Travel and Arrival
I met Cortney and her Mom at the truck stop exit on I-90 mid morning on Friday. From there I followed them through Snoqualmie Pass to the east side of the state.
Still snow in the upper elevations but the drive over was easy and as we started to descend the clouds cleared and blue skies appeared.
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| Crossing the Columbia River |
We traveled steadily east and turned off of I-90 into just... farmland interspersed among scrub. There weren't any facilities off this exit and then we traveled for miles.
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| Some kind of yellow flowering crop? |
We stopped in Odessa, WA for gas before heading to camp. This was a tiny town. Very tiny.
Ride camp wasn't far out from Odessa, but did require a couple miles of dirt/gravel road that just kicked up incredible dust. The signage was great and we knew we were close when we started seeing the water tanks.
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| Cortney and Reign |
We got horses off the trailers and did some basic set up before walking to the front of camp to vet in. Camp was stretched out along a road that went into rangeland. We set up where there was clearing in the scrub for vehicles.
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| Jessica and Rio |
I originally set Gwyn up in my panels, which I'd used previously in Michigan and at Ride the Loup back in 2019.
Gwyn was less enthused about pen containment and ended up breaking two of my panels before we'd even finished setting up camp. Thankfully, I'd brought my hi-line and decided to use that instead, which did not give me issues.
We had a trailer safety clinic in ride camp. A big proponent of EDRA is education, which I appreciate. It made me consider upgrading my ball and hitch on the truck.
The sunset Friday night was just superb.
Ride Day
This is going to be hard to write. Ride day did not go as I had envisioned. Getting Gwyn's boots on was more difficult than it ever had been. I think she's near the end of her trim cycle and the dust just made the coefficient of friction between her hoof and the boot incredibly high to the point where I couldn't wiggle it on like I usually do. So frustrations were running high off the bat.
I didn't leave immediately when the trail opened. We ambled out of camp keeping it low key for the horses that needed it. Out of camp we turned right on the dirt road and headed north. As the road stretched up the hill, Dave, the ride photographer (and Cortney's husband), was waiting with his camera. Behind us was a really nice view of Pacific Lake (didn't realize it at the time). Cortney and I kicked into a canter for the photo op.
After about a mile we turned off onto 2 track ATV trails through BLM property.
Unfortunately, rather quickly into the ride my right calf started killing me, with pain shooting up the outside. If I tried to change my position, my ankle started wobbling uncontrollably. I kept fighting my stirrup to find a secure position for my foot and it wasn't happening.
I told Cortney to keep going, because I'd figured we'd reached the point where I needed to ride my own ride. She pulled ahead just before a lollipop loop and shortly after that I was passed by all the other 30s. My leg kept me from maintaining long trotting sections, which this ride definitely required and could sustain.
I fought my way through the lollipop, trotting until I was in agony and fighting Gwyn who was feeling fit and frustrated that all the horses were ahead of her. There were even times where, since the land was so open, we could see the next horse far ahead of us, at which point I was in more agony trying to keep her from bolting toward them. Plus, every time she bolted, I felt my bladder control just leave the planet. Thanks, kids.
Amazingly, I had service through the whole ride and ended up calling Erica to cry to her about what I was thinking. She comforted me and agreed that the decision I was planning on was the best one.
When I got back to the end of the lollipop and could have turned right to continue down the trail toward the 20 mile outcheck, I turned left and headed back to camp.
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| That small bit of white in the distance is ride camp. |
I texted Cortney to let her know and figured she could pass on information as necessary to folks at the out check.
It was so embarrasing walking into camp and realizing that they thought I was the first returning 50 for a hold. No, please don't cheer. I'm Rider Optioning because my fucking leg can't take it.
I had several miles that I insisted Gwyn walk where I could sit and fiddle with my position. Something is odd with it and it hasn't really reared its head until I was doing a ton of sustained, flat, trotting. I couldn't get the inner ball of my foot to contact the stirrup the way my right foot could. When I tried to really manipulate it, my knee started hurting. If you recall, that same knee is what I really jacked up after camping over labor day weekend.
So I made a couple of decisions on that walk back.
1. I go see a physical therapist
2. I get other health stuff sorted
3. I don't do the 25 at Trout Lake
4. I do the 15 mile at Trout Lake
As it was, about a mile from getting back to ride camp, I suddenly had a major need to use the bathroom, like just agonizing bowel pain. Thanks IBS.
I got Gwyn settled and took an amazing nap. Then I hung out with Trudy until the 30 miles finished and I helped Cortney get situated while she waited to vet out. The line was long and she didn't have any hay for Reign.
Then I took another nap. Hooboy.
The ride managers gave out awards at an 'impromptu' gathering (BLM didn't want gatherings but had checked on the ride at the out check and were happy with how things were organized).
Travel Home
We took our time packing up and were on the road by noon.
Then it was through the farm fields back to I-90 and westward bound.
Coming down to the Columbia River
Seeing the Cascades again!
Up into clouds at Snoqualmie Pass
Snoqualmie Summit ski area
Then down the west side and you can literally see the light quality change and it's like being home again
Through a brief rainstorm
And from here it was a little over an hour back to the barn to drop Gwyn off.
Overall, it was a disappointing return to endurance for me. I left that ride feeling emotionally exhaused and physically in pain. But I'm glad I RO'd. I didn't injure myself further trying to push myself through 30 miles and I didn't come in way over time because I couldn't maintain the necessary pace.
And now I know a better path forward.
I've already got an appointment with a physical therapist who specializes in equestrian injuries. I'm hoping I can get things sorted. I'm also really grappling with my functional fitness and what my goals there need to be. Thanks to therapy, I'm getting out the tough conversations there.
There was also a Hunter Derby on the same farm grounds. The whole area was a merged area of multiple barns that all backed onto base property with a spiderweb network of trails. Apparently you can get permits to just trail ride on JBLM property. 
We had opted for the Hunter Pace, which Cortney informed me would be around 5 miles. I figured that would be a good test to see how I could deal with my leg after the endurance ride and altering my position in my dressage lesson. We warmed up over a fallen tree that had been trimmed of branches, making it a lovely successively harder log jump. You picked the end you wanted to jump. 
Reign was VERY excited about jumping. Gwyn was just happy to be out. She was excited, but not with the baby horse energy that Reign has. Gwyn was the babysitter on this trip and was going to be lead horse and teach Reign that you can go over fences in the woods without bucking.
We got there with plenty of time to tack up and warm up. Then we were off, trotting nicely through well brush hogged paths amid passing sun showers. It was weird, but lovely, weather.
Gwyn and I opted for most but not all of the jumps. I was still unsure of how my leg would hold up, and trying to post out of my knee and not my foot was definitely making me feel it in my core. 
Most of all, I wanted jumping to be positive for both of us. All of the jumps had an option to get around without jumping so it worked out well!
I did have a run in with a tree, as did Cortney. Most of my riding injuries that result in blood being drawn also involve trees. Gwyn and I had landed after quite a nice jump. Reign was off to the side and Gwyn just...wanted to go to her. I tried to keep her straight, and unfortunately the average vector of travel resulted in me nearly getting impaled by a low tree branch. Ruined a pair of icefils to boot and now I have a gnarly bruise.
Instead I dropped Kaylee off as promised and gritted my teeth at Hazel's insistence she wanted to bring Gwyn to the barn and 'help' and continued to the barn. We were treated with a lovely rainbow as the setting sun found a way to shine through the rain clouds and light up the eastern sky.
