This is one of those places that always make my mind say, "If Only." If only a local group of concerned riders or just regular citizens wanted to make this into a really outstanding horse camp, all they would have to do is... In this case, although the horse camp itself is pleasant enough, with electric on every site, water between every other site, a bathhouse with hot and cold running water and a shower in each bathroom, easy back-in sites, etc., what's missing are trails that are well-marked (which they're not), and horse-friendly (which they're not). The only trail map I could find on the internet was literally hand-drawn. Granted, I forgot to ask the camp host that checked me in for one (nor did he offer), but I got the impression from the hand-drawn map that the camphost was the one who made it, though I could be wrong on that. In any event, after dialyzing Hubby in the morning, I was saddled up and ready to go right after 1:00, with map in hand and my GPS programmed in with a plan that would cover most of the park, as best as I could make it out. Unfortunately, there's a bit sign at the trailhead saying No Dogs on Trail, so I left Lola back at the camp, though I wished she could have come along. Apollo was on his best behavior, happy to be back on the trail, at least in the beginning. We had had some rain yesterday, so I knew the trails would be slick, and they were, but nothing too bad. What made it tough was that, first, there were no trail markings. I mean, occasionally I would see a paint splotch on a tree, but very seldom, and there was nothing on the map indication what "color" trail I was supposed to be on. There was that. Then we began running into some very steep grades, with no real switchbacks, just straight up and down. With all the rain, they were so slick that more than once Apollo was literally sliding down with his legs out front, mule-style. I had to make him go back and forth switch-back style on several occasions, just for safety's sake, but I hated going off the trail, not knowing what dangers might lay in the woods. Next, there were the downed trees. Dozens of them. Many had obviously been down for a long time, and alternate trails had been carved around them, but there was no excuse for someone, park-affiliated or otherwise, not to come and clean up some of these down trees. Some were in quite dangerous places, going up and down on steep slopes, which made it even trickier. Once we got further south, though, the terrain got a bit let slope-y, but the downed trees got even worse, especially through what would have otherwise been a nice pine forest. I got lost so many times it got old in a hurry. My GPS track wasn't even close to my plan, but I continued weaving back and forth trying to cover as many trails as I could. I ran into several people along the way; a group mushroom-hunting, and a fisherman along Shoal Creek, which Apollo and I forded in order to go see the birdhouses, which didn't really turn out to be much. At least on the other side of the stream the trails were a bit more reasonable. In the end, I did manage to cover just over six miles of trails, which, even though it wasn't every trail, it pretty much covered the park other than a few crossovers through the woods. Towards the end of the 3-hour ride, Apollo started getting a little tired and cranky, reluctant to do the hard grades on the north side again, though it was the only way back to camp except the road, which I didn't want to do. He was a good sport in the end, though, and did everything I asked, without any tantrums, just a little hesitation, which I truly understood. He's nowhere near as fit as he used to be, and he was obviously tired, but we managed, yay! Got back to camp just after 4:00, got him cleaned up and put away, and stowed as much gear as I could for our early start out tomorrow. If Only... A saddle club or citizen group would clean up the trails of downed trees, created some alternative routes that included switchbacks instead of straight up and downs, marked the trails better and made a nice map, then this would be a really great place to spend a few days riding. Otherwise, I'd be hard-pressed to want to come back again. After a beer at the picnic table, explaining how Hubby would have HATED this ride, we eventually settled down for the evening.
Speak Your Mind