This course is one of the toughest in the northeast -- in fact, my opinion
is that this terrain is even tougher than the Old Dominion 50 trail as you
are constantly going up and down, and there is plenty of rock to go around.
Pads are definitely recommended if you don't use some other type of
shock-absorbing shoe.
The first loop is 14 miles and leaves from the rodeo grounds in
Shartlesville, PA (less than an hour from Allentown), following a
gravel/grass access road along the base of the mountain for about two miles
before turning right onto Mountain Road. About a mile of pavement
surrenders to a dirt gravel road leading up the mountain into Weiser State
Forest. At the top the trail turns right again onto a wide (50ft+)
snowmobile trail. The next five miles are good footing, but deceptive --
the trail climbs subtly and many a horse burns out on this first loop. At
the end of this galloping stretch, you turn left along a pipeline and after
a short drop, climb some more for another few hundred yards. At this point
the trail turns down a steep, rocky, scramble hill perhaps 50 meters long
that is best traversed unmounted. At the bottom we remount and procede a
half mile to the vet check site and continue on for another 2.5 mile loop
along the base of the mountain and back along an old railroad bed to vet
check 1. I arrived at the hold at 9:07 AM, 1Hr37 for 14 miles in about 35th
place. Passed the P&R's six minutes after arrival with a 44 pulse (no sense
in rushing about - I'm just trying to complete) and on through the safety
check with all A's. The holds are all 40 minutes, so there was plenty of
time to relax and get a bite to eat -- also to replace a lost insert that
came out in the last mile on the railroad bed?! All that rock, and I have
to lose it on road bed! The baseplate was fine, so I cleaned the base out
and popped in a new insert.
Ready to go I leave camp alone onto loop two -- 18 tough miles. The first
part of the loop is road -- mostly gravel. Travis is strong and constantly
fights to catch the next horse just minutes ahead of us. But I hold him to
a walk as we begin the first moderate climb of this loop (300-400 ft) before
dropping down to another stretch of road. Then the river crossing. Granted
the Schuylkill River isn't the Shenandoah, but it runs much faster. We head
across the shallow side to the middle island, and then begin our forge
across the swift running channel -- we end up getting pushed almost 20 feet
downstreet as we cross and have to work our way back along the shore to the
access point on the bank. A few hundred yards along the river basin and
then under the route 61 overpass, we pick up the jeep trail that leads to
THE CLIMB. The bottom of the mountain is rocky and narrow, not too
dissimilar from Sherman's Gap (just smaller rocks). The grade isn't
terribly steep, but we feel it. We've been left behind and Travis loses his
impulsion. I dismount to help him recover - now I'm beginning to worry that
I am already running out of horse. So off we go, both on foot until my
out-of-shape legs start complaining and I remount. Still no impulsion.
Still climbing. i forgot to look at the altitude on my Avocet watch at the
bottom, but we reach 740 ft, and I dismount again. We're going too slow,
and still no one in front or coming behind. We slowly climb to 800, 900,
then 1000 feet. I have to remount. The trail meets a gravel forest service
road and Travis shows a little more energy, but is still slow. I push and
he responds with a reluctant slow trot -- I don't want to be out on this
loop for 4.5+ hours... We pass 1300 feet and finally reach the fire tower.
Eight curious faces (four human, four equine) greet us as we pass the
summit, not competitors, but still a welcome sight and Mr. T cheers up and
picks up the pace. The road descends ever so slightly and we cover the next
mile quickly and make the left onto another jeep trail. Didn't we just
finish climbing? No, we pick up the trot again, and start UP the trail.
Finally I hear voices behind and my friends Sandy, Nancy, & Rita on Millie
the mule come up behind to join us. Travis' ears perk up and we pick up the
pace as the four of us chug along the top of the mountain. We cross the
summit again and finally start down the other side. I dismount again to
run; no sense in beating up Mr T's legs. Travis hasn't been drinking, but
as we reach a nice mud hole he drinks deeply, then again at a spring fed
pool. I continue running until the trail abruptly turns to the left and
back UPHILL. I have to pull up to remount as the others pass trotting up
the hill, but Travis is patient enough for me to scramble back on board. We
gallop back into the lead and weave our way up and down the ridge until the
trail suddenly drops quickly back to the valley floor into vet check 2. We
arrive there at 1:06. Three hours -- right on target.
I strip tack and head over to the P&R's passing four minutes after arriving
with a 52. Onto the vet -- CRI is excellent (14/11), and still all A's.
Back to the van where Mom has hay and grain for T, bananas, chicken legs and
gatorade for me. I check shoes and still have all of the pieces. At 1:53
Sandy, Nancy and I leave the hold (Rita left three minutes ahead) onto loop
3. Just nine miles to check 3. Three fast miles along the valley floor on
a fast forgiving surface (mossy dirt jeep trail) over the river and then
back over the beginning of loop 2's first portion. However, this time the
river crossing isn't so smooth. Travis forges into the river and I point
him straight at the island. I am fussing with the sponge as Travis rolls a
rock and drops his right shoulder deep into the current. The water reaches
3/4 up my calf as I struggle to pull T back into balance and urge him on.
We reach the island safely and I can breath. Good thing the Heart monitor
isn't on me! Travis is rattled and tries to get to climb the bank through
the brambles. I get him on the right track and he relaxes back into his trot.
The remainder of the loop is uneventful and we arrive at hold 3 at 3:19. We
pass P&R's with a 52 six minutes after arrival and once again the vet check
is all A's (except for a B on skin tenting). Forty-one miles down and still
looking good -- not bad for an old man! At 4:05 I chase Rita and Millie out
onto loop 4, another 9 miles, but mostly flat hard-top road down the valley.
Sandy and Nancy catch me a few moments later as I run again down the hill
out of the hold. I remount and Travis and Nancy's horse Ahab push each
other down the trail. The last climb is long (about a mile), and once again
I'm off climbing, but this time I tail Sandy's Appaloosa :) up the hill
while I lead Travis. Then down the mountain and back to the finish. We
finally catch Rita and Millie less than two miles from the finish and
everyone's pace has picked up. Two hundred yards from the finish it becomes
a race as Ahab, Travis, and Tink all break for the finish. Ahab crosses a
head in front of Travis with Tink close behind, and Millie close behind.
It's 5:26 and we've finally made it. One more task to complete. We go for
the completion exam about 15 minutes after arrival, and pass with all 5 A's
and 9 B's. CRI 12/14 -- but we've just raced in and everything else looks
ok. WE DID IT!!!
Winning time was about 6:15, so my 7:56 ride time is pretty good even though
it was a 29th place finish. At 17, Mr. T is still teaching me things -- an
old horse can learn to listen to me when I tell him to slow down; we haven't
given enough electrolytes in the past (I doubled the dosage this ride - 1 oz
Dane Frazier formula at arrival in the check, then another dose before
leaving), and Slypners will hold up if you watch your pace through the rocks.
One month to the Old Dominion 50!
Kevin & Travis
Safe Haven Farm
Allentown, PA