Lost in the woods...

Well, today I decided I didn't want to take the time to haul anywhere to ride. So I thought I would go out to the logging property out behind Trinidad today. This used to be the first real
playground" Terri and I would explore when we first started thinking of endurance and had to find somewhere to train, with no trailer at the time... So we would go out to a small trail in the woods across the street, that would lead to Hwy 101 (4 lane freeway at this point), cross it, and ditch off onto a narrow trail through the woods that leads onto the lumber property. I hadn't been out there in forever and last time, it was really changed from new roads put in, lots of dead fall logs across old trails, old roads decommissioned that now dead end, etc. So lots of exploring to do. I only had about 2 1/2 hrs before dark, but figured I would go do a quick ride and hop back home. This would only be the second time I took Storm out without anyone else to ride.
So first off, traffic. He did fine walking along the road to get to the first woodsy part with a few cars passing by. Then we had to find our way through there (a few old trails, some were overgrown and I got turned around a few times) and get to the freeway. Once out there, we had to get across 4 lanes of traffic. He didn't mind the cars whizzing by (not real busy here, but about 4 or 5 cars/trucks every few minutes...you just have to time your crossing for a break in cars...you can see a long ways too, and there is a very wide grassy verge to wait on, so pretty safe)
and just waited til I told him to go. I always time it so I can get across at a walk (or wait in the middle grassy area between N/S lanes), but like to teach the horse to "hurry" across at a trot (I lead doing this btw, I feel much safer that way) just in case I have to ever make it quick. Well, we have to practice that (need to anyway for our endurance ride trot outs) as I had to DRAAAAGGGGG him along, LOL...he doesn't "hurry" anything :)
Once across, I found the (fairly hidden) trail that ditches back into the woods. This is a VERY close trail that is so enclosed with brush and small scraggle trees, it is more a "tunnel" than a trail. One can only lead, not ride through here and it brushes the sides of the saddle as is. A good test to see if a horse is claustrophobic. Storm did great and didn't mind at all, even with stuff grabbing around his legs, tugging on the saddle, etc. Very good :) We finally dumped out onto the old logging trail that is the start of our training trails. The last time I went left and hit way too much gravel and new roads all the way up to "A-Line". This is a main back road that loggers use to connect to all the side roads...goes from Big Lagoon some 10 miles north of Trinidad, all the way to at least McKinleyville, if not further south...you can't really ride on in much though, as you have to dodge trucks and such which is neither desirable, nor allowed (technically no one is allowed back there, but lots of hikers, dirt bikers, mtn bikers, etc use it anyway, esp during the off season for logging or weekends...only a very few horse ppl use it though), so you stay off on the side roads and trails that dirt bikers have put in over the years. So I decided to go right and see if I could find an old road/trail up to a big rock outcropping locals call Strawberry Rock (looks kinda like a Strawberry shape from a distance I guess). This is a place lots of hikers go to, as it juts up above the hills and from the top, you have a 360 view to the ocean and inland forever...I have hiked it a few times and it is always an awesome view from up top (you can also ride and if your horses tie well, tie them below and climb up the rock). Many of the locals fear the day the logging company decides to blow it up and turn it into a rock quarry for the roads...
I went down the road (used to be you could follow the old road all the way up the mtn to Strawberry Rock, then on to eventually also dump out onto A-line) about 1/4 mile, when about 6 big,old, dead fall trees put an end to the road. I tied Storm to one of them and decided to see if there was a way around. Sure enough, it looked like someone made a really good trail up in the woods and paralleled the road. So I led him up the trail (which went both N/S along the road) to see where it went (half the fun out here, is exploring "new" territory and not going on marked trails that you know where they end up...you really have to be good at figuring out where you are and getting back there, or you could get really lost...one of the reasons I never have gotten lost at rides, because I learned how to find my way out here!). After about a mile or so, it dumped back into where the main road splits and either goes up the old Strawberry Rock trail (whoo hoo! It was still there!), or the road that is the far way around the hill (will have to see if that still goes through next time). I hoped back up on Storm and up the hill we went (this will be a GOOD training hill...it goes pretty steep up for a good mile or so, before leveling out again) and then ended up at a semi dead end...the old road/trail ended in more deadfall and I was at hte bottom of something I couldn't tell what it was, but LOTS of rock. I saw a little trail, but not sure we could make it up, so was just about to tie him to a tree again and explore, when two small yappy dogs came barreling down the trail. The little wire hair thing was really yappy and was constantly circling around behind to try and nip at Storm's tail. He was being really good while I was trying to shoo the dog away. Soon the owners followed and we managed to get yapper to leave Storm alone. They said the trail was a little slick, but nothing big (rocks or logs) that a horse would get stuck on. So up the trail we went, scrabbling over some rocks and trying not to slide out off the trail (it was a hard, slick clay), me leading on the ground. We get up top and I see we are in a quarry! That was not there a few yrs ago! Pretty trippy... Off I go again, but we run into BIG rock road (this is road base gravel...usually 1-3" and sharp and "loose" on the road) so I dig out his boots (all else was dirt/clay, so I only carried the boots just in case we hit the rock I knew was out there) and slip them on. I LOVE the new Gloves... four boots on in just few minutes (which includes digging them out of the packs, cleaning the feet, Storm walking around in circles wanting to go, etc) and off I go with a happy horse. We gaited out a bit and practiced cantering (he still has a hard time getting into a canter) and had a ton of fun going all the way up to A-line. At that point I turned around, otherwise I'd never make it back by dark.
Halfway back down the road, we ran into more hikers with a black lab with Dog Packs on and another dog and two young kids. Storm is going to be a GREAT ambassador for his breed. We stopped and talked with the hikers, who of course wanted to pet him and the kids petted him and walked all around him (I had to tell them to not go directly behind the horse and WALK...they kept trying to switch sides by running right past his butt...good thing he's not a kicker) while I explained what he was and what a gaited horse is (they just couldn't get over how pretty he was and had never seen a horse like him, LOL). Meanwhile, I wish I had brought my camera, because we had a total "AAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW" moment with the lab...he came up while his ppl were petting Storm, Strom puts his head down to sniff him (prob cause he looked "weird" with those "things"...the packs...growing out of him :P)..the dog held his ground, sniffed back, then LICKED Storm on the nose, who stood there letting it happen! Oh my, how CUTE!!! I REALLY wanted a video of that one. Needless to say, the ppl were very impressed with the NOT wild stallion :) Whoo hoo Storm! I asked them if there was a way around the quarry without having to go back down the slick and boulder strewn trail. One guy thought that if I stayed to the left when I came out in the quarry, then that would lead back to the main trail. Thanks! and off we went. There was indeed an old road that went off to the left at the quarry, and it looked like a mtn biker had recently used it. So off that way we went, knowing that a biker HAD to come from the main road at the bottom of the mtn. I figured it would dump into the road that originally went around the hill way at the bottom, that I have yet to follow (but from yrs ago remember having gone on to get up here too). There were several road branchings and we had to turn back to the main feeder a few times. But overall there were familiar places I remembered and I was confident we'd get off the mtn that way. Well, until we hit a road decommissioning "trench". These are were they take an old water runoff or creek, and dig about 10-15 feet down from the road base and make a new creek bed for the water. The sides of the trench are almost always really steep (hikeable, but hard to impossible on a horse..some are less steep though and you could switchback down it) and sometimes "lined" with huge boulders to stabilize the sides. This one had no rock, and I thought we might even be able to tackle the trench and get to the other side of the road bed (the biker went down and up it again, off walking by looks of the tracks). BUT...I have done this before out here riding, only to run into another trench or something else (big log jam or slash deck) that makes the trail totally impassable. Then it sucks to have to back track over the trenches again (which are really not for the faint of heart, but doable if you know you can get through).
It was 4pm or so (dark is about 5ish, pitch dark at 5:30) and I had no clue if this road would go all the way through if I did get over the trench, so I decided to turn around. This trail was about 20 mins from the quarry, which was at least half an hour from the woodsy trail to the freeway. It was going to be close if I wanted to get out before dark. I hopped back on Storm and up the trail we went again, letting him gait or canter as he chose (except pacing) to hurry up and get home. He was really good, only spooked once at something in the bushes (which was only slamming on the breaks, no spin or bolt or duck :) ) and being pretty good at watching his footing (lots of ruts, things to step over, and slippery mud) It was kinda fun just letting him go and having to trust he'll get us where we need to go in one piece (I have to know this, as some of the rides I plan on taking him to have hairy trails that don't allow for goofy horses). I will be taking pics next time I go out. These trails have all sorts of terrain and obstacles and any horse that rides out here, would do great in those "extreme trail challenge" courses...those are easy compared to what's out here ;)
He got us back to the quarry in good time and I called Terri and let her know I was coming down the mtn a bit late (I called her before I left with my expected arrival time and where I was going. I always do that if I go out alone, so someone can come looking for me if I am overdo and lying in the woods cause my horse tossed me, or if I got lost, or whatever), but that I was back on track. She said she hoped I had a flashlight, as I would prob hit dark...hmmm, think so as the saddle has my endurance packs on and I normally carry a light in those.... So off I hop to lead Storm down the steep and slick rock strewn trail, back onto the main trail. He did well on it! I really like how he both watches where he goes, and stays off the person leading him (a lot of horses rush tougher trails and are constantly sliding inot you or stepping on you, or just won't lead nicely and crowd to pass you) , he just has to learn to lead at more than a walk, LOL...
I rode and then led down the mtn and back to where the re-route trail that parallels the road. We got on it and headed into the woods, where it was getting increasingly darker (out on the road, the twilight from the sunset was plenty of light...but didn't filter through the dense tree and scrub growth very well) and the trail that on the way out looked so clear, now was hard to follow. Note to self, bring flagging rolls next time and mark the trail! I got off track a few times (either to dead ends that looked like trail, but were just cleared out brush...or up side tracks that went elsewhere or were deer trails). I went through a stand of alders that I though was were I had come up from the road, but didn't see the trail to the road, so kept going (remember, the trail went both N/S along the road when I first got up on it). Finally the trail was veering away from the road and then led up a steep hill...I knew I hadn't been that way. It was getting darker, so I figured I would dig out that flashlight while I could still see...through the packs I go...lots of stuff in there...but no flashlight... SHIT! I realized I had moved it to the FRONT pack, that snaps to the saddle, which I had taken off along with my water bottles a few days ago cause I didn't need them at the time...SHIT again. Another note to self: get more lights and put in ALL packs!
So around I turn and figure I'd get back to the alder stand (about 1/4- 1/2 mile back) and see if I couldn't find a way back to the road... luckily when I got back, from this direction the lighting showed the trail I had missed going the other way, and I was able to get back down on the road where it was much lighter.
Now I knew where we were and all was well, even if it got pitch black :) We went back to the woodsy tunnel trail, over the freeway (had to wait in the middle for traffic to pass, Storm was fine with that and cars going by with lights on...good boy!), and ducked back into the woodsy trail across the road from Terri's. Through the woods (and to Grandma's house? Luckily no big, bad wolves here...just bears and cougars...hmmmmmmmm maybe wolves would be better? :P) and down the road, we got back to Terri's before it was pitch black...whoo hoo! Storm got untacked and then got to go into the round pen for a well deserved roll. Then back into his pen for a good drink of cold water and a big pile of yummy hay :)
He is going to be an AWESOME trail horse I think. He handles himself so well in even unfamiliar territory and without other horses. He will be a horse I can trust not to kill us when we tackle something like Tevis trails in the dark :) I am so enjoying riding him... If all Mtn horses are like this, I will be a true believer in the breed! He may not be a hot and flashy horse, or be a top ten contender in endurance, but I really am not into that anyway (I did my stint on Arabs...it was fun and I still love many things about them, but like much quieter things now). I love that I can take a basically green horse on a new and somewhat difficult trail, get stuck in almost dark, and not worry about anything except finding the trail back :) I hope Ari inherited his fine qualities too :)