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We set up camp, vetted in and went to get something to eat. About halfway
thru the meal (surprise!), my stomach decided it had had enough and not only
didn't want any more food, but wanted to return what I had already put in
it. That wasn't good, all I can say is that I was soooo glad the restroom
was nearby! Afterwards I started to feel better, so went back (it was a
buffet) and got some more salad and fruit and ate all over again. Well,
that didn't quite work because halfway back to ride camp we had to pull over
for me to do the same thing all over again. My wasn't that fun, barfing my
brains out on the side of the road during rush hour. I did feel better
after that, however the only nurishment I had the entire day was a banana at
about 5 a.m. that day. I went back to camp and crawled into the tent.
Dorothy and Constance were nice enough to bring me a nice cup of hot herbal
tea and that seemed to help a lot.
Morning came all too soon. It rained all night, and even though I didn't
feel like getting up, lying in a damp sleeping bag with a wet pillow wasn't
doing much for me, so I got myself up. I ate slowly and drank plenty of
liquids, knowing I'd have to be really careful if I had any intentions of
getting thru this ride. I had a couple of moments where I seriously thought
about not starting. I'm too stubborn though.
Because of the rain the night before, the trails were softened up and
everything was nice and clean and green. California is so nice and green
compared to Nevada!!! We started the ride with a 1.5 mile controlled start.
Then the 'real' start began up Cardiac Hill. It was nice, we rode thru a
canopy of trees and it was very enjoyable. My horse felt great and because
he did feel so strong it made me feel better. It was because of him that I
was able to get thru the ride. Other riders were losing gear and stuff all
over the place. I watched while water bottles, electrolytes, carrots and
packs went flying all over the trail. I also ducked a few times because of
the mud chunks flying everywhere! It was great fun!
The ride itself went quickly. We went thru all the vet checks with good
marks and Weav was eating continually and drinking well. He loves all that
nice green grass. I drank at least 7 water bottles of water during the ride
and a couple of quarts of gatorade and ate three packets of gu. That and
some fruit was all I had. I wasn't sure when I left the last vet check how
we were doing placing wise. I passed a few horses, as it was mostly all
hill - up or down. Weaver is strong on the hills and he's always strong at
the end of the ride. I quickly caught up with Julie and Judy and rode with
them the rest of the way in. I finished just behind Judy (@) (I'm going to
ride slow on this one) Etheridge <vbg> and Julie S (@). We were 8th place
with a ride time of 5:10.
I really need to work on showing my horse for BC. I just did not have the
energy to warm him up properly, and he is basically VERY lazy all the time,
so when I trotted him out it looked like I was dragging him. He did fine
otherwise, but I know didn't give a very good impression on attitude. He
was acting like I felt!! I had used easy boots on his front feet, and I'm
really glad I did - though I realized at the finish that I should have used
them on his hind feet too. He was exactly 6 weeks and due for shoes - both
of his hind shoes were about to come off, one was really bad. That didn't
help anything. I think it was all the downhill. He gets new shoes today.
This was a tough one for me to get thru without a crew. The vet checks were
all away from camp. Thankfully at the end Judy E. (@) and her husband and
Shirley D. (@) helped me with holding my horse and getting all my stuff back
to camp. I decided to walk Weaver back to camp the mile and a half rather
than trailer. By the time we got back he was practically walking me, so I
know it did him some good. He had a 7 hour trailer ride awaiting him and we
didn't get back home that night until after 11 p.m. What a long two days!!!
I met a lot of other people from the list. Maryben, Karen and Jim, and
Robyn. I also saw Helen and a few others. I missed meeting Ken, he was out
marking trail when I checked in. Everybody was so nice and the ride
management did a great job. There were three vets and plenty of volunteers.
I have no idea how many horses there were, though they did say it was a
large turnout. There were probably a lot of other things I spaced. I
received a certificate of completion and a bungee cord (purple of course!)
Weaver looks so good, I'm sending in my entry today for the Washoe Valley
100. It will be our first one day 100. Does anybody have any advice on
what I should do with him over the next two weeks? The ride is May 3rd.
Happy Trails,
Karen
in Gardnerville
& Dream Weaver 600 miles :)
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