Re: XP 2001

[Ms steph teeter <stephteeter@yahoo.com>]

Hi Kris - we've got four horses with us. I'm riding
Jaziret (nice horse :) and Great Santini - have done
150 miles on each so far. They are both doing great.
John is riding Bunchuk (18 yr old Russian Orlov
Trotter) and Sukaro HCC - has done 150 miles on Buns,
and 75 miles on Sukaro. He pulled Sukaro halfway
through one of the long/hot days last week, seemed
tired and not happy about going down the trail. I
think I'm getting a little carried away with feeding
them - they're all a little chubby still, and way too
enthusiastic when we start the ride. Jaziret has been
the toughest - we're trying to ride them all slowly
but he doesn't do slow well, it's been a 50 mile
struggle to hold him back. But - they're all sound and
happy so far!

Steph

--- Kris Hazelbaker <shajarah@cybrquest.com> wrote:
> Steph -
> Out of curiosity, which horses are you riding?
> 
> Until I started reading yours and Karen's daily
> diaries, this ride just
> seemed like a curiosity to me.  Now, I've really
> gotten caught up in the
> ride, and really wish I could have done at least
> part of it too!
> 
> Thanks so much for letting all of us join you
> vicariously!
> 
> Kris in Idaho
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ms steph teeter" <stephteeter@yahoo.com>
> To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
> Cc: <steph@endurance.net>
> Sent: Monday, July 09, 2001 2:48 PM
> Subject: RC: Unidentified subject!
> 
> 
> > July 3 - 9.
> >
> > We're camped at Fort Bridger State Park about 60
> miles
> > east of the Utah
> > border. On the west side of the continental
> divide,
> > the Uinta mountain
> > range is in sight - headed that way this week.
> >
> > We arrived at camp outside of Casper, Wyoming last
> > Saturday - June 30.
> > Nice camp, along a sandy shaded creek. Spirits
> were a
> > little low throughout camp - everybody was TIRED
> from
> > the previous month. Too
> > much heat and not enough sleep. Quite a few folks
> had
> > lost pets along the
> > way to random traffic accidents. Many riders had
> > packed up and left
> > before we arrived - problems with horses, problems
> > with crews, or just not
> > having any fun. Some of the crews stayed on though
> and
> > took up with new
> > riders. And the day before we arrived the roads
> took a
> > large toll on vehicles.
> > Rough road and steep grade proved too much for
> some of
> > the trucks and
> > motorhomes.
> >
> > But - most of the folks we talked to were very
> > positive about the whole
> > experience. Yes they were tired, too many hot
> humid
> > days, random
> > problems, but still having a great time. And
> > determined to see it through.
> > Many of them started doing half day rides instead
> of
> > trying to do the
> > whole 50 miles each day. Some took more days off,
> just
> > riding when they
> > wanted to, and doing more exploring on their own.
> The
> > folks with a
> > positive, flexible approach seem to be thriving.
> >
> > John and I rode every day last week, alternating
> > horses and taking it
> > as slowly as possible, averaging 10 hr days. The
> days
> > have been plenty
> > challenging - rolling terrain, mixed footing -
> > generally good, but a
> > fair amount of sand and rock too, and the
> afternoons
> > get very hot. We
> > crossed the continental divide two days ago, and
> have
> > been riding at around
> > 6000 ft elevation. Mornings have been wonderful,
> but
> > by 10am it gets
> > hot. We start at 5am so at least the ride is half
> over
> > by the time it
> > gets really hot, but the afternoons have been
> > grueling. The starts and
> > early hours have been great. It's barely light at
> the
> > 5 AM starts, we
> > saddle up in the dark and usually hand walk the
> horses
> > for the first mile
> > or so. We get to watch the sun come up and there
> have
> > been some
> > spectacular sunrises. The last few days we've
> actually
> > had a bright moon for
> > the first hour or so before sunrise.
> >
> > We actually rode the 'real' trail for the past
> five
> > days - the
> > Oregon/Mormon/California/PonyExpress trail. This
> has
> > been a surprisingly
> > poignant experience for me (and for several others
> > that I've talked to).
> > There are markers all along the way, and also
> > monuments at special
> > landmarks - with short descriptions and
> explanations.
> > In many places you could
> > see the deep ruts from the wagons. John and I both
> > have
> > great-grandparents that came across the trail in
> wagon
> > trains. Mine to Utah and
> > California, John's settled in the Snake River
> basin in
> > Idaho. Riding along
> > this trail one can almost imagine what it must
> have
> > been like. Rocks,
> > sand, alkali flats, mud, river crossings, dust,
> hot
> > sun, wind, bugs - not
> > to mention loss of family members to cholera,
> > dehydration,
> > malnutrition. My mother told me about her
> grandmother
> > who came across with the
> > Mormon migration - she was so terrified of the
> river
> > crossings they had to
> > actually tie her to the wagons before they
> crossed. My
> > father's mother came across as a child and settled
> in
> > California - she developed a
> > strong love of the land and a desire to become a
> > naturalist.
> >
> > We stopped at one monument, the 'Parting of the
> Ways',
> > which was a
> > point in the trail where some travelers went south
> -
> > and some headed north.
> > The descriptiong mentioned the sorrow of parting
> after
> > having travelled
> > together for 1000 miles, probably never to see
> each
> > other again. There
> > must have been some lingering spirit there - I was
> > overwhelmed by
> > emotion - and afterwards discovered that others
> had
> > felt the same thing.
> > This awe and respect for the Oregon trail - and
> the
> > travellers - has been
> > somewhat of a surprise to me. I'm not much of a
> > history buff (too much
> > excitement in the 'here and now') and didn't
> > anticipate how much it
> > would affect me. The riding, the scenery, the
> XP2001
> > adventure - all of
> > this has been wonderul, but the sense of history
> has
> > been the most
> > overwhelming.
> >
> > The XP2001 adventure ... well, I am totally
> impressed
> > by what Dave
> > Nicholson (the Duck) has accomplished. The use of
> the
> > GPS and waypoint
> > navigation is brilliant. He collected waypoints
> > (latitude/longitude
> > coordinates) for the entire 2000 miles last
> season.
> > Some sections have changed
> > and he's had to go out and collect new ones on the
> > fly, but we have
> > always had a navigable course to follow. He loads
> > waypoints for the week
> 
=== message truncated ===


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