Covering 2650 miles and stretching from Canada to Mexico, the Pacific Crest Trail travels through three states (WA, OR and CA), and is designated as one of our countries National Scenic Trails. It climbs and dives and twists and turns. The scenery is breathtaking. I mean...look at that! You'd wonder if you were on your way to Oz, traveling through such a field of poppies.
I'm not sure why, but I've got a wild hair, and it's telling me I must ride this trail. I NEED to ride this trail. And not just a section of trail, say from Canada south a 100 miles, and turn around and come home. No, I want to haul horses down to the California/Mexico border, and ride home from there. All 2650 miles.
Then again...with trails like that? I just may stay home. Who goes riding on a trail like that? It scares me just to look at it! But I still want to do it. I want to say "I DID IT!"
Riding the trail doesn't appear to have as many successful completions as does hiking. Of roughly 300 hikers who start with the intention of finishing each year, approximately 60% finish. The PCT hasn't got exact numbers on horseback riders, but there have historically only been a handful to finish. I suspect it's because they're not riding mustangs. Right?
I'm also reading that hot showers are limited. VERY limited. But hey, showers are highly over rated, anyway. I much prefer a hot bubble bath. They do have hot bubbles baths along the way, right? Well, I may need to figure that one out.
At the moment, I'm without a horse to ride. It's recommended not to attempt any sort of long ride with a horse under the age of six. That means Tika is the only horse here who is old enough, and her destiny on this trip is to hold the title of prettiest pack diva on the trail (or as Darling points out, prettiest diva on the trail, pack or no pack!) It will be four years before Max is old enough, and even Impulse has a couple years to go. Which is good, because City Boy is going to need a lot of time to be talked into singing a chorus of Happy Trails to me before I take off!
8 comments:
My Aunt has ridden portions of the PCT in California, I think she has a book on it, and I know she's fairly knowledgeable about it. I think she'd happily buddy up with you and ride the whole thing!! ;-) I am still amazed at how there is such a trail, I mean, with vanishing land, it's wonderful that this has been kept preserved!!
You know, I would love to do something like that too!! Although like you, that trail on the rock cliff, I don't want any part of that at all!! I am terrified of heights and I don't know if I'd make it through a section like that.
And I have a mustang that would be ready in a couple years too!!
Well, Ranch & Paint...all we need is Ranch to pick up a nice little roan with a (not so) bad reputation, and we'd be well on our way to a merry little band of wild girls on the mountain party!
That would be so cool. We have a friend who rode his horse from Nogales to Allenspark - 9 1/2 weeks on horseback. He didn't ride the rest of the summer.
Well maybe you need a wild black and white Pinto to go along and her person to go join you.
Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.
At least I'm not the only one! I've worked on sections of that trail in Oregon and Washington when I was a teenager working on various trail crews, and I've always wanted to ride it. Hiking is for the birds. But riding? Hells yes! Maybe when Backy and mine's kids are older....maybe...sigh.
Oh wow I would love to do that! That is definitely on my someday list :D
I bet my little goofball mustang could do it, and he's 6 this year, heh.
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