Lost Wheelbarrow Mine 30, 9/5

[KarenBrat1@aol.com]

My second LD... there were distances offered both Saturday and Sunday, nice 
for us'ns who usually work Saturdays!  This ride near Potlatch ID is only a 
2-1/4 hour haul from home, too, everything else is twice that or more.  I 
meant to meet some of the faces that go with email names, but I pulled in to 
camp at around 6:00pm Saturday.  By the time I got Bender unloaded and set up 
with feed and water, found the secretary's table and signed in, vetted in, 
and went through the tack booth, it was dusk and time for the ride meeting!  

Sunday morning I set my watch by the clock on the trailer near the official 
ride map (not to scale and very schematic according to RM Sarah Metcalf!);  I 
found out at the midway check that clock was 10 minutes slow, and I had 
started 15 minutes later than start time <g>  Had the whole first loop all to 
myself!  I intended to ride with Marilyn Hornbaker from southern Idaho as we 
both wanted to do a slow ride, but her horse had been attacked by hornets on 
the trail the day before.  She was dumped hard enough to acquire a *big* dent 
in her helmet and a concussion which left a 40 minute blank in her memory 
(she since "vetted through" her CAT scan and is back at work).  I guess by 
the time I went through, any hornets had settled back down, because we were't 
bothered at all.  The first 1-1/2 miles was on a dirt road with lots of 
shadows for Mr. Fruitloop to shy at, but the next 3-1/2 miles was UP a 
mountain, which took much of the wind out of his sails :-D  It helped me to 
be on an Aussie saddle... heavier than my SS, but easier to stay in!  

Then some logging roads and a mile or more on a somewhat gravelled road so I 
got off and walked/jogged with Bender.  The downhill back to camp didn't seem 
nearly as steep as the up, and we chased some young girls on four-wheelers 
along one trail.  Vetted right through and after taking care of Bender, the 
40-minute hold was up with only a couple minutes' time to sit and wolf snacks 
and drink!

The second loop was much flatter and was nearly all old logging roads.  
Perhaps a mile into it I caught up to Michelle, a teen from southern Idaho.  
Her mare had seemed a little muscle-sore at the hold, so she was taking it 
easy, and we did the rest of the ride together.  Muscle sore or not, that 
little part-TWH mare "Lynn" could boogie at the trot!  My little guy gave up 
trotting and we hand-galloped instead to keep up.  We walked the last 1/2 
mile in and finished in 6 hours + 10 minutes ride time.  Vetted right through 
again, though the vet advised me to use brushing or splint boots in the 
future.  Between Bender fighting me to try and stay on Lynn's tail, and my 
unbalanced riding while fighting him, he acquired a number of new 
interference owies :-(  Completion award was a nice forest-green tee shirt 
with the ride name and logo on it... my husband would have stolen it from me 
but I'm a medium and he's a large, hehehe!

Nice ride - not too rigorous, but not super easy either.  Trail intersections 
were well marked but I (chicken newbie) could have used a few more 
"confidence" ribbons on parts of the trail :-)  Camp was in a huge meadow 
with tall, dry grass; I was praying my catalytic converter wouldn't set it on 
fire, but it looked like everyone else had parked there fine.  The trails and 
logging roads were through medium to thick forest and in several places there 
were nice views.  Sarah mentioned at the ride meeting Saturday night that the 
50 & 30 winners had finished in just a bit over 10mph, and this was the first 
year she'd had the 80's come in before dark, so the course may be tweaked 
just right.  I'll definitely go again next year and maybe I'll be ready to 
tackle the 50 :-)  

Karen Bratcher & Bender
Hayden ID


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