Again, please mail me directly if you have a problem with this post. I am
not trying to start a war or denigrate the OD - what I am saying here
publicly I have already said to some of next year's trail committee. I am
not interested in maligning the ride but rather seeing the markings
improve.
Come to find out so many people had trouble with that same section of trail
(including several that live in that area and train on those trails and
know them like the back of their hand) that the _ride time was extended by
an hour_. That tells me that my problem was not just me - this was a poorly
marked trail all the way around.
Now, following on some of Diane's comments about managers making a ride
unnecessarily tough because of this attitude of "this is endurance riding
-if you're not tought enough then don't do it" really hit home to me after
this. Come to find out I am not the first rider by ANY stretch that has
been lost. Apparently this ride is almost known for this and other
casualties- on several occasions over the years, helicopter rescues have
had to be made, riders/horses have stayed out most of the night, horses
have fallen off of ledges, etc. etc. etc (whether all of those were due to
poor trail markings I don't know).
I was not prepared to stay out there all nite in terms of food/water or
handle any major first-aide emergencies - are any of us when we are on a
ride? I mean endurance riding is a test of a horse/rider's team to
negotiate a *MARKED* trail in a specified time - it **is not and should not
be** a survival test. Heck, if it was we would all go out with 50lb packs
on our back. I do not subscribe to the "this is endurance, put up or shut
up" mentality - I do this sport to test myself and my horse against the
trail. If I wanted to test my wilderness survival skills, there are lots of
other sports I could participate in. I want to ride a trail and get from
point A to point B in the specified time with a horse in good shape. To do
that I have to do my homework at home and management has to provide a
well-marked trail - pretty simple deal, really, I think. Is that too much
to ask? Am I looking thru rose colored glasses?
I am not asking to be *babied* - what I am asking for is the common
courtesy of putting me out on a trail I can easily follow. As a rider, the
only thing I should have to worry about is the state of my horse on the
trail - hunting for the trail should not even be a consideration. Riders
should not have to rely on each other, footprints in the dirt, or kids
standing on street corners to negotiate the trail!!!
After asking around on Sunday, I got the distinct impression that following
the trail is a known hazard of the OD. Is the OD proud of this? I wouldn't
be if it were my ride. Why is the OD so apparently notorious for ill-marked
trails? Is it so hard to buy some more ribbon? Why are they so stingy with
it? I am not merely being facietous (sp) - I would really like to know if
there is a legitimate reason for the way it is marked.
I missed my turn fair and square and I'm not blaming management for my
ordeal - what I *do* hold them responsible for is putting riders out on a
trail like this and then expecting them to have to make leap of faith
decisions about which way to go. That should not be the case on ANY ride,
much less on a ride where the trail can _literally eat you for lunch_.
Ribbons were few and far between, turns were marked so that you could not
see the markings till you were past the turn, and lots of ribbons were on
the ground (come to find out the ribbons on the ground were due to
vandalism so cannot fault the trail staff for that).
Please understand that I am NOT, NOT, NOT suggesting that the OD, which is
deemed one of the toughest trails in the nation (and some would argue that
it IS the toughest, be made any *easier* or every rock, ledge or hazard be
marked. I am not blaming or whining or stamping my feet about the trail
itself. Just let me know where I am supposed to go in a clear, easy to
follow manner. There are enough hazards on that trail without having to
search for markers.
Everyone I spoke to was very apologetic about what happened to me. In my
mind it is not anyone's fault - you always run the risk of not completing -
no matter how far you've driven or how much you've spent - my grief with
the OD is that the risk is multiplied 10-fold by poor trail markings and to
me that is unnecessary.
I made suggestions for color coding the trails to some of management (both
current and some that will have some say next year) that I hope are
implemented. Had the sections been marked with colored ribbon, I would have
known as soon as I came to the first ribbon that I was going the wrong way
(and so would have all the other riders that missed the same turn I did).
Before some of you think that some of my comments are sour grapes let me
say there were lots of things I did like about the OD - check in was well
organized, facilities/camp was great, vets and management was very nice,
and the showers were a blessing from God! There was easy access to water in
camp and tons of straw for bedding the stall. Overall the ride was very,
very well run - I can't imagine what it must take to put on something of
this magnitude.
Am very interested in hearing comments about what other riders expect in
terms of trail markings - maybe I am out in left field tho I don't think
so. Am I just very spoiled in the SE region where our trails are color
coded (at least from what I have seen) and you see ribbons just about every
time you look up??
Thanks for listening :->
Tina and crew
hickst@nichols.com
Huntsville, AL