Gettin' Away Part II

After the adventure with Erin went so very well, last weekend I tried it again!

I've day-hiked the Ohlone trail and ridden Farley on it in the past. In fact, I consider it part of my essential Tevis training because of it's extremely challenging elevation changes in the first 5 miles. I figured it would be a good place to do my first overnight backpacking adventure because:

1. I knew the first half of the trail I would be hiking
2. There are designated camp sites
3. Permits were required (and enforced)
4. I was unlikely to see a bear or cougar because even though the trail is very secluded, it is in the middle of the bay area.

So how did it go?

This picture was taken before the sign in. It took my 1/2 hour to go one mile.....No biggie, I *knew* the elevation changes were the worst in the first 5 miles according to my trail map and having day hiked it. AND I had checked my hiking book and this was rated a *4* for difficulty on a scale of 1-5. My hike with Erin had been rated a 3, so this wasn't going be *that* much harder right? (remember this...)



I made it to Strommer spring in one hour. Pretty good considering the climb.




Here's me looking cocky. I knew I needed to go UP to Rocky Ridge, DOWN to William's Gulch, UP UP UP big burn to Schliper's Rock (or however you spell it), and then I was golden to Maggies 1/2 acre where I would spend the night (having hiked almost 10 miles).




So it ended up that the elevation map showed only gross changes to major landmarks and failed to mention the HUGE mountains in between them......*sigh*. I would have known this had my topographic map reading skills not been a wee bit shaky.

It was hard - harder than ANYTHING I've ever done before. I found myself cursing the trail, cursing the trail maker, cursing myself for this stupid idea, and wondering if I could talk myself out of the misdemeanor if someone found me camping on the side of the road, *not* in one of the designated camp sites.

I fact, I was feeling quite sorry for myself (I was at mile 8) when I almost stepped on this:



Yep - that would be a rattlesnake. In the middle of the trail. This picture does nothing to show you the scale of this sucker. Easily the biggest rattlesnake I've ever seen - it was between 4-5 feet long and was so big around, I couldn't have put my hand around it.

It was in the middle of the trail, I was walking on the side. Since it was a wide jeep road, that was clear, I was not as diligent about my snake watching as I should have been. I was wearing shorts, walking along, feeling sorry for myself. My trekking pole was between me and snake, and I probably have it to thank for avoiding a snake bite. The snake struck at me, missing me probably because it was distracted by my pole. The pole then gave me an additional point of balance as I instinctively lunged to the side. It was a very very close call. The closest I've ever been to getting bit, as I'm usually very consciousnesses.




I finally reach the camp after 10 miles of hiking. Very very good time for a very rough 10 miles. I found myself muttering about a "4" and how I thought I was in better shape. In fact the thought that this trail was only a 4 is what kept me going - after all, it wasn't like it was a 5 or anything....

Here's where we get to jump ahead. I checked my book again after getting home after the hike, and actually this hike was a FIVE - meaning it was extremely challenging. I feel better about my "performance" after reading this, but I'm glad I didn't know it at the time. If I knew it was a 5, I probably would have spent more time resting and I really didn't have time - I wanted to get to camp in time to eat and set up before dark.

The night was uneventful and I woke up feeling surprisely fresh - especially in light of the fact I knew this was going to be a much easier trip back. When people thru hike this 30 mile trail they usually hike it the direction I would be going back, as it's considered easier.

Packed up and ready to go!

I took my time going back, taking some side trips to Murrieta Falls (all dried up this time of year), and to see one of the other campgrounds.

At one point I looked behind me and saw something following me....

I didn't know they had burros here! Just one male, with a BLM brand on his neck. He was very cute - looked more like a mule than a burro or donkey.

The trip back was 12 miles and took me ~ 5.5 hours.

A very enjoyable, if tiring weekend. I think I'm ready to see the trails from the back of a horse again.

Gettin' Away Part 1

The weekend after Tevis I planned a hiking trip with my cousin and friend, Erin.




Tevis took intensive planning and my main objective was to get away, spend time with Erin, and most importantly, MINIMAL PLANNING.




The minimal planning actually took effort - well meaning family kept trying to pin us down and give us advice about where to go, concerns about the driving time etc.




We decided to go to Mineral King - a long drive, but since we both considered the drive as part of the trip and an opportunity to catch up, it wasn't a hardship at all.





Both of us were born in the area and either grew up here (Erin) or spent an enormous part of our time here (Me), but neither of us had ever gone to Mineral King!

Once at the ranger station, we looked at the maps and options and decided on a hike to Monarch Lakes. A hike described as "Moderately Strenuous" and 10 miles round trip sounded like just the thing.

I elected to carry a full overnight pack (~20 pounds before food and water) for conditioning.

At elevations of 8K feet, rising to over 10K feet in ~4.8 miles, it was doable, but a workout too. I haven't spent a lot of time over 5K feet, so I was a bit trepadacious - I shouldn't have worried about it - I felt fine. I just made sure I stayed hydrated. I always get very thirsty at elevation.

Erin and I took our time and ambled along.

The scenery was superb.

We saw lots and lots of Marmots. I'd never seen one before! Very odd.

We spent lunch at the lower Monarch lake and then headed back to the parking lot.

Including a 45 minute lunch, we managed the 10 mile hike is ~ 6 hours. Exactly what I needed after the hustle and bustle of Tevis.

It was absolutely PERFECT. In fact, so perfect I attempted to do it again the next weekend...(stay tuned).

"John Adams" - a review

I read a lot of books. Very quickly – much to my friend Catherine’s dismay as she tries to keep me supplied with books. Periodically I read a book that I actually remember after I finish. “John Adams” by David McCullough will now join the ranks of my favorite books.

My foray into American revolutionary history began with “1776” by the same author. My education is woefully incomplete during this period of critical development of the USA, and finally, prompted by the Armstrong and Getty Show during their annual 4th of July beratement of the “sheeples” of America for knowing nothing about the founding fathers (Melinda raises her hand here….), I went to the library.

“1776” is a light read, encompassing only the period of American history that occurred in 1776. It dumps you in the middle of the war, and seems to assume at the end of the book that you knew how the war ended (besides America winning of course)…As I didn’t, I looked for my next book that would provide a more comprehensive history. A biography of either John Adams or Benjamin Franklin was suggested by a good friend, and I chose “John Adams” by David McCullough, as I thoroughly enjoyed his “1776”.

“John Adams” is a much different read from “1776”. While “1776” was short and fast, “John Adams” took me several weeks to complete. “1776” had me proclaiming to people I knew (and didn’t know…) that this was a "must read" because I felt everyone should understand this critical period. “John Adams” left me reflective and reluctant to recommend because of the depth and reading level. Without some sort of background (such as what “1776” provided) I think the reader may get lost and bored.

The points that made the biggest impression are as follows:
1. This country came very close to never existing many, many times. (by “existing”, I mean in the form it is today). It seems that when this period of history is taught, or discussed, the fact that the war would be won by America seems a foregone conclusion. It was far, far from that. Many people (I am not a historian, so all my “facts” in this post can be seen as my personal conclusions from reading) saw the formation of the country and victory over Britain as divine providence (or “luck”), and I now have a tendency to agree.

2. I’m not sure I would have been a revolutionary if I lived during that period. What they did was certainly against the law, absolutely treason etc., but I don’t think, before now, I really understood what they did. Victory by Britain seemed certain, the concessions/pardons they offered more than fair, and the devastation, (by both sides) looting, and raping unspeakable. The whole country was certainly not behind the efforts of the revolutionaries.

3. The vicious attacks against politicians, the behind-the-scenes wrangling and vote-fixing, the lies and rumors deliberately spread, the press, and the strong differences of opinion of what direction the country should go was just as present in the early days of our country as it is now.. It has been here since the beginning and isn’t likely to change. The attacks against George Washington and John Adams in particular were absolutely appalling, even in view of our national politics today. It gave me some comfort and perspective regarding the present issues facing the country, as our country has survived and flourished so far, even with a turmulent and shaky past.

4. I am immensely, indescribably proud of my country. And not just because I happen to think this is the best place to live in the world – but because of the knowledge of our history.

I could relate to the personality and character of John Adams better than any biography I have read to date. I thought that his personality and perception of life was remarkably close to mine. How exciting! I do not presume to be on John Adams level at all – he was brilliant and knew that he was going to be someone in this world from an early age, but it was very interesting to learn about someone who had a huge influence in the making of our country, and realize that I could relate to him! As any good biographer, McCoullogh also points out the Adams weaknesses, and those too I could relate to. I live in a different time than Adams and may never have the opportunity to do the great and influential things that he did on such a grand level, but I can strive to do worthwhile and meaningful things within my sphere of influence.

John Adams had the need to write and left an amazing amount of letters, correspondence, and documents behind. He was passionate, straightforward, honest, loyal, and could be a bit impulsive. He was also reflective about himself and his behavior. I can relate! How many times I have sat and wrote in a journal about my shortcomings and vow not to fall prey to them! John Adams had similar writings.

I found myself not liking Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin. It’s complex, but in a nutshell, John Adams had problems with them both and I can TOTALLY see it. T. Jefferson had no self-control when it came to personal finances (I have a hard time feeling kindly towards these kind of people), and Benjamin Franklin played the political game very well (which made him an excellent Ambassador, which I can admire, but don’t have to like).

Abigail Adams, John Adams wife, sounds like a delightful person that I wish I could meet and talk to. I’ve never felt the keen sadness of living in a different time than another person before.

I look forward to learning more about John Adams and the time period in history. I hope you join me in exploring the roots and origins of our country.

Intermission

I did not fall off the face of the earth - I'm in Alabama again for work, and I have two days next week to prepare for a major audit at my plant in California. I have many great posts coming up, stay tuned and I'll post when I can (airports/planes can be good for that!). After next week things should get a little less hectic.

Tevis - '09 Last thoughts & and looking forward to '10

I was a little conservative sponging her this year. She was really hot, but I felt like she would chill easily so I sponged lots on her flanks, shoulders, belly, neck, but didn’t sponge her back or hindquarters. It never got really hot, but think she built up too much cummulative heat. After the race she did seem very hot and was dissipating a lot of heat, the veins stayed visible for a long time, so I think next year I will sponge more aggressively, but also bring lots of coolers to try and balance cooling her off without getting chilled. She didn’t sweat much except going up the canyons.

I did electrolyte more aggressively on the trail previous to Robinson than I did after Robinson. I think she may have benefited from another dose or two after Robinson.

I think our pace was perfect – exactly according to plan.

I LOVE my skito pad – especially now that the trim is stitched up. I wish the pad wasn’t so long though and there was a way to shorten it.

I may switch to front packs for part of the race. I like pommel packs better, but one vet said she was starting to get a sore back and I worry that the packs were causing pressure, even though they were light. At the next vet check she got all A’s on her back though, so maybe it was a non-issue.

My crew didn’t have any suggestions except that we will continue to make the fairgrounds the base camp. (As opposed to Foresthill).

I think I’ll ride with front boots during next year’s Tevis to try and prevent what happened this year. I did have some rubs from the hind boots, but I think being more conscious about getting them, and the legs completely clean would help with that.

How I’m going to prepare better for next year:
This years prep went like this: 55 in November, 4 LD’s at Death Valley, 65 at 20 MT, 2-50’s at wild west.

2010 Tevis prep will look very similar, but up the ante a bit more: 50 in November (Oroville?), 4-50’s at Death Valley, 100 at 20 MT, 3-50’s at Wild West. I’m going to start letting her go a bit faster too. I’ve really held her back all this year. I’m not going crazy, and you still won’t see our name in the top 10’s (probably), but during the speed negotiations, I’ll let her have more of a say.

I think I’m done with Tevis thoughts for 2009. On to my next event! National Cavalry Competition (information coming soon…).

Tevis Story

I thought about editing it for length and interest, but when I was planning to ride the Tevis, I found that the more details people included, the more I learned, so don't look at this as a typical to-entertain story....

Farley and I headed up to the Auburn Fairgrounds on Thursday, found our stall and settled in. I had brought 2 tents – a bigger dome and a backpacking tent – so that I could set up camp at the fairgrounds and have everything ready when I finished on Saturday, and still set up a smaller camp at Robie the day before. The atmosphere at the fairgrounds was relaxed and friendly and I easily fell in with some other Tevis riders who were also camping out.

With the heavy traffic predicted for I-80, I wanted to get as early a start as possible. I took a nap while waiting for my aunt Terry and brother Tristan to show up. At ~10:40 we headed to Robie. We must have timed it well because we didn’t have any traffic. Many hours and millions of gravel roads later we were at Robie. Farley looked awesome – absolutely 100%.

I must be finally “getting” the endurance thing because everywhere I turned around I recognized people. Vetting in was uneventful. Farley was completely relaxed and pulsed in at the low 30’s. I tried going to the new-riders briefing, but have a hard time sitting still and I wasn’t getting anything out of it. I did learn that the completion rate between newbies and veterans was exactly the same, which was interesting.

My friend Dan and I planned to start and ride together. While finding his camp we ended up going in circles completely lost. (Literally going in circles…)

The night was uneventful is you don’t count rattling trailer doors and hysterical girly giggling throughout the night.

I saddled up in the morning and headed for Dan’s camp. Farley was forward but calm. I let Terry and Tristan (and my cousin Eleanor) do the camp pack up. I refused to be OCD about it and told them I didn’t care where they put stuff (*deep breath*). Dan and I walked to the start line exactly according to plan and got to start by ourselves at 5:30am. We immediately started passing people. Both our horses were totally calm, in control, and alert. It was going to be a good ride. The plan was to walk up hills and trot everything else. Both of us being impatient people, we kept each other on track. Everything went according to plan and we were right on schedule, coming into Lyon Ridge at 9am.

From the beginning my tights rode up underneath my half chaps, all the way to my knees. It was driving me crazy.

The bogs were absolutely crazy. I thought they were much more challenging than the canyons. It wasn’t the actual bogs that were bad – it was the vegetation that had grown over the trail so you couldn’t see where you were going. It might have been that I was riding this part of the trail with one contact lens. Farley started to fight me here and tripped and stumbled more than she ought to. I found myself thinking “how many times can a horse stumble and trip until it catches up to them?” She would do better if we were by ourselves, but sometimes you just have to deal with what you’re dealt. Coming out of Redstar (or whatever the first gate and go was) Dan and I got caught behind a long line of riders and Farley REALLY started fighting me. Grrrrr….At cougar rock everyone in front of us stopped to do the rock, so we went around. Farley managed to bash my knee into the wall as we went around. I said some unladylike words and thought it had fractured, but it ended up just being bruised with some blood. (I think – as I write this 5 days later it still really hurts.)

Robinson went well. I could not have done it without my crew. Even with vetting my own horse in for the Vet check and the exit CRI, I still got to sit down for 30 minutes and relax. The vets said she looked awesome. I replaced my left contact and was looking forward riding the trail with TWO contacts! I also duct taped my tights to my socks. Dan was having some trouble with pulse at the exit CRI so I waited 5 minutes for him and then took off. (he later made it through and was ~15 minutes behind me. He finished!). The exit timer was not well organized and that delayed me at least another 5 minutes.

I flew down the trail, mostly by myself. I visited with some ladies from Canada who were having the time of their lives, and met Sue, whom my aunt was crew for. This portion by pucker point is my favorite part of the trail.

At Last Chance Farley refused to drink. What????!!!! She wouldn’t stop eating and take time to drink. Finally I moved on. We flew down the first Canyon in 15 minutes, and then up up up. We passed the scene of the tragic fall (it had happened probably ~5 minutes in front of me) and went up to Devil’s Thumb. She drank well and I took the extra time to sponge her and let her eat. It was only a mile to Deadwood, so I hand jogged/walked her in.

When I jogged her out for the vet, he said she was intermittently lame on her right front. What???? Her old bow is on the LEFT front and is what I obsess about. The vet and I checked her legs and couldn’t find anything and he cleared me to go on. Her pulse during the CRI was 50 and she recovered immediately coming into the gate and go like she had all day.

I kept a close eye on her after Deadwood. The intermittent lameness only showed up going down hill. On flats and on hills she was sound. She stayed very very strong. I knew that I probably would pull at Foresthill unless there was a miracle, and wanted to give her the best chance possible to come out of this ride as sound as possible with no lasting damage. I decided to run down – on foot – the entire second canyon. Yes it was hard, yes it was worth every step. Here’s the deal about Tevis – maybe you can get through it being in not so great condition – but can you do the best thing for your horse if something unexpected comes up? I had not planned on getting off and running down down down hill for a ways, but fortunately I had the fitness to do it and still feel fresh when I got into Foresthill. I remounted for the bridge and going up the other side.

Someone called out that the cut off for Michigan Bluff was 6:15. As I didn’t have my cut-off card with me, I couldn’t verify that information. It was 5:30 and we were only half way up. The people at the head of the line couldn’t/wouldn’t speed up or couldn’t/wouldn’t let us pass. I took deep breaths and practiced patience. Right before Michigan bluff, they let us pass and I cantered into Michigan Bluff strong at 6:00 (in fact everyone was commenting how strong she looked from the bottom of the Canyon through this point). I saw someone I knew, who sponged my horse. Farley took a good drink and then cantered off to Chicken Hawk. I found out later that the 6:15 was a GUIDELINE only for Michigan Bluff, something I could have easily verified if I had my card with me. I’m not unhappy how things turned out – Farley had PLENTY of gas in the tank (excellent thing to know) and even with the running about, her lameness did not get worse – it stayed intermittent and only down hill. We walk/trotted into Chicken Hawk and pulsed down immediately. I knew that with the lameness we were borderline and I also felt like she was starting to get a bit stiff so I vetted through the check as fast as possible. Some of my crew made a surprise appearance here, which was GREAT! They didn’t slow me down at all and were able to call into my Foresthill crew and make a report of how Farley and I were doing and that I was thinking I would be pulling. I REALLY didn’t want to get pulled before Foresthill because of very long wait for a trailer. Much nicer to pull into Foresthill, have my crew there, take a shower, eat lots of goodies, and drive back in my own trailer.

The vet at Chicken Hawk I think felt I was blowing him off, but I wasn’t. I knew about the lameness, I knew down hill was where it showed up, and I was managing it the best I could. He asked me if I was OK – probably because I looked like a little dirty waif (my sister’s description was holocaust victim but that’s not very nice) who wasn’t comprehending everything he was saying. But honestly I knew what needed to be done and was preoccupied. I was tired, but not exhausted and was contemplating the trail between there and Foresthill and was planning my ride. I left Chicken Hawk at 6:30pm.

The ride to Foresthill was uneventful. Farley charged up the last canyon wall like a runaway locomotive (OK – it wasn’t that bad, but she was determined and strong I’ll say that) and before we knew it we were in Foresthill at 7:15 – exactly when I told my chicken hawk crew I would be there. Farley walk/trotted up Bath road and pulsed in immediately.

As a side note, one of the volunteers I know told me that some people were taking as long as 25 minutes to pulse in at Robinson and Foresthill? I can’t imagine. I guess everyone has their own challenges on the trail. I’m grateful that I never felt stressed for time because I could breeze through the gate and gos.

At this point, when the crew was sponging her legs off, I noticed blood on the inside of the right leg, high up, right below her knee. Aha! Finally I might have an explanation of why she’s ouchy! There was some localized swelling by the blood and I was SO relieved. So much better to have a little localized pain (caused by hitting a rock?) than tendonitis or other tendon/ligament etc. injury.

I showed the injury to the vet and trotted her out. Yep – intermittent lameness, no worse than when it was first discovered. On her re-trot out (so another vet could look) they commented that she was starting to look a little stiff in the hind too. Unless she looked much worse on her recheck, it would be my decision to pull her. I took her back to the crew set up and iced her right leg, messaged her, and walked her. She looked done to me and she still wasn’t drinking as much as I would have liked, to make up for missing Last Chance. After 45 minutes into the check, I tried trotting her out and decided we were done for the day.

I let the vet know that I was rider optioning and asked his advice on buting/lameness evaluation etc. He advised me to bute no earlier than the morning to allow for sufficient rehydration. If the bruise on the inside of the leg was the culprit, she should be sound within 7-10 days. If not, take her in for a lameness evaluation.

While waiting for the trailer to come from the fairgrounds I showered! It felt SO good. Mom had everything set up for me, including hot water. I felt totally refreshed. A grouchy, crabby, tired Melinda went in, and a smiling, laughing, able to ride another 32 miles, Melinda came out.

About 1 hour off the trail Farley started draining buckets and I knew she was going to OK. When I unloaded her at the fairgrounds she attempted to trot back to her pen, and then bolt past me at a “scary monster” so I started to lose a little sympathy for my “tired sore pony” and decided that I was too tired to ice her other front.

In the morning we celebrated my Dad’s 50th Birthday with a brunch. Most of the crew members came back and I got to hear all the stories. Farley was still muscle sore (didn’t want to turn in tight circles, I think her shoulders were sore) but there was very little filling (she usually always has filling) and she was alert, looked hydrated etc. Overall I was happy with my first attempt.

Tevis Crew

My next post title will be "Tevis Story" - I promise!

This post might be helpful for those of you thinking about doing the Tevis or any big ride. I rarely get to ride with a crew so I surprised how well it turned out. No one got in any one's way, everything got done, and everyone had fun. This is how I organized my crew (and yes - this is a big crew, you could get away with less).

The crew book:
This had everything -

• All the maps from the rider packet,
• An introduction/thank you letter
• Contact list with every one's name, e-mail address, and phone number (cell/home)
• Overall schedule complete with when I would be coming in to checks and what time they should start waiting for me
• A schedule of items to be done at each vet check
• A list of duties for each crew person
• A map of the auburn/Folsom area
• The Tevis Forum magazine
• The Foster Farms magazine (my sponsor)
• The parking passes

I made a master crew book with everything in sheet protectors and then a couple of stapled packets that contained the same information

The Crew

The Gerbil (was originally the "Gopher" but she didn't like the name, wanted something more fitting, so I chose another small rodent. She stopped complaining, probably worried about what my next choice was....) - Drove with me to Robie, drove my rig to the fairgrounds, picked up my sister from the train station and did any other odd errands into town. Since she had no specific duties at the vet checks, she was able to meet me at Chicken Hawk without worrying she would miss me at Foresthill. Picked up my trailer from the fairgrounds when I pulled at Foresthill.

The finish line coordinator - the job for my not-horsey sister who still wanted to be involved, is a people person, AND a night-owl. Her job was to make sure everyone was up with I finished, plan the festivities etc.

The film/documenter - filmed the whole thing for a project. Hitched rides wherever he could get the best footage. Also a non-horsey person.

The t-shirt, transportation, and food coordinator - was the carpool vehicle, planned the menu, did the grocery shopping, fed the crew and kept them happy, silk screened the back of the t-shirts and distributed, force-fed the rider during the vet checks, and made sure there was a shower tent at Foresthill. Did any odd non-horsey jobs that came up that I couldn't handle because of the overwhelming stress, like coordinating the people needed to get the t-shirts to her in time for silk screening. Thank you Mom!!!!

4 horse people - these 4 people took care of my horse. They were all experienced horse people, with one being an actual endurance rider. Each person had a list of specific duties that they needed to do like: carry tack from pulse in, accompany Melinda in vet line, bring horse food to pulse, hold horse, sponge, apply fly spray, apply desitin, clean girth, clean blanket, refill saddle bags, refill electrolyte syringes, refill bottles, etc. I didn't have to do anything at all during the check!

The transportation

The Gerbil rode with me to Robie and helped me vet in. The documenter/filmer decided to go to film the start. After I started they drove the rig to the fairgrounds, hung out at base camp (an RV belonging to the parents at the fairgrounds), picked up the finishline coordinator and then went to Foresthill to catch up with the rest of the crew. The Gerbil and Finish person then went to Chicken Hawk.

The rest of the crew met at the fairgrounds on Saturday morning and drove up to Robinson together. They met me there and then drove down to Foresthill, set up and met me there.

If I had gone on, I suspect that the Gerbil, and at least 2 of the horsey people would have come to see me at no-hands bridge.

I really liked seeing the 2 crew members at Chicken Hawk - they were able to call my other crew at Foresthill and let them know when I would be there and what was going on, as well as my general mood. :) Only people who can be spared at Foresthill should meet a rider here though. Same for no-hands bridge - I don't know if I would count on those people seeing the rider at the finish, depending on speed.

If anyone wants copies of the detailed instruction sheets that I put in my crew book, just ask in the comments section and I'll e-mail them to you.

Other

I did have 2 "auxillary" crew members - a cousin who at the last minute joined us (her mom was crewing for someone else), and Kathy - who made it possible for me to pre-ride a large portion of the trail prior to the race and deserves to be included with the crew and the benefits that entailed (t-shirt and bottomless icechest of food/drink). Eleanor kept everyone company during the long waits and was my entertainment the night before the start. Kathy - in addition to everything she did prior to race day - also kept me posted on my friend's progress and coordinated leave times between me and my friend (we had different crews and never saw each other during holds).

Recovering

Melinda and horsey doing just fine! (actually horsey is doing fine, Melinda is limping around on her busted knee).

(Pictured: tent set up with screwdrivers as stakes at Robie)



I'm working on the ride story - I've gotten to Robinson, only 30+ miles to go!

(Pictured: Farley before the race)



I took Farley out on the lunge and she trotted sound both directions with a surprising amount energy. The trot was a little flat with less "bounce" than usual.

Farley has NO FILLING in her legs. She ALWAYS fills after a race, and yet, after the hardest race of her life, she has no filling. I'm very very pleased. The little bit of swelling on her inner right front, where the blood was, has disappeared.




My knee hurts - a lot. I'm wondering if it's possible that there's a fracture after all. It hurts the same or a little worse as the day I did it. Same as the horse - I'll give it 7-10 days and take it easy. I really wanted to go running this morning, but I guess I'll settle for a walk.

I'm kind of unpacked. Below is my sister helping me pack my truck and trailer before heading home on Monday. I live on a second story apartment so the idea of hauling stuff up with my knee does not appeal. I'm compromising and bring 1-2 items up at a time, each time I leave my truck.




Want to hear a funny post-tevis story?

I spent Sunday night at a friends house. Sometime during the night in my half asleep state, I thought I was on the tevis trail. I had already mentally converted the brown fuzzy curtains into part of the trail. I had a glowbar on the table next to me (green light from a electronics charger) and I looked "up the trail" (which was several switchbacks above me in my mind) and saw another "glowbar". I couldn't figure out how to get to the second "glowbar" and I was confused....I also half knew I WASN'T on the trail - but in bed, but couldn't make my half awake self and my dreaming self agree.....the compromise was to babble incoherently and shout "WHAT IS THAT?" in the middle of the night (referring to the second "glowbar). My friend woke up ready to shoot something...I woke up and said "oh - it's the smoke detector" and fell back to sleep.

Yep - the tevis isn't in my blood or anything.....

Tevis Pictures

My brother is producing a DVD. If it goes on Utube, I'll let y'all know. In the meantime, here's a mini slide show.

Vetting in at the start.

Crew waiting for me at Robinson

Crew Rick mixing my mash. He had specific instructions on how to mix and the other crew members tried to offer suggestions which were ignored.

Melinda arrives at Robinson bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Crew gets to work on Farley on the way to the pulse in. She was described by one member of the crew as a "doll". That would not have been the crew member holding the hay. In that case he had to be careful not to lose an limb as she attacked the hay.

Continuing into the Robinson check.

I'm relaxing I swear! Ice is on the knee from where Farley slammed my knee cap into the rock wall at the cougar rock bypass. I took the bypass because there was a line to go over cougar rock. I wasn't going to wait in line. I believe I was giving the royal order to have Mike massage Farley's butt (that went over well...)

I don't believe I need to give this photo a caption.

Farley and Dad discussing the attractive attributes of the neighboring crew camp.

Saving money by using dirt for eyeliner. I believe my sister's exact comment was "I'm trying to decide whether your eyes are sunken in, or if you look especially glamorous". (yes - this was redgirl from the blog on the right).

Exit CRI at Robinson.

Leaving the exit CRI to go to the out timers with on of my best friends, Katy.

At Chicken Hawk checking her pulse.

Deciding it's time to pulse through at Chicken Hawk.

Pulsing in with the extremely nice volunteers. My flying nun scarf came off :( In the heat the duct tape melts off of it. Mom is going to do something fancy with velcro for me!

Explaining to my crew at Foresthill that I think I need to pull and deciding to evaluate after the end of the hold.

Mom's shower tent (with warm water!). She put a orange home depot bucket (with lid) in the sun all day and it was the perfect temperature. That would be redgirl snickering outside.

Post-shower at Foresthill, still sporting the dirt makeup. I think I had made up my mind to pull by this time, but I was still in the clothes I had planned to finish the race in. Relaxing and joking with the crew.

My wonderful crew. I couldn't have asked for better.

Top (left to right): Mom, Mike (friend), Bethany (sister), Eleanor (cousin), Kathy (friend)

Middle (left to right): Katie (friend), Terry Jean (aunt), Tristan (brother)

Bottom (left to right): Rick (friend), Dad

The next morning at the trailer we celebrated by Dad's 50th birthday with a lovely brunch prepared by my mom and swapped Tevis stories.

Real ride story coming soon.

Tevis Thoughts

So much happened during Tevis, it’s hard to formulate a regular ride recap. I may post a more complete story later, but for now, here is what is going through my mind. Expect the thoughts to continue throughout the week until I get Tevis out of my system.

1. Why did I get/chose to pull at Foresthill (mile 68)?
Reason 1 - Arriving at the vet check at Deadwood, (after the first canyon) I vetted through and she was almost a grade 1 on her right front. She was perfectly sound on the flat and uphill, but intermittently lame going down hill. Her right???? She’s never been lame on her right front. Everything else looked fine, there was no obvious pain when palpating that leg, the lameness was intermittent, and her pulse was 50. I started for the second canyon.

To give her the best chance at staying sound (or rather, keeping what borderline soundness she had), I ran down the ENTIRE second canyon on foot. Yep – RAN, not walked, RAN. Did I mention I live at sea level with no hills? I remounted and then headed up the canyon to Michigan Bluff. It was worth every down hill step – I really did not want to get pulled before Foresthill because of the long wait for the trailer ride out of the checks. My crew and support would be at FH and she could ride out in my own trailer.

There was some excitement going up to Michigan Bluff in terms of cut-off times (more on that later) and we cantered into MB, then cantered into Chicken Hawk vet check (Farley had been wanting to do that all day – she was in heaven.) I trotted out of MB on the pavement so I could listen to her gait. It was on level ground and she sounded 100% sound. At CH she vetted through again with the same almost grade 1 lameness on her RF going downhill, and heart rate still low. Whatever it was, it wasn’t getting worse.

I walk-trotted to Foresthill. Again (like she had been doing all day) she pulsed in immediately. While waiting in the vet line my crew sponged off her legs and I noticed a tiny bit of blood on the inside of her leg on the RF, just below the knee. There was a wee bit of swelling there, seemed tender but not painful. My guess is she knocked into a rock and hit her leg. I was relieved because now I had a probable cause. I was also encouraged that the lameness didn’t appear to worsen between Deadwood and Foresthill. I showed the vet the injury and trotted out. The lameness was still intermittent and I was told to come back for a recheck.

During the wait I took a shower (more on that later too), iced her leg, and massaged her. After 30 minutes she appeared to be stiffening up and muscle sore, so I made the decision not to go on.

Reason 2 – She had been drinking good all day. For some reason, she decided not to drink at Last Chance. I tried everything I could, but she was more interested in the food there. She started drinking well again after the canyon, but I felt that was too late – she was still behind on the hydration curve. She continued to drink well into Foresthill, but I knew I had made the right decision when, one hour after arriving into FH she started draining buckets and REALLY drinking. She was having to make up for missing one of the drinking spots – better for her to make it up at the paddock in the fairgrounds, then attempt to do that on the trail. A lot of horses (more than I’ve ever seen at a ride) were in the treatment barns, with every one of them on fluids (I’m assuming from dehydration). I’m very very thankful that my horse did not require treatment.

2. How hard is the Tevis? I know that some people say that Tevis is the hardest thing they have ever done. That may be true for them, but I would not say that. Two out of three of my marathons were harder. Graduating college while working 2-3 jobs, juggling extracurricular activities, and jury notices was harder. My first 50 mile endurance race was absolutely harder. I felt better at 68 miles (Foresthill) at Tevis than I did at 35 miles at my first 50 miler (American River 2007). I might make it easier that I like to push myself physically, like the pain, and are familiar with the pain that comes from pushing myself to the limit. My horse is also an energizer bunny that goes and goes and goes (In my opinion it’s easier to direct and control energy than create it - give me an energizing bunny over a steady – but slow – eddy anytime).

I think the Tevis is absolutely doable and it would be nice if people were more encouraging. You certainly need to be prepared for it, but you need to prepare for a marathon too. Or a multi-day backpacking trip. Or really anything else that has mother nature as a variable. Even with having to unexpectedly run down the second canyon on foot (NOT in the plan) I was physically and mentally prepared enough that at Foresthill, at the end of the hour hold, I could have continued the race and finished 100 miles.

I will say this – EVERYONE – STOP talking about how hard the canyons are – the first third of the ride through the Granite Wilderness is much much harder than the canyons in my opinion. If I only could have pre-ridden one part of the ride, I would have chosen the first 1/3 instead of the last 2/3 of the trail.

3. Do I have a 100 mile horse and will I try again? Absolutely. Farley pulsed in immediately at every gate and go, was forward all day, and when I let her go coming into Michigan Bluff after the canyons she said “finally!” and kicked it into high gear. She ate like a PIG all day, started the race quietly, and drank well (except for the one check). I’m hoping that missing that water check was a learning experience for her, because it was an anomaly. I felt great and 100 milers is absolutely what I want to do. I love the challenge of the trail and look forward to getting out there next year. The type of trail and race that is the Tevis is the reason WHY I got into endurance – because it’s not easy, and there’s an exciting element of chance in it.

4. Are the volunteers as great as they say? Yes – I think the volunteers are great at every ride, but the volunteers at Tevis were above and beyond anything I had ever experienced.
Knowing that you would be pulled, would you have still entered the Tevis this year? Yes – I got to see the first third of the trail. I found out that I’m capable of doing it. I got to ride further on Farley than I ever had before and found out that at the end of a very hard 68 miles she STILL has gas in her tank. The vet said to give her 10 days and if it’s that bruise on the inside of her leg, she should be recovered by then – I’ll keep you updated. I had so much fun – I think Farley did too. At the end of some rides she wants nothing to do with me for ~48 hours. After this ride, I gave her a couple of hours to rest, she was alert and nickering at me!

5. What went especially well?
The sewn trim on the HAF pad worked perfectly – no rubs!

Zero tack issues.

Zero behavior issues (except she was very strong and in groups had a hard time focusing).

Couldn’t have asked for a better start (started at 5:30 after everyone had left, with a friend).

The crewing – my crew had a blast and everyone’s talking about doing it again next year. No major problems, everything was organized and no time was lost in the checks.

6. What did you learn?
Wear front boots on this ride during the first third.

Don’t get off in the canyons if I can help it. I’m glad I did because of her questionable RF, but if there isn’t an issue I will definitely stay mounted. I felt much safer on the back of Farley. I had to go by the dead horse that fell off the trail while climbing up to Deadwood. I heard from someone that the horse was being led up the canyon by the rider, the horse took one wrong step, lost its balance and fell. It was awful, completely awful.

Continue to ride by myself if I can – or at most one other person. Farley does much better that way. She stopped fighting me once I found a hole.

Double check I have spares. My left contact tore in half when in my eye at 4am at the start. I thought I had a spare in my truck, but apparently took it out at some point…..I rode the first 1/3 of the ride with one contact.

I forgot all sorts of stuff – GPS, hose, shampoo, extra buckets. I forgot the stakes for my tent I brought to the start. Did you know that screw drivers are a good substitute?

I should NOT have been driving my trailer from Foresthill to the fairgrounds after the pull. I felt good and I looked good to my crew so I drove, but I was seriously compromised. I’ve already talked to my crew and there will be a note in the crew book next year that if I’m pulled and need to drive a trailer, someone else will do it.

That’s it for now. I had a blast and look forward to next year. Wild West and Tevis are my favorite rides and I’ll do both every year if I can.

Tevis Ride Times

Here’s my times into the checks for anyone that is interested (approximate – website may be better if you want exacts). Recommended times are what they guidelines are for finishing the ride without being overtime (the “typical” rider)

Bullet points are doing funky things and I can't do a thing about it in blogger!

Started: 5:30am (I left with the friend after everyone else had started)

• Lyon Ridge: 9am IN. Recommended 9:10 IN (I was told this, but couldn't find anything in writing)
  
• Robinson Flat: 11:23am IN, 12:36 OUT. Recommended: 11am IN
  I had thought I would get in ~10:45, but the 15 minute delay at start, and getting caught behind a long line of riders took it’s toll. I got in 20 minutes after the recommended time. I wasn’t worried because I knew I could make up time in the canyons.
  I was late getting out because I waiting until 12:00 for a friend. He ended up having some trouble and I left without him. The out check was NOT well organized and it delayed me getting out even more.
• Last Chance: 2:27 IN, 2:35 OUT (per webcast). Recommended is 3pm IN.
• Deadwood: 4:05 IN (per webcast). Recommended is 5pm (which is also the cut off, which seems like it's cutting it a bit close to me...)

• Michigan Bluff: 6:00pm. Recommended is 6:15.
  Someone on the trail said the cut-off was 6:15, but they mis-read the check point information card and the cut-off GUIDELINE was 6:15. I didn’t have my card with me so I took their work for it….)
• Chicken Hawk: 6:30pm OUT.
  
• Foresthill: 7:15pm IN. Recommended 8pm IN
  I had figured 7 hours between Robinson and FH – I was little faster (~6 ½ hours), even with the delay of me getting caught behind riders and going down the second canyon on foot, and taking it easy when I could because of her questionable lameness.

Looking at my times I have a couple of thoughts

My speed is more than adequate to finish on time. My pace for the first 1/3 was conservative and appropriate. She was strong coming into Robinson and I shouldn't worry if I get into RF ~11:30. I easily make up time later.

On first look, I thought I could have gone much slower in the canyons and still been OK for time at Foresthill. BUT – I was very close to the recommended time for Michigan Bluff? It puzzles me that someone can come into MB at 6:15 (recommended) and then take almost 2 hours to get to FH? It only took me 1:15….and even though I did a some cantering to Chicken Hawk (it’s 1 ½ miles from MB to CH), I mostly walked from Chicken Hawk to Foresthill.

One of the riders told me at Foresthill that it was probably for the best that I pulled at Foresthill because 8:20 was pretty late for leaving Foresthill. WTF??? According to my calculations I was right on track to finish at 3:30-4am – more than adequate. I did find out she’s used to finishing ~1:30am. It’s a challenging ride and I thought most people finished in the 3am-5am timeframe?

In conclusion I think I’m on the right track. Hopefully next year both me and Farley will be even fitter, will stay injury-free, and be ready to tackle the challenge again.

Pictures coming soon!