FW: ridecamp-d Digest V99 #4

[Vickie Smith <kiwana@sover.net>]

Cindy-
	Having just read your post...  I am now having NIGHTMARES in the middle of 
the day!!!   :-)))   I just did a ride in Ontario last Spring.  The people 
were nice. The area was nice.  BUT, the marking turned out to be my WORST 
experience ever.  I have done many many trail rides at all different paces. 
 This ride started out to be a little faster than I had planned.  After two 
loops, I finally got my mare to go a more reasonable pace.  After getting 
out of the "pack,"  I was really beginning to enjoy the experience. 
 Suddenly, I wasn't sure which way to go..  oops.  I am usually very good 
at following different types of trail markings too.  Oh well, go a little 
further and I'll see a ribbon...  Yeah right!  I saw a gazillion ribbons in 
different colors!  (To explain a little further, the trail criss-crosses 
itself, parallels itself, etc.)  I suddenly found myself at the water stop 
for the 2nd/4th loop.  Well I knew I was in the wrong place but at least 
these people would put back on the correct trail.  WRONG.  They had no idea 
where they were and only knew how to get to the main road..  FINALLY, I got 
to the water stop for the 1st/3rd loop (now abandoned) and followed the 
ribbons (correctly this time) to complete the 3rd loop!  Hurrah!  Everyone 
was about to try to figure out where I might have been "kidnapped" or 
whatever!  (My husband really panicked due to the fact that I am diabetic 
and he thought that might have caused a problem.)  Anyway, that 3rd loop 
should have been about a 12 miler and I KNOW we covered a minimum of 30 
miles.  Well, I wasn't allowed to continue and didn't finish...  (We sure 
could have walked that last loop and still been under 12hrs-due to the 
extreme speed of the 1st and 2nd loops!)  If I do another ride in Ontario, 
I'm bringing bread crumbs!!!  Lots of them......  (Maybe a tracking dog to 
find the camp at least. -vbg-)

Best wishes,
Vickie Smith

PS  I also know all about getting the "proper" paperwork to go into Canada 
with a horse now!  If I had only realized before committing to do this ride 
just what kind of adventure I was in for.....  On the other hand, now that 
I know how to get there and really have a "feel" for your method of trail 
marking, next time should be EASY, right?


----------
From: 
	ridecamp-d-request@endurance.net[SMTP:ridecamp-d-request@endurance.net]
Reply To: 	ridecamp-d@endurance.net
Sent: 	Saturday, January 02, 1999 7:15 PM
To: 	ridecamp-d@endurance.net
Subject: 	ridecamp-d Digest V99 #4

-

Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1999 14:42:13 -0800
From: "Cindy Filmore" <bcfarm@vianet.on.ca>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Subject: trail marking
Message-Id: <199901021940.OAA09523@vianet.on.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Ooo Eeee!
Trailmarking I know about!
Actually, we started CTR by running a ride, so we just followed the rules
we were given. Here's how it works in OCTRA :
One roll of trailmarking tape = 300 ft.
It takes about 3 ft of tape for every 100 ft. of trail.
Red = right turns
Blue = left turns
White = you are going the right way!!!
A 50 mile ride (no loops) would take 24 rolls of white tape, 5 red, and 5
blue.
30 miles, rode on 2 - 15 miles loops took us 15 white, 3 red and 3 blue.
25 miles of trail would take 12 white, 3 red, 3 blue
35 miles : 18 white, 4 red, 4 blue

We followed the lead of a great pair  :)  and tied 3 ft of ribbon to a
clothes pin,
then clipped the clothes pins to tree branches at the desired height.
1 white ribbon + 1 coloured ribbon signified an up-coming turn,  it took 2
colored
ribbons for each turn (i.e. as you are turning), and used yellow marking
tape to
'close off' wrong trails (right across the trails, from tree to
tree).(also, yellow triangles
clipped to trees in case anyone rode right through)
This left us enough markers to re-do sections of the trail where ribbons
were
removed , and the trail was marked well enough that no-one got lost (well,
okay,
the radio crew did, but only for a moment).(and, yeah, some joker did go
around
taking down our ribbons, but you kind of expect that, too)
White ribbons were placed so that you could always spot the next ribbon
from the
former (some places, every 50 ft., some every 100, etc.).

I thought everyone did it this way.Ignorance is bliss!
Cindy
Beaver Creek Farm

------------------------------