EHSC Part 2

["Becky" <bechack@sierratel.com>]

Well, here we are at the lunch stop, but it is only 9:30!  Have my tuna
sandwich anyway, my water, juice.   I noticed a horse tied to Karen (of
Weaver fame) Chaton's trailer...I saw Dave and asked what horse that was????
He calmly says it belongs to the woman that was just airlifted out!
What??!!   All happened behind us....

Marc hasn't ridden much by himself, so I wonder how after lunch is going to
be, leaving basecamp and all....shouldn't have worried...he was a champ.
Met up with another rider not long after that....now we begin to climb.....I
remember this hill from last year...long and hot.  We march up, Marc is
being a trooper, just going and going....Now we are in a group of about
4..What we are at the top already?   That hill sure was longer last
year....down we go...we have also been working on slow trotting collected
down gentle downhills.   So off we go, he now knows why to collect and stay
tucked....we don't fall on our faces!

Into Vet 3, only we don't have to stop until we loop the long meadow and
come back, but there is food and water so we take a couple of minutes to
tank up again....he really is learning to take care of himself.  The temps
are cooler, or is it that we are probably 2+ hours ahead of last years
time..???

Out to loop the meadow.   There is lots of water here, there is still snow
on the tops of the peaks, not as much as last year, and the meadows are real
boggy.   Can't move real fast here.  Don't want to loose a shoe or blow
tendons....There are two of us riding together on the out portion, the
horses are helping each other now, both are feeling a bit sluggish....then
we turn the corner to head back to Vet 3....Marc really know where he is
now....really perks up.....easy trot back.....few bites of green grass as we
go...drinking at the good stream crossings...such a good boy..

Vet 3, I get off and loosen cinch and walk in.   I walked the furthest of my
now group of 4.   I walked straight over to a PR person, he was at 12!!!!
Wow....I love this guy...

The rest of my group is at least 5 minutes behind me...so we left by
ourselves.  Gots to practice this alone stuff for when we are really out
front.  :-))   He walks out of camp well, then picks up a trot all by
himself.   Very good attitude.   I am tired, but am trying to stay balanced,
not flop around in the saddle, to post from my knees, not from my feet.

We are now back down the mountain, heading back up the valley toward
basecamp, you can see it.  The trail at one point turns away from camp for a
minute.  Marc is decidedly depressed!   But, MOM, I KNOW camp is this way!
Then we make the final turn...Ears up, tail up, yea mom!   Lets go....so we
go!   Here comes that canter again!   I am loving this...River crossings,
still drinking....good boy.  In to camp down a road edged with tall
bushes...and the in timers have now erected an umbrella to sit under and I
almost get dumped as Marc says Whoa..MOM, that wasn't there before and jumps
6 feet to the right....I stay on, barely, get off and hand walk him in.   He
snorts a time or two, but walks on.   Find out we are in 28th place!   I
think there were 68+ riders for this ride.

Dinner was good as always.  Awards were pretty blue mugs or a laundry bag
with ride logo.   I had gotten a laundry bag last year, so I went with the
mug.   Last year Jim B had been so proud of the laundry bag, saying how
nobody ever comes home from a ride with CLEAN  clothes.   I didn't think too
much of it at the time, but it has become one of the most used ride awards I
have ever gotten!

One more time, a big thank you to Jim and Jackie Bumgardner for putting on
this great ride.   If they have it, I will come!

Becky Hackworth
Coarsegold, CA

and TezMarc 700 miles


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