Re: RC: Bears in TN? A Ride Story from the Past

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

>In the mid-eighties, I was asked to take a part-bred gelding named Bo 
>on his first 100 miler.  An IAHA ride on the edge o=
>f the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.  

Hi Sally.

Are you sure that wasn't Oct. 1987?  If it was, and in Tellico Plains,
that was my first Endurance ride!  The drunks at that creek crossing were
so notorious that when I was ride manager a year later, I requested that
the town of Tellico loan us an officer during the ride...but it turned
out they only had two officers and we hated to ask for half the police
force. >g<

Sometimes the drunks  just stood around shooting guns.  Once a pack of
them got between our vet and his truck...and people ask me, "Why don't
you manage that ride any more?" Ha.

While planning the ride, I tried to find a route to cut some gravel off
the trail.  I stopped and talked to an old local man and asked if there
were any trails across the mountain side.  He said, "When I was a kid I
walked all over these mountains, but I wouldn't dare now, them drug
growers'll kill me.  When I looked alarmed he said, "Oh they won't bother
ya'll, they know ya'll come and then go ever year, but if I was to go
back thar they'd shoot me."  Soo, needless to say, we kept the gravel. 
Like I've said before.  The animal I'm scared of is human!  By the way,
more than one rider saw black bears on that ride.

Angie


>Hi Ridecampers,
>I=92ve been reading and enjoying the postings on riding in the dark, 
>encountering wildlife (human and otherwise), and rid=
>e stories.  They gave me flashbacks and inspired me to contribute my 
>own 100 miler story which encompasses (believe it or=
> not) all of the above.  To introduce myself, I=92m probably best 
>described as a Re-Newbie.  I completed aprx 3000 miles =
>between 1982 and 1992.  Took a few years off, and just renewed my AERC 
>membership this year. I=92ve discovered and enjoye=
>d Ridecamp as a great source of info and updates on what=92s new..... 
>thanks to all of you who aren=92t as shy as I was a=
>bout posting.
>
Can=92t really remember the exact 
>location or ride name.  Bo=92s owner, Jan Worthing=
>ton, was entered on another of her horses.  Grace Ramsey was crewing 
>and her daughter Wendy Mattingley was also riding a =
>good horse named CL Shurwill.  For me, it was an exciting trip.  I was 
>honored that Jan and Grace would trust me to take =
>their horse on his first 100, and I=92d never been to this part of the 
>country before. We arrived with no incidents and s=
>et up camp.  Vetted through just fine, and Friday night I rode Bo (for 
>the first time) on a short pre-ride warmup.   
>Saturday morning dawned early and sunny.  A beautiful day.  We were 
>ready to go with my only  mission being to help Bo co=
>mplete his first 100  healthy and sound.  Even though I was  riding 
>for completion only,  Bo got so hyper that we decided=
> to start out with his stable buddies.  Let him use the energy going 
>forward on the trail rather than fighting me.  The r=
>ide started with a shout, and we were off.  Now,  Jan and Wendy were 
>riding sweepstakes horses, so they planned to stay c=
>lose to the front runners.  My endurance horse in those days,  Zoey,  
>was one that needed to go to the back of camp and h=
>ide out until all horses were out of sight,  ( a few stories there, 
>too) so this up-front start wasn=92t really my style,=
> but away we went, with Shurwill=92s rear in sight.  Bo=92s personal 
>goal was to run as close to his buddy as horsely pos=
>sible, so I was working hard to hold him back to a dull roar and keep 
>a safe distance from Wendy and Shurwill.  The first=
> loop was a single track switchback around the
>mountain.  Up and steep on my right and equally steep going down on my 
>left.  Bo was so worried about being left behind t=
>hat while Wendy and Shurwill cruised around the turns, he=92d take 
>little short cuts.   Bo didn=92t see any need to bennn=
>d around those curves when he could just skip across the end of those 
>ravines and stay that much closer to his best buddy=
> in the whole world.  Fifeen minutes into the ride and my honored=92 
>feeling is gone!   My imagination has taken over and=
> I know what will happen when Bo missteps................tree bowling, 
>the  latest in extreme sports.
>I=92m feelin=92 like survival! 
>
>We made it to the first check at 25 miles and vetted through with no 
>problems.  Made sure I used the bathroom and
>we were ready to go out for the next loop.  Jan and I left this check 
>together with Wendy out ahead of us.  This loop
>was less eventful and I remember a much more enjoyable ride.  It was 
>just the two of us now, and the horses were settled =
>down and happy to move along at a saner pace.  Both horses vetted 
>through the 50 mile check just fine. This check was bac=
>k at camp, so we took the horses to the trailer and let them eat and 
>rest.  Time=92s up and Jan left.  We let Bo stay a f=
>ew minutes longer to eat and forget that he had a buddy ahead of him 
>on the trail..  Poor Bo!  He thought he was all done=
>.  He seemed pretty surprised when I put the saddle back on and rode 
>to the out timer.  Then he pouted.  Kept looking bac=
>k to camp and didn=92t want to go.  In spite of the morning=92s ride, 
>I  took sympathy and
>let him walk and get mentally rearranged.  After a few miles, he 
>picked up a trot and was fine about it.  We were also
>starting to bond into a better team by now. ( I=92ve always enjoyed 
>riding alone for this reason.)  We kept up an easy tr=
>ot  into the 75 mile check.  He vetted through in good shape and I was 
>pleased with his new, improved attitude. He was ea=
>ting and drinking well.  By now, I=92m in love with him (I get 
>attached so easily) and telling him what a good boy  he is=
>.  
>
>But it=92s time to leave this check and what fun..............it=92s 
>getting dark.  The nearest horses are an hour ahead =
>and more than an hour behind.  All alone.  The good news is that the 
>last 25 miles is the same as the first 25 miles.  Al=
>ways a plus in the dark.  But just when I was starting to have fun,  
>the husband/pit crew of a  rider behind me started t=
>elling about how many black bears his wife saw that morning.  Front 
>runners scared them  up,  he guessed.  I tried to cov=
>er my ears, but it was too late!   A new worry to carry with me in the 
>dark.  Bears!  We don=92t have bears in Iowa!!   W=
>e don=92t WANT bears in Iowa!  And I did NOT want to meet any on the 
>last 25 miles of a trail I barely know with a horse =
>I barely know when I can barely see and I=92m all ALONE!!!!  But, this 
>is why it=92s called endurance. If I don=92t die, =
>I=92ll complete.  So we left with a heartier than felt goodbye.   The 
>next 10 miles or so was on the road, easy going, bu=
>t getting darker.  My pit crew met me for moral support and food for 
>Bo.  What a pig he was.  Good horse!   Shortly after=
> turning off the road, we had to cross a wide, shallow river/creek.  
>By  then it was simply dark. 
>As I started into the water, I noticed a  new trail attraction on the 
>other side next to where the trail comes out.  A fu=
>n group of loud drunks!  They heard me coming (I tried to tiptoe with 
>no success) and started calling out, "Come on over!=
>  Join the Party!  We=92ve got plenty of beer to share!"   Very 
>hospitable of them.   Not wanting to offend my "hosts", I=
> called back  "Thanks,  but I=92ve got to 
>run.........................!"    Bo, hope you=92re not thirsty,  
>=91cause we=92=
>re out of here!!!!!    We kicked it in long enough to get to the other 
>side and picked up a good strong trot up the hill.=
> (Tennesseeans sure are a hospitable bunch, aren=92t they.)  Well, 
>all=92s quiet again as we can now take our time and wo=
>rk our way back around  on the same trail I found so exciting this 
>morning.  I like it better in the dark.  Can=92t see w=
>hat I=92m missing.  But now my thoughts turn to bears.  What do I know 
>about them?  Nocturnal.........not good.  I=92m pr=
>etty sure they=92ll stay out of my way if they can.  But have you ever 
>noticed how you can get so much closer to wildlife=
> when you=92re horseback?  Not good.   I=92m sure Bo would overreact, 
>and down the mountain we
>go.....midnight bowling.  We=92re not making much noise either.  It 
>would be kinda nice.........if I just hadn=92t heard =
>about the bears.  What can I do to make noise?  No one has ever 
>described me as quiet, but I can=92t think of a thing to =
>say.  But then, Eureka!  I remember my Catholic school days.  Those 
>nuns wouldn=92t let me sing with the class.  Used to =
>tell me to just "mouth the words".  Welllll............maybe my 
>singing is bad enough to scare a bear.  Might work and no=
> one else to hear.  Bo promised not to tell.  What song..........hmmm, 
>everyone's favorite, no problem
>remembering the words to "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall"!  So I 
>launched into a stirring, make up for my childhood, rend=
>ition.  We walked and jogged along in the dark until I was down to 2 
>Bottles of Beer on the Wall when Bo stopped dead in =
>his tracks.   No, not a bear.  Two kind and wonderful ride volunteers 
>stepped out onto the trail to let me know I had arr=
>ived at the last on-trail vet check.  Hooray!  They gave me a time 
>card and then said, "Wow, what a brave person you are.=
>  We heard you coming in, just singing without a care.  We would have 
>been
>scared to death to be out riding all alone in the dark like this."
>Tell me, would you have told them the truth?   I didn=92t.  Just 
>smiled, thanked them for being there, and went to find
>my pit crew and vet in.  By now, Jan has been long finished and came 
>back out to lend support and see how we=92re doing. =
> A quick vet through and on to the last 5 or so miles of trail.  
>Through the woods, out onto a road, down the hill and a =
>left turn back into the woods for the last mile to the finish line and 
>base camp.  Bo seems to know we=92re close as he=92=
>s picking up his pace.  Or he understands when I tell him we=92re 
>headed HOME!  We turned into the very dark woods (espec=
>ially after being on the lighter gravel road).  I=92ve forgotten all 
>about bears and hillbillies, etc.  All of a sudden B=
>o looks sharply to the left and shies hard to the right.  I heard 
>something crackling in the brush about the same time Bo=
> takes off at a run down the trail.  I couldn=92t see a thing, but I 
>leaned over his neck and let him run.  I
>don=92t know what scared him and didn=92t want to.  I knew we were 
>close to home and let=92s just get there.  As the trai=
>l circled around behind base camp, I slowed him to a trot.  He 
>realized where we were, and started loudly calling out to =
>anyone who=92d listen. (No sneaking in late at night for us!)   I 
>unsaddled at the trailer and took him to the vets for f=
>inal check.  He closed his eyes and acted as though he was sleeping 
>through the vet check.  I could have sworn I heard hi=
>m snoring softly.  He finished in great shape, although tired and 
>ready for bed.  Me too.
>
>I hope this wasn=92t too long.   I got on a roll writing it.  A good 
>memory for me.
>If you hung in there to the end, Thanks for "listening"!
>Sally Hafkemeyer
>
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