Dave
asked me to correct the record - Paula and Lucky (who were thought by all
to be lost on the mountain) were not lost, just holed up for the night
:
-----Original Message----- From: Brown, David
[mailto:DBROWN@xxxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2006 2:49
PM To: steph@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Bighorn Lost
Riders
Steph, It has already arrived back in WV that Paula and
Lucky were lost and therefore did not finish the Big Horn 100. You need to
get the entire endurance community straight and educated from this experience.
Paula is wilderness survival and horse management trained. When no more trail
markers were evident after midnight on the loop that she started at 6
PM and was told by management was only 7 miles, she ABSOLUTELY did the
right thing andSTOPPED, judging that they had gone at least 12 miles to that
time!! She then carefully retraced the few trail markers partway down a
big mountain into dense woods that provided some protection from the elements.
An hr later Lucky came walking up to where Paula had made “camp” with
saddle pads for sleeping and the cover for blanket. Since Lucky’s horse had gone
down 4 times with cholic she had kept walking and by the time they met up after
2 am the horse was eating and drinking well again. The two women then
carefully went back downhill further to a grassy area with water to
further care for the horses. They remained here until sunrise and then
went backwards to a lake area where they knew people were camping. The
kind people took Lucky back out in a 4 wheel truck (she had a heart condition)
and met up with those of us who had stayed at the next vet check overnight.
Another young man on a 4wheeler rode out and knew a knob where his cell
phone reached Shell and everyone then learned that the 2 riders and horses were
OK.
I would like to personally thank each
and everyone from pit crews to ride management to the young vet and her husband
who kept watch part or all night from the two ends of the loop at very high
elevation in order to do whatever was needed if either riders or horses needed
assistance.
Let everyone in Endurance understand.
They WERE NOT LOST but did exactly the correct thing. Without GPS with
waypoints, visible markers or glowsticks, or any drag rider (or 4 wheeler) to be
of help, THEY STOPPED ON TRAIL. Proceeding when horses, riders and light
conditions allowed then only at around 5 am was then possible. This
process allowed two people and two good horses to all be reunited with the rest
of the ride community by 9 am or so…and healthy!
