Road Trip: The Good Kind

Wednesday August 19 2015

Fortunately, this road trip is not the evacuation kind. With the Soda fire 95% contained, and therefore not having to worry about moving horses to safety, we are off to the I Know You Rider endurance ride, "The Best Endurance Horse Ride in Wyoming."

As you can see, The Raven is ready to go! He's never ridden in Wyoming before. (He's sitting in the middle of the saddles there.)

Thanks for everybody's concern and prayers during the (unwanted) excitement of the Soda fire - keep those thoughts and prayers going for all the others threatened by wildfires, and for the families of 3 firefighters who were killed today battling a wildfire near Twisp, Washington.

Big Horn 100 - Vet Check 3 Photos

Saturday July 16 2011

We waited and waited and waited for our guys to show up at Vet Check 3, approximately 80 or so miles into the ride. Waiting is a big part of crewing, waiting and wondering where your riders are. Steph and I had a bit of an adventure driving to this vet check (as in - finding the place), as did others. While we waited we ate food that the Haeberles cooked for people, I took a hike up the trail, I brewed fresh coffee in my coffee press for us and our riders... and we waited. Again, the weather was perfect, and the meadow was gorgeous, making the hours go by so pleasantly. Kevin, Kevin and Rusty finally arrived here at about 9 PM. (The start was at 4 AM this morning.)

Many more photos can be seen at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2011BigHorn/

Big Horn 100: Vet Check II Photos

Saturday July 16 2011

Vet check 2 was at the Antelope Butte ski area. Our guys Kevin and Kevin and Rusty got off trail somewhere along the way... either not enough ribbons were hung, or someone had taken some down. They lost a little time looking for the trail (and this was the same area last year that they'd gotten lost briefly!), but they knew which way they were supposed to be going, so they were able to find the trail again after a while. This was (I'm guessing) about 50 miles or so, halfway point of the ride. The horses were doing well and eating and drinking well. The weather was perfect all day - not like last year, where, at this vet check, it started dumping rain, and rained and rained like the locals had never seen before.

[slide show here]


Many more photos can be seen at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2011BigHorn/

Big Horn 100: Vet Check 1 Photos

Saturday July 16 2011

Vet Check 1 at about 9500' in the Big Horn Mountains

[slide show here]


Many more photos can be seen at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2011BigHorn/

Majestic Tetons

Thursday July 14 2011

Passing through the majestic Grand Teton National Park at sunset.

Wow.

(photo by iPhone on the fly!)

On The Road!

Thursday July 14 2011

2 PM: We're on the road to the Big Horn 100 in Wyoming to crew for Kevin, Kevin, and Rusty.

Unfortunately, our car is packed so full that we won't be able to carry their equipment. Well, we'll be there to cheer them on!

; )

Big Horn: Big Solution!

Monday July 11 2011

We're going to crew!

After weighing options and analyzing everything, we have (sadly) opted not to ride the Big Horn 100 this year. Main reasons are the expense of getting there, and the fact we'd given up the idea of riding it months ago due to expectations of high snow. Which was easy to conclude from weather reports in the winter/spring.

There were rumors that Tevis wouldn't take place on its regularly scheduled July 16 because of high snow levels, and indeed, in June, it was announced that the Tevis was postponed till October because of the high snows in the Sierras. According to winter snowpack reports, the Sierras were at 120 to 200% of normal. The Owyhee Mountains were at record levels this year. The North Cascades in Washington were 300% above normal. A record winter snowfall in the Grand Tetons had left an unprecedented snowpack as of mid-June. The Wind Rivers in Wyoming were 330% above normal. The Big Horn Mountains had above normal snows, and as we'd heard that would affect the Big Horn high trail, that's what we adjusted our ride schedule to counting out the Big Horn 100 this year.

20-year-old Rhett did 110 miles over 2 days at the end of May and another 50 miles just 2 weeks ago. Jose did 110 miles over 2 days at the end of May, and 100 miles over 2 days just 2 weeks ago. We think it's too much to ask of them to change plans and do another 100 in a week; had we stuck to our original plan from April, we'd not have ridden them that much before the Big Horn 100.

And so the next best thing to riding it is, we're going to crew for Kevin and Rusty from Colorado, who both finished the Big Horn 100 last year.

Although... if Kevin and Rusty recall my dismal crewing fiasco at Tevis for Steph and Nance, (and I hope they don't), I will probably wonder, during the Big Horn 100, why I am being sent on an errand to I-Hope-You-Get-Lost-And-Don't-Get-Back-Too-Soon, Wyoming, to pick up 'supplies' such as Starbucks, or RedBull, for our riders.

If they don't send me on any errands, I promise to be a good crew this time.

Big Horn: Big Dilemma

Saturday July 9 2011

To go or not to go - that is the question!

As of April, we had the Big Horn 100 as a goal, on July 16th.

Around the time that the Tevis was postponed till October because of high snow levels in the Sierra Nevada mountains, we heard that the Big Horn mountains also had a lot of snow and it was likely they couldn't use the usual high trail because the snow wouldn't have melted. (Someone knew someone who'd driven through there, someone heard it from someone...) Then someone said the 100 miles would be in the lowlands - and we really weren't interested. If we go that far to do the Big Horn 100, we want to do the original traditional Big Horn trail in the Big Horn mountains.

So it drifted out of our minds, slipped off our goal list for this year. Other goals surfaced: local rides like the 2-day Pink Flamingo, the 2-day Old Selam, and the Yost's tough Buckskin Challenge 50 mile ride. Steph suggested that maybe I should try riding Jose all 5 days in a row at our Canyonlands ride in September.

We really thought no more of the Big Horn for this year - until July 7 (9 days before the Big Horn). I got a call from a friend who asked if we were going. I said no, because we'd heard the ride was in the lowlands, and we wanted to do the original trail. He talked with the Ride Manager, who said the trail this year is the original trail, and 'trails are in good shape.'

Hmmm. Flurries of emails amongst us.

It is a fact that 3 times in the last 7 years, part of the Big Horn trail (the part you ride in the dark) did not get marked. People got lost on the mountain. Some were stuck overnight.

We discussed our original backup plan of having the GPS points of the trail with us (and knowing how to read them!) for if the trail was not marked this year. I had gotten the GPS points from Tom Noll (those GPS points saved him one year when the trail was not marked) and I sent them to everybody.

We started entertaining the idea again... what if we do the Big Horn! More backup plans: there would probably be several people we could ride with who have completed the ride and know the trail... perhaps there were safety in numbers.

So perhaps our backup plan of knowing the route was indeed covered... but what about the snows on the high trails? I do not want to be riding on snow, or where snow has just melted. I did that in April near here, and our horses were sinking to their mid-cannons in mud. I also rode a horse once who fell into a bog and almost drowned. Not fun.

I emailed another gal who is already at the Big Horn to help mark trail. She told me they weren't certain yet if they were using the high trail, although they planned on using it. Another gal told another friend that the trails were clear.

On July 8 (8 days before the Big Horn) another gal posted a note to a discussion group: "The trails look great! We still have a little snow at the highest elevations, but it is melting fast!" How fast? How much snow?

Steph heard from the Ride Manager, who said she'd be marking the high trail Sunday, so she'd let us know then about the snow.

Today, on July 9 (7 days before the Big Horn), we heard that the trail for the 50 milers would be the same trail that the 100's take on their return to camp. So, that would seem to eliminate problems of unmarked trails. That's good. But what about the snow?

There's also the important factor of the drive there: about 11 hours (2 days of driving, or one long haul day), and the gas it will cost to get there.

We'd love to do the Big Horn. But what about the snow situation? There's still time to get re-psyched up for it, but that time is running short.

Is it in the cards for this year?

(top photo by Darlene Anderson, who completed the Big Horn 100 last year)

Big. Goal. Big. Horn.

Tuesday April 26 2011

Pickett Creek is going to the Big Horn 100.

I've done Tevis - something I never imagined I'd have the chance to do - and I don't have the searing desire to do it again. (Honestly, I am very proud of my one-for-one record and would like to hold onto that for a while!).

I'd always had it in the back of my mind that I'd like to do the Big Horn also - but never really thought I'd get a chance. Steph has done Tevis twice, including last year. This year she wanted a challenge - but something different, a tough ride without all the hoopla and hype and crowds that come with Tevis: the Big Horn 100. (And they're on the same day this year, July 16.)

Neighbor Carol has wanted to do the Big Horn also. So does Connie. Regina. John. A couple of other Northwest riders. We have the horses: and now we're planning our ride schedule with Big Horn in our sights.

Why would we want to take on such a challenge?

"Come Ride the Legend!" the Big Horn website tempts.

Legendary it is: since 1971, it's been a remote, arduous 100 mile loop through the scenic and rugged Big Horn Mountains in northern Wyoming. The trail starts at 4500 feet; high point of the ride is 10,000 feet.


Some of the trail stories - especially since 2004 - are legend, also, such as: the beauty, portions of unmarked trail, getting lost, storms. Based on some of the stories of experiences over the last 7 years one might count on variations of:

Unmarked trail - in the dark:
•"The weather has been difficult this year, and the Big Horn 100 has a very small staff, so it was not possible to mark the entire trail prior to the ride."
•"...this section of the trail somehow remained unmarked. My horse and I remembered the trail from last year and I consulted the maps and my GPS where I might have had questions." - Tom Noll 2004

•"Heading across to the trail I commented that my companions must really trust me because there was no trail and no trail markers and no discussion and it was dark. They responded; 'We have no other choice.' " - Tom Noll, 2006

•"As darkness fell, the absence of the moon soon became apparent. And we realized there were no trail markings."
•"We saw nothing: not seeing, not knowing." - Kevin Myers, 2010

•"There was much discussion about whether the trail was actually going to be marked this time."
•"He had held a constant skepticism about whether the trail would be properly marked once we hit the dark section and he didn't want to be caught somewhere totally unfamiliar."
•"This was understandable because...well, THERE WEREN'T ANY MARKINGS ON THE TRAIL!!" - Darlene Anderson, 2010

Mountain storms
•"Someone forgot to tell the Wyoming weather we were riding that day. About an hour into the second loop a hail and rainstorm came that lasted around a half hour. It was bad enough that we had to shelter in the trees until it was over." - Don Bowen, 2007

•"As we wound our way around the lakes, the skies grew ominously dark again. They would deliver hail and thunder and wind as we trudged our way back down to Jack Creek. Neither horse nor rider was happy."
"The skies were heavy and angry, the wind biting" - Kevin Myers, 2010

•"Thunder and lightening crackled around us and I was thankful for having a cover of trees, meaning NOT being the tallest thing on the landscape." - Darlene Anderson, 2010

Mud, wet and cold
•"I was cold and wet and tired."
•"The muddy roads became slick, slimy clay chutes." - Kevin Myers, 2010

•"[My jacket] was sadly, not one bit waterproof, or even water resistant, not even a little."
•"We took extra care going up this gooey black clay stuff." - Darlene Anderson, 2010


Weariness
•"I could barely stand after I got off, shakey and a little dizzy."
•"The wonderful deliriums of late night riding kept us company, voices, moving lights, cattle wandering here and there (that part might have been real)."
•"By 2:00 am I was wondering if I was in a time warp. By 3:00 am I was definitely in another world." - Steph Teeter, 2006

•"My feet were numb and bruised and it became more and more difficult to choose trail instead of cliff."
•"Horses were lost; people were curled in the fetal position under sagebrush; others still were vomiting." - Kevin Myers, 2010

Lost riders
•"At Jack Creek, there was concern about the riders still out on the trail. Looking at the ride records it appeared that there were two, or perhaps three, riders still out on the trail. It was obvious that they would be spending a night out in the woods and we hoped all was ok." - Tom Noll, 2006

•"They WERE NOT LOST but did exactly the correct thing. Without GPS with waypoints, visible markers or glowsticks, or any drag rider (or 4 wheeler) to be of help, THEY STOPPED ON TRAIL." - Dr Dave Brown 2006

Real wilderness
•"If you plan to ride the Big Horn, it can be helpful to hook up with someone who knows the trail, especially for the nighttime sections because it is rough, it is long, and it is wilderness." - Tom Noll, 2005

•"I think we saw/heard a bear/mountain lion/tiger/dinosaur just as it was getting dark." - Steph Teeter, 2006

•"I will never forget the third night at ride camp when after dark we heard the howl of the wolves in the mountains around us." - Don Bowen, 2007

•"My heart went out out to her because I knew as well as she did that we were WAY OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WYOMING!" - Darlene Anderson, 2010


Breathtaking scenery
•"I thought to myself, "How can a 100 get any better? We are riding alone through beautiful mountain meadows on the Big Horn trails at our own pace. Riding the Big Horn 100 trails is living at its very finest."
•"We rode under a full blue sky, the scent of lavender was in the air, and a sea of color was laid before us on the ground...every year I am overwhelmed." - Tom Noll, 2005

•"Spectacular single track trail - through woods and boulders and creeks, up across alpine meadows."
•"Once again, spectacular scenery - granite nolls and outcrops, timbered passes, alpine lakes..." - Steph Teeter 2006

•"It was hard to believe that the wildflowers could be so prolific and the views so stunning."
•"And every time we turned a corner, we came across a new high pasture and even more vistas that took your breath away." - Kevin Myers, 2010

•"Oh wow, the crest of this first climb brought a view of the valley and the trout pond we had just passed through! I was speechless..." - Darlene Anderson, 2010

Cool people
•"The Big Horn 100 is a special ride hosted by special people. They love the trail and the Big Horn riders who return to ride again love the trail too." - Tom Noll, 2005

•"The Ride Management was really great and I felt they were really there to help us finish. The whole time I was there I felt like I was family. Thanks Uncle Tom, Aunt Jeanette and the rest of the families for keeping this ride going." - Don Bowen, 2007

Incredible horses
•"I had the incredible good fortune of riding a really great horse (Paladin) on an Endurance trail that has no equal... What an awesome horse..." - Steph Teeter, 2006

•"Willy is incredible and I am blessed and privileged to ride him," - Don Bowen, 2007

•"Far was focused and intent and content with his role. And I was in awe."
•"As I grew more tired and less enthusiastic, Far stayed sharp and focused and ready." - Kevin Myers, 2010

•"I LOVE THIS HORSE and I'M DOING THE BIG HORN ENDURANCE RIDE!!"
•"[My horse] felt so free and happy at that moment that I just about cried. Ok, I did cry a little."
•"I was riding an incredible horse, through incredible country and I had never been anywhere near this free and happy inside my heart. I'll always be thankful to the Incredible Lumpy for that moment."
"Oh man...I can't even tell you what a rush it was to feel THIS HORSE, LUMPY, feeling SO DANG GOOD at this point in the ride!"
•"I held back tears as I hugged Lumpy as fiercely as I could."
•"It was nearly 1:30 am and here we were at the finish of the Big Horn Ride! I got choked up, I broke out in goosebumps all over, and I had trouble breathing from the sheer enormity of what Lumpy and I had just done! I love Nero, you know I do, but I couldn't have loved any horse more than I loved Lumpy in that moment. He had just carried me through one of the tuffest 100 mile rides in the entire USA!" - Darlene Anderson, 2010

An Unequaled Challenge
•"The Big Horn 100 is not a ride for everyone"
•"...the Big Horn 100 is not a ride for sissies."
•"...if you want to ride classic endurance on some of the most beautiful and tough trails in the Rocky Mountain west, the Big Horn 100 might be your ride" - Tom Noll 2004

•"The canyon trails are not for the faint-of-heart. The trails are very steep and rocky, you are a long way from help, and we had already ridden nearly 75 miles. 'One slip here and someone is going to get hurt!'"
•"...the Big Horn 100 trail is special. There is magic along that trail and that magic works its way into your heart." - Tom Noll, 2005

•"Thoughts of my companions, thoughts of their horses, and the memories of our experiences on the Big Horn trails still bring a tear to my eyes." - Tom Noll, 2006

•"There are rides, and then there are RIDES." - Steph Teeter, 2006

•"This was one of toughest rides we've done and probably the most satisfying." - Don Bowen, 2007

•"I had finished Big Horn. Max had shucked that Big Horn Monkey off his back. We did it! And we did it in fine style! We finished with HOURS TO SPARE! How dang cool was that?" - Darlene Anderson, 2010

•"...we had to watch for gates and barbed wire and cliffs."
•"...we all knew we were cold and playing some obscure game of chance."
•"At Big Horn everything is unpredictable."
•"At Big Horn you take on Mother Nature and destiny. She is the most unpredictable ride of them all."
•"It was the darkest and most thrilling experience of my life. It was an epic journey that leaves me with a dizzying sense of accomplishment." - Kevin Myers, 2010


This is my take of my upcoming adventure, from the stories I've read:

Bring your sense of adventure. Ride with someone who knows the trail. Bring your GPS with the track log from another year, in case the trail isn't marked. Have some good rain gear. Put a survival blanket in your pocket in case you get lost and separated from your horse. Bring a good crew! Bring several changes of warm, dry clothing to be waiting for you at the vet checks. Pray for no lightning. Appreciate your horse. And enjoy one of the most beautiful, challenging, remote, and rewarding rides you'll ever get to do.

Read the Big Horn stories for yourself:

Tom Noll 2004: http://stories.endurance.net/2004/07/2004-big-horn-100-tom-noll.html

Tom Noll 2005: http://stories.endurance.net/2005/07/toms-2005-bighorn-story-tom-noll.html

Tom Noll 2006: http://stories.endurance.net/2006/07/rough-riders-on-big-horn-trail-2006-tom.html

Kevin Myers 2010: http://stories.endurance.net/2010/07/bighorn-most-unpredictable-ride-of-them.html

Darlene Anderson 2010:
Part I: http://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=410413798785
Part II: http://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=411158538785
Part III: http://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=411609908785
Part IV: http://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=411681638785

Wyoming

Monday June 8 2009

I've seen a lot of beautiful places, but that drive from the Big Horn Mountains in northeast Wyoming, going west, down into the Big Horn Canyon/valley, to Cody, along the North Fork of the Shoshone River which borders the Absaroka and Bearthtooth Wildernesses to the north, and on into the southeast entrance of Yellowstone, is fantastic. Keep on going down through Grand Teton National Park, and you'll see some of the most amazing and most varied terrain and landscape and geologic features, some of the most gorgeous places anywhere on the planet. I'll put that area up against anything I've seen.

The Grand Tetons emerging from snow and storm clouds just before the sun sinks behind them, with Colter Bay spread out in front of them is nothing short of stunning, no matter how many times you see it. The view punches you in the gut, sucks your breath away.

The sharp smell of the fir and pine forest after a wet snowfall, the pungent odor of the sulphur hot springs in Yellowstone, the iciness of a frozen lake, a crashing river in a deep canyon, the lovely spiraling call of the Swainson's thrush in the twilight, a howling pack of coyotes at nightfall - treasures and mysteries begging to be noticed and explored.

The Raven enjoyed the excursion too, though he was somewhat offended by the "Don't feed the wildlife signs" with his picture on it. Ravens have to eat too!

I saw one tourist in Grand Teton walking around with a mask over his mouth and nose. I wanted to run up and rip it off him and yell, "Breathe this in! The purest cleanest healthiest air you'll ever get a chance to breathe! The crisp cold mountain and forest air will cure your ailment!" But I didn't.

After camping in the rain in Grand Teton, I got up early, made a cup of Starbucks over my camp stove, then took a 2-mile hiking trail along the lake. Two miles of solitary bliss: hugging trees, touching the frigid lake, inhaling the intoxicating smell of the wet forest, wincing at the beauty. Sometimes you couldn't tell where the peaks ended and the storm clouds began.

Nothing but me (and the Raven) and a bald eagle in a tree on the lakeshore looking down at me (don't forget to look up, to see what's looking down at you). He was probably drying off, probably thinking about going fishing, but surely he had to be enjoying the scenery too. I'm pretty sure this encounter was also arranged just for me, since I was the only one around to see him.

Then it was time to rush off again - places to go, appointments to keep - but I got a brief glimpse of paradise again.


A bit more of Wyoming gallery