horse must have decided for
himself that he didn't want to swim and 
decided to jump up the bank from deep water instead of swimming toward
the shallower area. Her horse lunges up the 
bank but can't make it as the water is too deep. The horse gets his
front legs up the bank and struggles to get up. In the 
commotion the wife falls to the left and then the horse falls onto the
girl. Both go under water. Horse makes it back to 
the starting bank and the wife crawls out next to me. She maintains a
good attitude but is shocked at the mishap and is 
cold from the icy snow-melt water. So now, the husband is standing on
the opposite bank with two horses while his 
horse less wife is already across. While they are planning their next
strategy, here comes the front runner 50 miler. We 
tell him it is a hard crossing and he just looks at us like, "yeah,
right". He does make it across but stayed on only by the 
seat of his pants. He gallops off and the couple are still decideing
what to do. We ask them if they are all right and if it 
is OK if we get going. No problem.   Jim and I make good time on the
flat meadow. We come across the mule pack 
group, and they had been watching our water aerobics from afar and I am
sure were just mystified why anyone would 
do what we do. 

I was glad to get out of the treeless meadow as the temperature was
starting to heat up. The rest of the ride went fairly 
quick. Kyla did finally start to drink more but not as much as I would
have liked. Jim and I quickened the pace as we 
got closer to the finish. A few more 50 milers pass us. Boy, do they
fly! We had made good time and I was glad that I 
had someone to push me. Kyla didn't need pushing at all but I can tell
she was starting to get a little tired the last part. 
When we crossed the finish line I was real interested in seeing what her
heart rate was, as I don't use a heart rate 
monitor and I don't know what her recoveries are like. I had cantered
some on the way in and had a good pace going. I 
got off, offered her some water (a few swallows) and immediately found a
P&R person. Her heart rate was already 
down. This showed me that my horse is doing fine and it is ME that needs
to be pushed. 

It was a great ride but when I go next year I want to spend an extra
day. Too much driving for only a couple days. 
Thanks Jackie and Jim for putting on a great ride. It definately is a
MUST.