Re: [RC] FW: Gold Country Ride cancelled--an explanation why - Barbara McCrary
As a longtime ride manager, I completely understand
that position of flying by the seat of the pants. We had a similar
situation years ago, only it was rain that we were dealing with. Our trail
would not have been safely rideable with that much rain and so close to the ride
date.
Weather and natural conditions are something over which
ride managers have no control, and you have to make your decisions based on your
best judgment.
Barbara McCrary Ride Mgr., Swanton Pacific
75/100 "The Most Beautiful Trail in the World"
I wanted to post an explanation as to why we
had to cancel the Gold Country Ride. I know there are many
disappointed riders out there, as are all of us in the Gold Country
Club. First of all, let me tell you that it was an
EXTREMELY difficult decision to make. We had been watching the
air quality all last week and over the weekend. With the
clearing skies over the weekend, we were very optimistic. We
had planned to wait until Tues and Wed to mark the trail. On
Tues, the smoke was horrible down in Auburn , but, up in Georgetown
, it was minimal. My marking crew reported back to me that it
was beautiful up there most of the day. But, they could see,
down in the Auburn canyon, that some smoke was accumulating from a
recent fire. On Wed, my marking crew called me from their cell
phone, out on the trail, to tell me they were turning around and
heading back to the trailers. Their eyes and throats were
burning from the smoke and they felt it was too unhealthy for
themselves and their horses to continue on. So, here it is
Wed, only a few days before the ride. The porta potties were
to arrive Thurs, all the food for the vet checks and barbeque needed
to be purchased on Thurs, and I had some riders arriving at
Dru Barner park on Thurs too. Then, we had the issue of how
the trail was going to get marked, since the girls were not able to
do it on Wed. But aside from all these obstacles, the main
issue going thru my mind was, can I guarantee to all the riders that
the air will be safe for themselves and their horses on ride
day? The entire week had been one of smoke one day, partial
clearing the next, horrible smoke the next day, blue skies the next,
etc, etc. Their was just no consistency to the air
qualtiy. Our window of committing to all the expenses (vets,
food, etc) was closing rapidly. So, because of all the above,
I talked to Bob Morgan, our head vet, on Wed afternoon, and we made
the decision that we needed to cancel the ride. We had to
put the health of our horses first! So, as Murphys law
would have it, on my way into Grass Valley this afternoon, the skies
were clear and I could see all the way to the Sierras! If only
I had had a crystal ball! So, thank you all for being so
understanding with our decision and we hope to see you back next
year! Cherryl Holbrook Ride
Manager
