Living the Dream: Don't cross that bridge until you come to it

Just two days until 2015 Tevis!  I am living vicariously through several riders I know who will be on trail Saturday morning. Especially Lancette who was at the Tevis Ed ride too! Ride like the wind, Lancette and Jantar!

Soul Sisters. Foresthill, Tevis Educational Ride 2015.

The theme of today's blog is, "Don't cross that bridge until you come to it".

The earliest recorded use of this expression is in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Golden Legend (1851): "Don't cross the bridge till you come to it, is a proverb of old and excellent wit."

Basically, don't worry about things that haven't happened yet. Just deal with them if and when they happen.

Probably my biggest fear about the Tevis trail has always been the Swinging Bridge. I am not scared of heights, but I do get seasick. So the thought of being on a suspended bridge that sways from side to side and up and down is just not my cup of tea!

Thanks to my hosts, Steve and Pat (who let me ride her sweet gelding Chuy!), I got to ride the trail from the finish line across the No Hands Bridge to Lower Quarry and back the day after I arrived. And by serendipity, we ended up riding with Lancette and Steve, as they were camped near the Overlook!

Look Ma, No Hands Bridge!

Posted by Tevis Cup (Official) - 100 Mile One Day Western States Trail Ride on Thursday, July 30, 2015

Don't cross that Swinging Bridge until you come to it

Swinging bridge was on the menu for the first day of the Tevis Ed Ride, after the Last Chance check point.  My mentor, Jennifer, and I did most of the steep downhill on foot, leading the ponies. At the bottom of a hill after umpteen switchbacks, we headed down to the river to cool before heading back up to the bridge.

From the river, we watched a few horses and riders make their way across the Swinging Bridge - some mounted and some leading their horses on foot. The bridge bounced a bit up and down, but to my relief, did not sway too much from side to side with only one horse going over at a time.

When the way was clear, Jennifer announced we were going over mounted, so we headed up to the foot of the bridge and got on the horses. She and Crimson started over and suddenly Scorch started to wig out, dancing on the spot. Jennifer and Crimson were already half way across, so she suggested I get off, which I did asap!

Suddenly, a riderless horse comes barreling down the hill towards the foot of the bridge! I stepped into the trail to block his way waved my hands to get him to stop. Luckily, he had a red lead rope looped around the saddle horn, so I grabbed that. Now I had two excited horses spinning circles around me on a very small space between the hill, the foot of the bride and the narrow trail down to the river!

This is the small space where I caught the loose horse and held on to both horses, while Jennifer and Crimson already on the other side!

I managed to get them settled with both of them facing away from the bridge and up the trail. By this time, Jennifer and Crimson are on the other side and Scorch really wants to be with his buddy over there!  

I call up the trail to say that we have caught the loose horse and soon a horse and rider come down the trail. They were in front of the group that lost the horse, so he must have blown by them on his way down. I was very grateful when she agreed to take the horse with hers down to the river to wait for the rider.

Now it was time to cross that bridge! After all the excitement, I stayed on the ground and led Scorch over. Uneventful and pretty anticlimactic given the recent turn of events. I ditched my half chaps, which were soaked and hanging around my ankles from wading in the river, and we mounted up on the other side to start the steep climb to Devil's Thumb.  Which leads me to my final piece of Tevis advice.....

Leaves of three, let it be! 

And wear chaps or socks that cover the bottom of your breeches. No exposed ankles!

I inadvertently came into contact with poison oak, which is EVERYWHERE on the trail, on my right ankle. Finally healing up 3 weeks later :)

So for all of you who will toe the starting line of Tevis on August 1, 2015, I leave you with the words of Julie Suhr:

Ride your horse well. 

Dare to try. Risk failure. 

Be poetry in motion on that one day of the thousands before and the thousand to come.

From the Tevis Facebook page -  Julie Suhr (considered the Grande Dame of endurance, 22 Tevis Buckles and 3 Haggin Cups): 

I have never regretted a Tevis Cup start. I have been pulled at Robinson Flat, at Michigan Bluff, and Franicscos and Echo Hills. I have been in first place at the Quarry, six miles from the finish and because I was too physically exhausted to go faster, I had two people pass me. The first, the winner, said "we will tie", and I said 'No, you and your horse are a better combination than my horse than I am today, go for it." She did and won. She is one of my best friends to this day.
I have never regretted a start. If I never got further than Emigrant Pass and looked back at Lake Tahoe with the first rays of sunshine glimmering upon it it was worth every minute of training, churning stomachs and sleepless nights. The best Tevis Ride I ever had was on a little grey gelding named Rumadi in about 1969. We did not finish. He still gave me the best Tevis Ride I ever had, even those that resulted in Haggin Cups. I am too old to worry about bragging rights. Rumadi and I simply had it together that day and though trite to say, we were poetry in motion on that one day of the thousands before and the thousand to come. I never rode a horse that well before or since.
So we all go risking failure. Those who successfully finish the ride should realize it took more than their horsemanship, but included finding a depth in a horse and yourself that maybe you did not know existed, and then always, of course, the unknown....Lady Luck.
And now, having spoken my piece, I will wish all who dare to try, a successful journey.
Julie Suhr

You gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em

Knowing when to go big and when to go home is probably one of the hardest things to learn about the sport of endurance riding.

Many of us are riding our pets. We only have one horse and she has a forever home with us.  We err on the side of caution because we don't want to hurt our beloved pet.

On the other hand, we are all capable of extraordinary things. To quote T.S. Eliot, 

"You have to risk going too far to discover just how far you can really go".

I recall my first foray into distance riding on my 15 year old Arab mare, Sera. We entered the 28 mile novice CTR Northwind Challenge in Buckingham, Quebec. I had very little trail riding experience and knew nothing about distance riding. We rode regularly W/T/C to prepare for dressage shows, Arab shows and horse shows at local fairs.  I had no clue about how hilly and rocky the trail was, or even how far 28 miles was! Without even knowing it, I risked going too far. 

We set out with a few other novice horses and riders and the experience forever changed me.

Sera eagerly carried me down the trail, up and down hills, along quiet roads and though bush trails. There had been a lot of rain, and some of the clay trails were quite slick. I was amazed at what she could do! We finished a full hour later than the optimal ride time, but still got a completion, albeit with the maximum amount of time penalties.

We were both tired and muscle sore for a couple of days, but none the worse for wear. 

Thus was born my passion for distance riding. Wow! If we could do that, what else might we be able to do? 

Over the next few years, Sera accumulated over 500 CTR miles with a 100% completion rate. 

As I began doing endurance rides with Sera's fully, Luba, I had to learn how to safely push the envelope, developing a young horse into an endurance athlete. Make haste slowly for sure, but at some point you have to raise the bar and go for it. The first 50. Faster 50s. Harder 50s. The first 75. And the first 100 miler. 

Each time we went out of the comfort zone, to go farther and faster, I was faced with the dilemma of knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. 

One thing was certain: pushing boundaries and reaching the next level was an addictive magical elixir.

There is a fine balance between the desire to complete the ride and the desire to do what is right for you and your horse. 

At the VT 50 this weekend, I had to strike that balance once again. Luba passed the vet check at mile 38 with an A- for gait. She took a couple funny steps on the way out and was scared of the door and the mirrors at the far end of the arena. But she trotted soundly on the way back. We needed a recheck for quiet gut sounds, so I had Denise trot her out again so I could watch. Same result. 

Given the wet sloppy trail conditions and the fact that we would ride the last 12 miles in the dark without a even a moon to light the trail, I decided to rider option. It was a decision made easy only with the experience that comes with wet saddle pads and lots of ride entries. 

I know that the next magical outside-the-comfort-zone experience is only possible if my pet pony is happy and healthy doing her job. 

So we are grateful for 38 miles of beautiful, challenging Vermont trail, breathtaking views, and cheering supporters. 

And we live to ride another day!

Just ride

PLuba is all vetted in, eating, drinking, pooping, peeing like a pro. She is also in heat, as her pen is between two handsome geldings, Misha and Appollo. They are both in the 100 tomorrow, so I will be up early to keep her company when they leave at 5 am. Well, probably up at 4 am when the runners go by.

Denise took Luba out for a little untie ride and I ran along to loosen my legs too. We rode a mile out from the finish line and back.

We scouted out all the vet holds and got extra ice. Lots of pasta and rice for supper and going to sleep to the sound of horses eating hay and light rain pattering on the roof of the camper.

Tomorrow we ride with 20 horses in the 100, 15 in the 75, 30 in the 50, all sharing trail with 327 ultra runners! Only in Vermont.

Giddy-up!

So you think you are tough?

Denise, Luba and I arrived safe and sound (literally) at Silver Hill around 5pm yesterday. The trip usually tales 6 hours including a stop at the border and a stop for gas. This time it took 7 hours. The line at the border was long but all our paperwork was in order, so we got through fine. We took a wrong turn though and ended up on I87 instead of I89, so we turned around and then stopped for gas at the junction with highway 11. Went in to discover hot pizza! Got some pizza and left without paying for the gas! Realized this about 20 min later so after checking for a cop car in my rear view mirror, I stopped and phoned them to pay before they put out an APB on me LOL.

We are parked in the small rig parking section at the lower end Silver Hill. 

We settled in, had supper and I rode Luba around camp before the sun went down.

We are camped next to Charlie and Anne. They lent us their multi tool and showed me how to use it to open a can (as my can opener grew legs and went on a walkabout.) They used to backpack until that got too painful so Anne says that was the universe telling her to ride her horse instead.

Anne is riding the 100 and Charlie is running the 100. What could be even more impressive than that? 

Charlie ran the Western States Trail Run aka Freaking Tevis trail just 3 weeks ago.

So you think you are tough? Bahahaha you ain't met Charlie yet!

Living the Dream: Riding on the Edge

Almost everybody who has messaged me about the Tevis Ed Ride has asked how crazy the trail was, especially the canyons.

Make no mistake. You and your horse need to be fit and prepared for the dramatic climbs and descents: 19,000 feet of "up" and 22,000 feet of "down" according to the Tevis Cup website.

But it is doable!  Julie Suhr says:  A Tevis completion does not require a super horse with a super rider. It requires a well conditioned horse of almost any breed with a rider who has her head screwed on right and a big dream inside it.

Here are a few tips I got from my mentors:

1. Make time where you can. 

Some places you have to walk, so if you can trot, even just a few feet, you trot. So practice walk/trot transitions at home.

We walked most of the downhills on foot, leading the horses. The footing is quite rocky in some places and I had to pay close attention to my own feet. We jogged a bit where the trail flattened out. The descent from Deadwood to El Dorado felt like an eternity. 

My shoes at after doing the canyons between Robinson and Foresthill.

We rode most of the uphills, but had to stop a few times to let the horses catch their breath. I understand that some riders tail their horses uphill through the first canyons. 

The climb to Devil's Thumb was the toughest. The trail passed through an area burnt by the fire, and it was like a fairy forest with white mushrooms growing on the blackened trees.

2. Be aware of the riders around you and be strategic about when to wait and when to move on. 

There is lots of trail where you cannot pass. So you could get caught behind a group of slower horses.    

Luckily, there was a small place suitable for passing, so we went by and made our way to Pucker Point.

This picture taken just before Pucker Point, as I was keeping both hands on the steering wheel!

When we arrived at Last Chance vet gate and go, there were only a few riders there. We watered the horses and let them eat a bit and suddenly a big group arrived and a long vet line started to form. We hustled over and got in line, so we could get through and out on trail as soon as possible. 

Parts of the trail leaving Robinson Flat were very dusty, so we slowed down a bit to stay back of the dust. 

So you can see how easy it would be to lose precious time if you are not aware of what is happening around you.

3. Stay hydrated and keep your horse cool!

It was hot and a bit humid for the Tevis Ed Ride this year, but compared to the heat and humidity we ride in in Ontario, not too bad. However, sometimes it can be brutally hot in the canyons, and the rock sucks up the heat and warms up like an oven. 

Make sure you carry ample water for yourself and some extra to squirt on your horse's neck. Lots of riders also had scoops and sponges. One mentor named Jeff, had 2 bottles of water in his pommel pack and 2 in his cantle pack for him to drink. He wore a camelback and has perfected the ability to suck a mouthful of water and spit it on to his horse's neck. So his horse was being cooled the whole way!

That's Jeff at the left of the photo.

On the second day, we rode from Foresthill to White Oak Flat, a piece of trail that is mostly ridden in the dark. It was another warm day, and we spotted some riders cooling off in the river, so we joined them. I leaned over to tighten Scorch's girth and he decided to head downriver to the deep water for a little swim!  I ended up getting off in the river to fix the girth, and also filled up empty water bottles for everyone so we could keep the horse's wet on the way to Fransico's and the long sunny climb to White Oak Flat.

My wonderful Day 2 mentors: Rebecca and Brooke :)

Scorch, just before he decided to take me swimming! Photo: R. Florio

4. Keep your eyes on the road!

A lot of the time, it felt like we were on a goat track on the edge of the mountain. Before I left, a friend cautioned me not to look down!  But I couldn't help it. It was a long way down! So then I would take a quick glimpse out and up to admire the view, and then quickly focused back on the trail. You really have to ride every stride.

Wish this had turned out better, but I guess I was in a hurry to get my eyes back on the trail!

I love this shot. It reminds me of all the work done by the Western States Trails Committee and my friend, Steve, who turned my recurring Tevis dream into a reality. 

Love this shot. So grateful to all the volunteers who maintain the Tevis Trail.

So you may have noticed that I have not discussed the Bridges at all yet. No Hands Bridge and the Swinging Bridge (my biggest fear going into the Tevis Ed Ride).  Stay tuned for Chapter 3 of Living the Dream: the Tevis Educational Ride Report...

No Hands Bridge

Swinging Bridge

Living the dream - Stellar Crew and Mandarin Oranges

So this time last week, we were just finishing the canyons at the Tevis Ed ride. Seems like a dream already.

I have been trying to compose one big blog post that would sum up the whole weekend, but that is an impossible dream.  So instead, I will just keep posting blogs until I run out of things to say.

Here is the most important thing I learned at the Tevis Ed Ride:

It's all about having Stellar Crew. And mandarin oranges.

I am the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer when we go to a ride. I organize everything for me, my kid, Karma the dog and the 2 horses. I pack, drive, ride, crew, drive home and unpack.

Being a guest rider of the Stalley's was a dream! First,  the luxury liner Lisa-moble motorhome arrived fully stocked with food.

Photo: J. Stalley

Then the Stalley-mobile showed up with the horses!

Stalley-mobile

Lisa was supposed to ride with me and Jennifer on Saturday, but the Horse Gods had other ideas. So she immediately stepped up to join the Stellar Crew. In fact, between the three of them, our Stellar Crew have more Tevis buckles than I can count on both hands.

Before we went to bed on Friday night, we had set up the tack and supplies I would carry on the saddle for the two horses I would ride on Saturday, and I had checked the brakes and steering on both of them. We had a great taco salad for supper and everyone went to sleep, serenaded by the mule camped next to us.

All I had to do was ride! And that was a dream, riding on an experienced Tevis horse and with an experienced Tevis mentor. When we arrived at Deadwood vet check and hold, Lisa and the Stalley's took care of the ponies, so all Jennifer and I had to do was sit down to eat and drink and rest with nice cold, wet facecloths draped over our heads. Mount #2, Limitless, was all tacked and warmed up and ready to go from Deadwood to Foresthill. Like the Pony Express!

Crimson and Lisa

Scorch and Limitless

photo: D. Cognée http://cogneephotography.com/Home_Page.html

And I discovered the delight of cold mandarin oranges. This will now be a staple in my crew bag!

Tevis Ed Lesson #1:  A good horse makes short miles, but Stellar Crew makes riding easy. 

And don't forget to pack the mandarin oranges.

Living the dream

I have a recurring dream where Luba and I are crossing the finish line of Tevis.

This photo is from http://teviscup.org

In my dream, I both see this from the saddle and as if I was watching it happen, like in this photo.

I randomly posted my dream on my FB. 

June 21, 2014. Recurring dream where Luba and I complete Tevis.

My Ragnar Del Sol van mate, Steve replies, Come out and ride the Tevis Education ride next year. We'll find you a mount.....

Well, I leave for Sacramento this afternoon. Over the course of 4 days, Steve has found me 4 mounts! Chuy, Scorch, Limitless and Jag. 

Stay tuned for the next instalment of Tevis: Living the dream.

Giddy-up!