Where Trails End~

Where once a trail was~

Linda & I had a plan for today - since the trail she uses to access the tree farm was wiped out by recent logging - we wanted to check it out from at least one end.   On top of that - Linda is on her new property & still has a driveway to get put in.  I can't get my trailer in there, so we have to meet up on the farm.

I've been fighting with something - not sure what...  But if anyone can get me in the saddle, it's Linda. I pulled into the parking area just as two friends - had just finished their morning ride, in the sunshine.  I left the first time without my helmet - went back for it & on our next attempt - Farah was in her Full Trot mode & we were cruising.  I swear she knew we were meeting up!  As we rounded the final corner where I expected Linda & Count to be - they were!  So we headed over to see what one end of the new clear-cut looked like.

Linda in the middle~

If you haven't experienced it first hand - it's incredible how different a landscape that you thought you knew - looks like after being logged.  We thought we might "find" the trail & ride through - but after Farah almost went down, we decided that I would hold the horses & Linda would scope it out.

Linda "Scoping"~

It's rough - very rough - but we're already making plan to figure out a way though.  At this point, we turned back & headed up to the Monument.

The fog rolls in~

It was chilly in the sunshine, but let me say that when this fog came in - it became bone chilling!  We ate a late lunch anyway - then started down.

Sunshine trying to break through the fog~

We kept hoping that the sun would win out & it finally did, just as we were about back to the trailer parking!

Lake McMurray under fog~

Linda still had another three-miles to ride to get home.  I loaded Farah for our drive home.  Farah thought it pretty darn strange that Count was leaving without us!  :-)  Count would have preferred a trailer ride I'm sure!  :-)

Our track

 Next, re-establishing the trail!

Socializin'

Heading out~

After enjoying the holiday with friends who live on Lake Stevens, sitting out & watching the fireworks over the lake until late, then coming home to listen to more bangs & booms until about 3 a.m. - neither of us got much sleep.   Linda & I had planned a ride - but it ended up being more of a social event :-)  Before we'd left Linda's, Toni (who boards her horse at Linda's)  saw us saddling up & walked up to say "hi"!   After hearing my fall "story" & resulting medical issues, she shared with us her "story" - that included surgery to correct a condition similar to what mine could become.  Sobering but always good to collect information from friends who've been there & done that!

Coming out of the forest to a clear-cut

Linda had plans for later in the day - so we hoped to do a nice loop & have her back in time for dinner.  We took a newer trail through the clear-cut you see above.  Most of it nice & dry & fairly easy to follow - we'd taken it earlier this year.  Almost across though - with Linda in the lead, Count sunk into a very wet muddy, boggy spot with a lot of slash around it.  Still coping with a few nerves - I dismounted & cleared away the debris, to lead Farah through.  I asked her to go through.  To our surprise, she looked - then started out & around it through the slash!  She managed it so gracefully that she's now pointed out the way to re-route around the bog!   Guess I'll be moving some more limbs next time through :-)

How many ways can you say "gray"?

When we arrived at the Monument - we found several of our Backcountry Horsemen friends already having lunch!  Some of the same people we'd cleared trail with last weekend!  Was really fun to see each others horses & chat!  Of course I had to re-tell my fall story & Farah received many what a good girl for staying calm & getting out!  So much for our making any time today!  :-)

Count, Linda, Farah & Connie

Our friends even offered to take our photo - which hardly ever gets taken!  :-)  In return, we told them how to get over to the Lake McMurray outlook.  If you don't know - the photo below, is what an on-shore flow looks like on certain days...  At first we almost thought it was the smoke from all last nights fireworks - but no - this is a heavy layer of marine air that did it's job cooling off what would have otherwise been a hot & very muggy day.

Not the usual stunning view~

Heading down on the Ridge Trail, we came up on two people with mountain bikes.  They kindly pulled off & we chatted while they waited for their third companion.  Farah was looking down the trail & started trembling!  The couple called to their friend to;  "say something or start talking" while I patted & spoke to Farah...  Not like her at all - she seemed a little tense today, as did Count.  Like Linda said, if the birds hadn't been chirping - we would have both though that an earthquake was coming...  Just that kind of feel in the air today.  I'll have to do a post on the earthquake that hit just as we were coming in off a ride a few years ago...  or maybe more than a few?  Anyway- if things get Too quiet... watch out!  :-)

Linda made it back in time for her dinner & I hardly had any traffic on the way home.  We also decided which trail we're going to clear this week!  Good to get out & nice to have the noise of the Fourth over with!