Riding The Crest 2009

APRIL 21 - 27:

Ralph and I with William following in his van left Georgia on Tuesday, April 21. We are meeting Susan (who I ride with the first section) and Burton in California. We did 12 hours on the road the first day! We did not plan to but there was a tractor-trailer accident that shut down I-20 West of Atlanta. After three hours of sitting on the Interstate  we moved into AL only to encounter road construction that narrowed two slow lanes into one barely moving lane. We were exhausted from two weeks of packing and one long day of driving by the time we made our destination of a camp in Bienville National Forest in Forest, MS at 7pm. Even with trains going by within 1000’ and a helicopter making a pass overhead we fell asleep by nine. 

On the road my major stress is keeping the horses fit but getting on the road was an incredible undertaking. I am amazed of all that went into preparing for this trip, so different than ’07. The American Adventure in 2007 was five years of saving and logistical planning for me and then shutting down the house and getting on the road. This PCT trip of 2009 was only in the plans for a year and half and with the economy in shambles entailed very little time for saving. We are instead flying by the seat of our pants with our savings restricting us from anything but fuel, feed, and facility fees. The planning was almost entirely Susan’s and if we find a need to adjust it we will do so from the trail, not new to either one of us. I did research my equipment: what was best for the weight, the conditions (so varying) and the money and then search for it via the Internet. Updating the website and contacting sponsors (which we did not have in ’07) was another one of my jobs. I am thrilled with the sponsors we have and their encouragement to us. The outpouring of encouragement from the horse world has also been tremendous, for me especially from my endurance riding community and for Susan it was Trail Angels and others with experience on the Pacific Crest Trail. From all over California I was getting e-mails of encouragement and offers of help. It is a tremendous psychological boost to hear from total strangers that they will do anything they can for you! And in this case, it is very important. ALL our physical support, including that already given, is going to make this trip happen. Though there are only two women on the trail on two horses, there is an incredible network and developing tapestry of helping hands from one coast to the other and from Mexico to Canada. I imagine the end count of those assisting in one way or another will be way over 1000. (One example is my effort to find in the last month a place to board my back up horse, Harmony. (shown here getting a pre-trip grooming by my friend, Madison C.) I was quoted the weekly board in CA and found it out of my budget and still highly desired to have this horse in CA and yet not “trailer” it everywhere with us until we needed him. I felt so strongly that I needed him out there I took a risk and loaded him up with us without knowing of anywhere I could board him nor what I was going to do with him. On the third day of travel I received an email from a endurance rider in central CA saying she would cut her charge in HALF for me in order to be a “support” and to “help” me accomplish this dream! This entering into our effort by others is incredible and shows me that so many others want to attain dreams and goals like this and so will help others if only to see that it gets done by SOMEONE! How blessed I am that it is I.)

With the endless hands helping I have a chance of reaching the goal: riding a horse from the Mexican border in CA to the Canadian border in Washington state, 2656 miles of every kind of terrain and dessert to alpine mountain top. I have chosen to ride for charity, raising funds and awareness rather than just sitting on my butt for 6 months! And additionally, I want to take our friends, family, and anyone who wants to join in, so I am maintaining this website as well. We (Ralph and I and William) want to have fun (riding a horse long distance is not for everyone but fortunately I love it) and we want to share the fun with others. Personally I have two more goals: to write a book about this and the American Adventure and to develop a company that makes these trips possible for others. Many people have asked “why?” I am doing this. For me it is the adventure itself, and seeing the incredible country we live in and meeting the awesome people that make it up. Together these three elements “make” the trip for me.  

The second day got us through Louisiana and into Texas, where it is reading, writing, and rodeo. There signs of the horse and cattle industry everywhere. Of course, the common dress is cowboy boots and cowboy hats. I looked like the tourist I am in plaid shorts and cotton knit top. Our new pup, Ech (pronounced "Etch") was adjusting to road life too after a rough start. (We thought he was car sick but it was just stress so I sat with him the entire first day.) The third day was Western Texas. We pulled into the West Texas Horse Center on Moss Road, Odessa about four. Though parked within view of the expressway and alongside Moss Road and a railroad track we got some sleep. We had electricity and water and the horses in 12’ X 12’ stalls so that gives peace of mind and the comforts of home. Bud, the owner welcomed us with Texas sized hospitality and did not charge for William. The fourth day was only 250 miles as we spent more than five hours getting William's van tires, alignment and a new starter, thankfully all within 500’ in El Paso. We got as far as Demming, NM and camped in the Demming Stockyards. But the fifth and final day we really did the mileage. The real trooper here was William driving with no air conditioning or company across Interstate 10 and 8 in lower New Mexico and Arizona and into California with very little sleep. We arrived in Manzanita Campground in Boulevard, CA at 7pm on April 25, 2009. We are camping 20 miles from the Mexican border and our starting point on the Pacific Crest Trail. Susan, Burton and their dog, Shanty, were there to greet us. Ralph and I, William and our dog, Ech, as well as the horses were glad to finally arrive after our 2225 mile drive.  

We rested, if you call getting ready for a 2700 mile ride resting, all Sunday. We had hoped to meet up with National Geographic who are doing a special on the Pacific Crest Trail and asked for an interview, but their truck broke down. Maybe we’ll see them on the trail. On Monday, before light, Susan and I are packing up. At 7 we were on historic Hwy 94 heading to the Mexican border. Susan and I tacked up while Burton and William, both with leg problems, headed to the monument. We signed the trail register and gave hugs all around. With the border fence behind us, and 2656 miles of trail in front of us we mounted up and grinning from ear to ear headed out. It was hard to grasp that we were actually there and starting this. Many of the over six hundred hikers were in front of us but we did meet Mark D. there at the monument. They say you will see the same hikers over and over as you keep passing each other but Mark’s Canadian goal was earlier than ours and so he will probably pull away from us quickly. The trail averages 18” wide sometimes widening to the width of a car lane and other times narrowing to 3.” Since it is a “crest” trail, there are continuous views and awe inspiring valleys spread below as you zig zag across mountains. The first day was through a high chaparral desert. After 20.6 miles we arrived at Lake Morena. The guys were waiting for us with our rigs set up across from Lake Morena State Park (no horses allowed) so we could use their water. 

Next: the Hauser Mountains.

 So many trails - So little time!

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