Snow on the Mountains!

Three Fingers

It is with some sadness that I report the change in the weather that came with the 2nd of November.  Rain, wind & cold!  Along with it, the foothills received their first blanket of white!  In 2010 we received a light first dusting here on the 21st & that soon developed into a very hard, cold, wet winter.  Driving up to Darrington last evening - the snow came about half-way down the sides of the mountains.

Today, there were these three determined women who all scrapped ice & loaded up to ride in those foothills!  It was Cold!  We were layered, but we also wanted to cover some ground so the speed went up accordingly.  Once the sun was high enough in the sky - it did finally warm to maybe 40 degrees.

Joyce on Target, Lynn & Bizy

Leaving from the Morgan Horse Club, Joyce took us on a amazing ride of some of the perimeter of that section of the tree farm.  The route included exploring some trail that she hadn't ridden for a long while.  We expected to find limbs down, but the wind up our way was less severe than what it was further south over the weekend.

Forested & sun dappled

The trails were soft due to all the recent rains, we managed to avoid mud.  The creeks were really flowing, no dry crossings today!  The equine competitive spirit seems to escalate when there are three in the group & that was the case today!  We rode some very fast, hearty gallops, that had our cheeks freezing up from the cold!  :-)

Wide open vista's

First we explored out one way - then Joyce looped us up one of the big climbs.  We thought that might take the "edge" off - but no - all three horses are in great shape & were feeling their oats :-)  (Bizy is a perfect example of a Quarter Horse mare fit as a fiddle!)  Our determination - that I mentioned earlier, came from Lynn wanting to reach her goal of 1,000 miles for the year, Joyce - enjoying the benefit of the miles she's put on Target & me - taking advantage of the weather to rack up miles in the Derby, while I still can...

We covered just under 20-miles & couldn't feel our fingers or toes by the time we got back to the trailers :-)  We started discussing the merits of bringing a thermos - hot coffee, etc. long before the ride was over :-)

A virtual toast... to the stellar summer & fall that we've been lucky enough to ride through!  I'm hoping for a winter that allows me the time in Farah's saddle that has become my personal addiction!