FW: Hashknife Cattle Co 50

[Steph Teeter <step@fsr.com>]

This is Nick Warhol's ride story - a little late, but still a
good story!

-----Original Message-----
From:	Warhol, Nick [SMTP:Nick.Warhol@kla-tencor.com]
Sent:	Monday, June 29, 1998 6:14 PM
To:	'steph'
Subject:	Hashknife Cattle Co 50

Steph- can you post this for me?

thanks
nick

Hashknife Cattle Company 50 ride

With a name like that, the ride had to be interesting.  It was indeed.
The weather in Northern California this year has been so weird it has
been hard to tell what season it really is.  Winter stayed until June,
we had no spring, then wham, right into summer.   
Summer hit this year on June 27, at least in Sonoma County.  Ron and
Ruth Waltenspeil put on the first ever Endurance ride in the privately
owned Cooley Ranch, located about 20 miles or so west of Highway 101 up
near Healdsburg and Geyserville.   This Ranch is no little snoozer at
22,000 acres.  That's a lot of acres and I'm glad I don't have to weed
the whole thing.   The drive up there left me  (and the brakes on my
truck) wondering if there was going to be any level ground in the ride.
It was hill city all the way from Lake Sonoma to the ride site.  Not
your little rolly-polley hills mind you, these are big, huge,
thousand-foot whopper hills.   The short mile or so down from the main
road to the camp was so steep a few trucks had severe brake problems.
Not me, though- I just put the rolling Warhol Hilton in four-low and
crept down the awesome grade with the grace and flair of a large silver
turtle.   
I got to camp and met up with my long time best endurance buddy Marilyn
R. Russell and our friend Carolyn Stark-Schultz who was riding her
second ride on her new Shatta-clone gelding Echo.  He's a big strong 11
year old chestnut with white chrome- just like Shatta.  She got him from
Becky and Judith a few months ago and is having a great time with him so
far.  Lots of Endurowest buddies in attendance as usual:  Kirstin was
riding a horse she said was a "little on the exciting" side.  She
reported he only bucked a little, once, on the ride.  Mike was there
parking all the thousand foot long trailers in the space of a mini-mart
parking lot. Good job, Mike.  Dom came to crew for a bunch of folks
including Frank, who finished up in 5th or 6th, I think.  What horse was
that?  Looked very nice.......     Linda Cowles brought her new horse up
for what I think was his first ride, ever, for the 25.  They did real
well- Linda was pleased as punch with her ride.  Julie and Bob were
there of course.  Cathy Ruiz and Val Christensen were there, Kathy with
her version of a Shatta-clone horse "Fire Alaarm", or more commonly
known as "Alarm Clock."   He's another big, nice looking chestnut.  (Do
I appear predigested?  I am, I admit it.  I like big, red, Chestnuts!
Besides, I get to be since I'm writing this.)  Sorry for those who I
forgot or missed.   
	The ride meeting was a bit different when Ruthie announced she
had a new perpetual award for the person who whined or sniveled the most
during the ride.  It was this really cool cow skull, complete with
horns, with a little engraved plaque on the front.  Everyone wanted it!
Ever heard forced sniveling? It's pretty pathetic!   The head vet was
none other than Mitch Benson.  No worries about the vetting now.
Ruthie changed the ride a bit and put a check out on the course so we
wouldn't have to climb this hill she was talking about three times.
Just some little hill out there, near the beginning of the loop.  
	The ride started out at 6:00 am on an already warm sunny morning
and proceeded right up this little hill.  What a climb!  That baby went
straight up, up, up and steep, steep, steep.   You know those fun,
short, little steep up and downs on the very end of the Shine and Shine
course in Quicksilver Park? Imagine those little rollers times about
fifty!  Ruthie did suggest bringing a breast collar.  Sound advice.  It
was already warm as we ground up the hill.  I was riding with Kathy and
Val until Alarm Clock put the gas on and left us.   Val and I trudged
our way up the big climb and then down the same pitch and distance on
the other side.   Very slow pace so far.  Once we hit the bottom we
found a nice creek crossing.   That was nice.  Then another.  Then
another.   They should have named this ride the "Hashknife creek
crossing" fifty.   I'm not kidding when I say there had to be over a
hundred creek crossings on that 25 mile loop.   Drinking water for the
horses was never an issue on this ride.  
	Val and I cruised along into the first vet check at 10 miles
held in a creek bottom.  Dennis Souza seemed to be the one and only P&R
guy there- he later said it was 'cause he's so good.  Hmmm.    Kathy
waited around for us since she ended up riding with a rider who was
"making her a little nuts" as she put it.  The three of us motored off
onto the second half of the loop through some country that is as nice as
Northern California has to offer.   The trail was interesting to say the
least.   Where the trail was not a good road the ride management took a
D-4 Cat tractor and just buldozed the thing into submission.   The name
of the ride could be the "Hashknife creek crossing and extra-wide trail"
fifty.   We trotted our way through cattle and sheep areas having a fine
time looking at the spectacular ranch.   We climbed an easy grade to a
summit that led to the state's longest downhill creek road.  This neat
road wound its way for miles down a canyon that crossed that creek more
times than I can fathom, all on a bladed road thanks to that Cat.  Lots
of trotting with some steeper short pitches that required walking, most
in the shade.  Good thing since it was getting hot.  Alarm Clock and
Shatta trotted along, side by side, up and down, looking for all the
world like a two-horse parade through the California Oaks.   What could
be nicer? 
	The end of that canyon meant only 3 miles to camp but 2 of that
climbed up next to a deceivingly steep paved road.  This sucker was in
the open sun that was baking everything in its path.  I didn't realize
how warm it really was until I got off and walked up the last half of
the climb.  Yuck!  Doing that is good therapy since it gives you some
appreciation for what that horse is going through.    Zero breeze and
hot as blazes.   The short downhill to camp was a welcome site.  
	Into camp and over to visit the vets.   Shatta looked splendid
and had been drinking well so far.  I drank a whole lot of fluids since
I had been off running a bit and I could tell what the weather was doing
to us.   Bad luck for Marilyn- her feisty mare Cresta peed a little too
dark for Marilyn, so she wisely pulled her.  Carolyn and Echo were still
doing well- Echo ate and rolled while Carolyn kept dousing herself with
her scoop.   It was hot!  Lunch was a lot of drinking, Gatorade, Cokes,
more drinking, a can of cold soup and some chips and salsa.  Who said
gourmet is dead?  We looked for Kathy and Val when we left right at noon
but missed them somehow.
	Off we went, back up that darn climb again.  I was wondering if
I should get off and lead Shatta but I never did.  He went up that hill
again like the first loop.   Here he is, lugging my large mass up these
hills in the heat without even protesting or slowing down.  His heart
rate would be between  115-130 while grunting up the sheer cliffs and
would drop right down to around 70 when we would hit the little breaks
during the climb.  No hesitation, only forward, powerful up.  Good
stuff.  I hopped off at the summit and walked/jogged down the other side
again with Carolyn and Echo right behind.   Both horses were drinking
really well at the multitude of water crossings available.  We stopped
and soaked them with creek water about every 15 minutes or so (ourselves
included).  It was a nice, easy ride into the last vet check at that big
creek again.  
	It was baking hot in the sun as people stood in the creek with
their horses soaking them down.  We went through the check with ease,
the vet noticing Shatta's hydration was better than the last time
through. Carolyn and I spent 30 minutes here in the shade even though
there was no required hold the second time through.  Our wonderful crew
Bill and Karen Froming brought us stuff to drink and electrolytes for
the ponies.   I did my "inhale the coke" trick on three successive cans,
downing them in about 15 seconds each.  Yeah, I know it's a diuretic and
the caffeine isn't good for hydration but I didn't care.   I make up for
it by drinking a quart of Gatorade.  Kathy and Val came in a few minutes
later and after throwing many rocks at me for leaving them at lunch,
took their horses to the vets.  Val's horse was fine but disaster struck
for poor Aalarm.  He was VERY lame at the trot- Yikes!  It looked very
bad when we left but later found out he trotted much better on the grass
at camp later on.   It sounded like he had a stone bruise or foot injury
that really bothered him when he trotted on the many stones in the creek
bed.  Kathy- let us know how he's doing asap. 
	We rode off in the big heat, climbing up the last grade that
somehow seemed steeper this time.  I think there is an endurance axiom
that reads "the ambient temperature has a direct correlation with the
physical degree of slope of any given grade.  The temperature will
actually EXPAND the road to make it steeper."   Well, it seemed that
way.   We hit the summit and the wonderful water trough just past the
top.  Carolyn had been dousing herself all day with creek water that was
nice and cool.  This trough was spring water that was COLD!  I had to
laugh when she doused herself with 40 degree water!  She gasped a couple
of times but later acknowledged that "shower" saved her later in the
day.  
	Back down that long, downhill trotting road with another hundred
creek crossings.  It was here Carolyn's horse Echo began to make us
nuts.  Talk about a drinker. This guy would stop at every creek crossing
and drink 5 or 6 swallows.   Next water 2 minutes later, another drink.
Every crossing!  It was funny!  We figured he was doing some kind of
"water buffet" or taste test.  All I know is he was well hydrated at the
end which is what you needed on a day like this.  Shatta would drink
about every 20 minutes or so, skipping over a few of the creeks that
Echo could not pass up.   I actually tripled his normal amount of
electrolytes throughout the day as a precaution.   
	Back to that darn paved road!  3 miles to go, 2 of them at a
walk.  I almost made it to the top of that grade on foot next to Shatta-
it would not have been so hard for me except he was in his fast walking
mode and was pulling me up the hill.  I tailed for a while but got back
on just near the top when I started to feel a little too hot myself.   
	There's the camp and the finish!  Of course Shatta decides to do
his first spook of the entire day at the little finish line sign on the
road.  49miles, 5180 feet into the ride and he does his first one.  Oh
well- at least it was a little one.  (he used to do that every 100
feet!)  Carolyn and I race across the finish line for 37th and 38th
place- me off leading my horse and her walking slowly.  A photo finish
was not required for this one.   Post ride vet check passes smoothly-
lots of horse left in Shatta, good hydration, good gut sounds.   Just
want I want on a day like this.  This ride was a perfect conditioning
ride for Tevis- Hot, steep, and long.   
	Lari Shea won and got BC but didn't get in until 2pm or so. It
was a long day for everyone.   After feeding and cleaning up the beast,
a little shopping,  dinner and awards it was almost 8pm.  No way I'm
driving all the way home now.  I crashed in the wonder-camper and went
to sleep by 9pm.  I woke up at 6:30 Sunday morning and felt a whole
bunch better.  I walked the horse (who looked fresh!) and drove home.
Fun ride, but not easy by any means.   Ruthie and her crew did a great
job, especially for a first effort.  82 started the 50, 60 finishers.
Next stop- Tevis!