Friday April 9 2010
Overlooking ridecamp for the Inyokern Git R Done endurance ride are the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas.
I spent 5 winters in nearby Ridgecrest, and we sometimes hauled here to give the endurance horses a good workout. (And if you think the 'foothills' are hard work - they are - try the mountains themselves!)
Gretchen and Peggy met me at our usual parking spot, with 3 of Gretchen's horses, Raffiq, Spice and Kav,
and off we went up Short Canyon.Short but Steep, it could be called.
We thought we'd do a loop around a nearby peak, following a social trail Gretchen had been on once before, but Gretchen was going on memory, and Peggy was going on sketchy instructions... and we ended up abandoning the loop, or else we'd have been out there 6-7 hours, and I needed to get to the Git R Done ride.
So, we moseyed about,
oohing over the spring flowers 
and marveling at the mighty Sierra Nevada mountains, that never ever fail to impress me with their magnificent presence.
We climbed up and down
a few steep hills, and the horses got a great workout 
(especially since they still had their winter coats on). It was a good tune-up for the 2-day High Desert endurance ride that Gretchen and will be riding in next weekend!
More photos from the ride can be seen here:
Short Canyon Photos
Got a bit confused here on the posts, but the fact is you guys are wearing me out. I am not and never will be an endurance rider...but I surely do admire them. I wouldn't mind a bit more challenging terrain around here to fit up my fat boys, though. They could use some hill work....Central NJ is a bit flat, I fear.
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