This blog was meant to be about horses...

...but every so often it seems that life has a method of getting in the way.

Hoof issues
Heat issues
Weight issues
Any other excuse issues?????

How about MOUNTAIN issues?

My S.O.'s bleu eyes light up when he talks about Cottonwood Lakes in the Eastern Sierra's
Directions?  Drive on down to Lone Pine...hang a right and drive STRAIGHT up!
Not really...definitely switchbacks on a road without guardrails!
The road takes you up 12.5 miles from 4000 feet above sea level- Lone Pine in the Owens Valley up to 10,000 feet-and did I mention NO GUARDRAILS????  UGH  I panic!

So follows a snippet of a true story of endurance-not the kind that this blog was meant to entail.
This story is about TRUE LOVE...because without it...I would never have done what I did last week.

 Maybe this book will give you a hint
If not....it is a fantastic read!

The goal was 14,042 feet or so

Summit on Mount Langley

Base camp was at 10,000  Ft

Bending over at this altitude makes one dizzy, headache, out of breath

Yup....Backpacking

Something I have NEVER DONE in my life and would NEVER CHOOSE to do

But then there is LOVE

YUP

TRUE LOVE

The things I do for "MY MAN"

Heretofore to be called MG (Mountain Goat)

His pack pictured below was only slightly heavier than mine since he carried the tent.

MG later tells me that sleeping at that elevation is difficult

Elevation decreases sexual desire too-well-all one can focus on is getting enough air to survive

Altitude decreases apetite too-maybe if I spent a month I would lose this horrid weight

The nights were cold

The nights were my enemy

The nights gave me the sensation that I needed to get up and pee

DARK COLD NIGHTS

Find the nearest rock, pee, dash back into the tent

Toss and turn

Dash back out

But if I hadnt had to "GO" in the middle of the night I would not have seen those magnificent stars

The Milky Way....

THE SKY WAS AWESOME at NIGHT!

But DAYLIGHT was my friend

First Light

Cold Mountain Lakes with leaping Golden Trout

Pondering the Day

Thinking the Crow is Ominous

Wouldn't YOU say?

Trekking mountain trails and scaling the scariest heights

Trails that should never be hiked

Do you see a trail? Not really?

(yeh, and they told us a guy died here two weeks ago when he missed the trail due to snow)

MG made it to the Top...14000 ft Mt Langley

I stopped around 12,500 feet-nauseated from the altitude

But in the end

A cool plunge in a lake at 11,000 feet

Draping the clothes on a Rock to dry

Any Rock or Tree

Under which to pee... : )

The question must be asked...

Would I do it again?

Only for LOVE my Friend...

Only for Love!

hhhhmmmm...

The next question is...

When will I get the MG on the back of a horse

and show him MY side of endurance?

Checking in on the "Boys"

 Aviator horse and Nevel had their muzzles in some yummy alfalfa when we arrived

 Yowser these are some rough looking feet-long past due for a trim-but they looked fine 2.5 weeks ago!
Hopefully a good trim and some supplements will improve this nonsense.

 Head in the bin again-

 Fall is on it's way-shorter days are here to stay

 Nevel is rounding out nicely.  I think the worming did the trick

Then down the road to visit Falcon

 Who also looks just fine and enjoyed his carrots.

The Bear went over the Mountain...

Ugh,  plod plod, yup, that was me (not the horse)!
Falcon is still with the trainer.

Nevel is in the process of gaining weight and looking much better.  (pics soon but not until the temps are below 100)
So, wilst I have all of this time on my hands...HAH! I decided to get myself in shape walking 3 miles in the cool of the morn and riding my bike 8 miles in the heat of the night several nights a week.
The crowning moment was accomplishing a 10 mile hike WITH a 15lb backpack on.  It was 108 here on Sunday and so my SO and I headed to the coast with a plan to do a practice hike for our Backpacking trip next week.

These babies joined us for lunch

The accomplishment was hiking to the Northern most point of Point Reyes out of Pierce Point Farm on the Elk preserve.  Temp was 55 degrees and we layered on clothing to protect from the fog and wind.

This would be an awesome "pony" ride.  I have seen horses and their riders their on occasion.

After minor adjustments to our packs we headed down the trail.  Intermittently the fog would break and we would catch glimpses of bright spots on Tomales Bay on one side and the Pacific on the other.

 We walked and we walked and we walked up, down, level, up down level...A few herd of Elk were seen off in the distance in the shelter of the hills.  I knew it was about 4.8 miles to the point, but it seemed to take forever. At the bottom of hills it would look like the top would be the point, but when we reached the top...all we saw was another hill.

 A tune from childhood started rambling through my head...The Bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain and what do you think he saw....he saw another mountain....he saw another mountain....

Yah, I know...it is stuck in YOUR head now too isn't it!  : )

FINALLY>  THE END!!!!

You can't tell from the pics, but these are VERY STEEP CLIFFS....SHEER DROP OFFS.

These dogs are TIRED!

A rest, then time to head back.  The fog was drifting in at an amazing rate of speed and drenching my hair.  Everything was dripping wet as we peered through the fog on our trudge back to the car.

Despite the fog we were fortunate to see a snake, fox and tons of Tuhle Elk.

If only I had drug my zoom lens along with me...

The Boys and...

...The Girls in the Myst.

What a welcome site it was to see the trees loom up out of the fog and the parking lot just beyond the barn!

A short drive to Point Reyes Station for a yummy supper and live bluegrass at:

Maybe I should think about Ride and Tie....naaaahhhhhh!  : )

The TEVIS challenge

I am sad to say that I did not make it up to Auburn or Foresthill this past Saturday.  I was forced encouraged to work to get ready for the Survey which occurred today.  Ahh well, I guess there is always next year.

It was great to be able to see the "live" updates on the status of the riders.  Unfortunately, the only rider that I knew was pulled at around mile 64 with metabolic issues.

Needless to say-congrats to ALL who even started the ride, all of the dedicated people who helped make the ride possible and to all of the pit crews who are the most important people of all!