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[RC] RC: Preriding the Tevis Trail - Lucy TrumbullI read RideCamp through the archives, so people's email addresses are blocked out and I can't reply to them directly. It would be great if people could put their email addresses at the bottom of emails - along the lines of joe-bloggs AT my-company DOT com. ...Anyhoo: Beth Bliss wrote: I am currently on the list to ride in the Tevis race and very excited to be looking toward that goal. Congratulations on getting on the list - it seems that this year even that is an accomplishment! This year is going to be my first attempt as well. On our side is the fact that I've been doing photography and coverage of Tevis for the last seven years, plus I live close to the trail (which *really* helps - and may be the *only* thing that is on our side ;-) ) Like you, I'm trying my best to stay calm about the whole thing, but failing pretty dismally. It made me laugh to read Becky Siler talking about how exciting it was to see her and Miles' names on the list. And there was me thinking I was the only one who thought it was really weird to see our names there. <grin> My question is how should I go about preriding some of the trail? I live in Southern Oregon. I see they have a fun ride in May, and was wondering if that is a good time to meet some folks and check it out. Can I rent stalls in Auburn and spend a few days? The Tevis site recommends preriding about 3 weeks prior to the ride. Is that a better time than in May? I'm guessing the reason they suggest pre-riding closer in time to the ride date is related to trail conditions. If we had a wet spring here, the trails could still be sloppy in May and you may have to cross creeks that aren't there later in the summer. (Of course, the trails could equally be totally hard-packed and there be no water in the creeks - it all depends on how much rain we've had.) Also, as late as June/July, some of the trails in the high country can still be snowed in - again, depending on what sort of weather we've had. If you pre-ride it closer to the date, at least you'll have a better idea of what the trail conditions are like (dusty, rocky, soft, etc) and where you can get water along the trail for your horse. That said, if it looks like it has been pretty dry down here (keep an eye on the doppler radar - we're right on the cusp of the rain line, so sometimes we get dumped on the same time as you do in OR, other times it misses us), there's no reason why you can't preride sections of trail closer to the finish to familiarise yourself with the trail layout. To do this, most of the time you'll still need a driver to get your rig from A to B, unless you do "out-n-back" rides, which isn't practical on some of the longer stretches. Be aware that the river is not always low enough to cross, so that's definitely something to wait for summertime to do. However, you can get to it from both sides and at the very least go down and inspect the crossing at Poverty Bar, so at least you know what to expect. There is a really nice trail map (complete with topo lines) you can buy from the Auburn State Rec. Area HQ (530-885-4527) (the HQ is in Auburn on hw-49 in the canyon, half-way down to No-Hands). It shows (amongst the many trails in the canyon) the WST from Michigan Bluff onwards and is invaluable if you can't find someone familiar with the trail to ride with. (Take note, however, that some of the trails they list as "Tevis trail", particularly close to the end, are the old route so not correct.) With regard to renting stalls, the ride uses Auburn Fairgrounds. Perhaps contact the WSTF office <wstf@xxxxxxxxxxxx> and ask them about who to contact for stall rental? Also, is arriving on Thursday evening before the ride an O.K. time to get there? Since I haven't seen the park, I wondered about the space issues with that many people. Robie Park is pretty huge, so I think you'll be fine. Some people don't turn up until Friday, so Thursday should be more than adequate. Try and get there before dark (for the views and so you don't get lost in Robie Park itself), make sure you have your directions (it's a bit obscure to get to), and be ready to park in amongst the bushes and trees and get *really* dusty (Robie Park is made of talcum powder fine red dust which coats everything). Lastly, if it is already difficult to go to sleep at night because of consuming thoughts of the competition, how does one sleep the night before the ride? :))) I'm having trouble eating *right now* because of nerves, and having stupid dreams about the ride and losing my vet card, etc... so no, by the time I get to the ride I'll be exhausted and bound to sleep (and then oversleep the start...) :))))) Here's hoping my horse and I stay sound till then, This is MY biggest fear... :)) I figure if we can get to the start line sound, we'll have done a big piece of the puzzle. Beth Bliss (certified crazy and out of my league per husband) Awww. Don't let him put you down. We all have to start somewhere. and Corduroy Knickers (1/2 Arab, 1/2 Mustang). Good luck! Let me know if I can try and answer any more questions about the trail. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Lucy Chaplin Trumbull elsie AT foothill DOT net Repotted english person in the Sierra foothills, California * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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