Coso Junction Day 2 12-11-2011

It became clear at the end of day one that the night was going to be very cold. I hadn't been entirely comfortable the night before, even in my zero degree sleeping bag with another thrown over it, and my fleece pajamas and blanket sleeper and hood and warm socks. I had a feeling Hoss's beet pulp would freeze overnight again. So I set up the tea kettle full of water for the next morning and took my water bottles in the tent with me. I figured I might need a drink in the night and they'd be less likely to freeze in the tent. I also dug out the fleece sleeping bag liner.

Once I had Hoss settled in, tucked in to a bunch of hay and a warm bran mash, I set up my saddle for the next day's ride. It turned out the vet check would be back at base camp, so I didn't need a vet check bag. I made sure my vet check food was ready and in my trailer readily available.

My camping neighbor took pity on me, having in the past been a tent camper, and invited me in for a rather nice dinner. I had just started selecting a can of soup for dinner and started the tea kettle for hot chocolate. My neighbor was in a living quarters trailer. Not one to pass up comfort and somebody else doing the cooking, I took her up on the offer.

Dinner turned out to be a chicken and rice dish bought at Costco and a spinach salad. We had a lovely conversation while we shared a wonderful meal and I got to be warm for a while. She also let me get water from her rig rather than walk all the way down to the water hose and lug it back. We put Hoss's water and beet pulp mush in the back of her trailer in hopes it would not freeze.

I crawled in to my tent and set up my bed. Then I got in to my night clothes, putting on my fleece balaclava under my hooded blanket sleeper and snugging everything down. I got myself into bed and hoped I wouldn't need to get up in a hurry in the middle of the night for Hoss.

I woke up thirsty near 2am. I snuck a hand out of my sleeping bag and took hold of my water bottle. It was completely frozen solid. The bottle of Gatorade was slushie but not frozen, so I had a little Gatorade. Since I was awake, I sat up and looked out to check on Hoss. He was standing quietly asleep. I laid back down, got snugged back in, and hoped I wouldn't need to get up until 5am.

Hoss stayed quiet all night and I didn't need to arise until 5am. I immediately turned on the stove under the teakettle, which had frozen over night, before going into the back of the trailer to get Hoss his breakfast hay. I set up a cup for hot chocolate for myself. I wasn't sure if I had time to change before the water was ready, so I waited for the water.

Once the water was ready, I made my hot chocolate and got Hoss's virtually completely frozen beet pulp mash edible. I took my hot chocolate into the tent to get dressed, along with my headlamp, which was my only light. The lantern had finally called it quits and was not able to provide adequate light to dress by. During my dressing, I managed to lose the headlamp somewhere in the tent, still turned on. I frantically searched for it, but was unable to find it before it was time to leave. I was quite distressed, as I knew the likelihood we would complete after dark, and I would be virtually blind. At least with the vet check back at base camp I'd have a chance to search for it.

We rejoined our riding partners from the previous day. I suggested we should try to go a little bit faster, as her mare looked good and there wasn't another day. It would be safe enough to push it just a bit. My suggestion didn't really stick, as we ended up coming in about the same amount of time as the previous day.

Heading up the power line road

This morning we were really riding into the sun and I was really relying on Hoss to pick his way on the trail. Because he's in boots, he's discovered he can handle more rocks than he could in shoes. The mare we were with, however, was in shoes and not quite as well protected. My riding partner had to holler to me several times to slow down because Hoss was trotting over rocks her mare couldn't chance. Once past the sun in the eyes thing, it was easier to slow down when it was appropriate.

I failed to mention in the previous post that I've learned Hoss does best if he gets a dose of electrolytes every 12.5 miles or so. When I give it to him is more dependent upon when water stops occur than strict mileage. In fact he seems to have realized that getting the electrolytes makes him feel better. He takes them without complaint and no longer attempts to spit them out, nor does he hold them in his mouth. He swallows the dose as best he can. We're still working on the rate at which I should administer them so he gets them down.

Around the volcano

We traded lead several times, depending on which horse was feeling more motivated. We made the vet check in good time, and once again Hoss's heart rate came down quickly, and he was pulling me to the vet. I took him to the trailer and got him fed. I hung my HRM watch from his saddle so I could keep an eye on his heart rate while I cooked myself up a bowl of soup. Again, I could have had lunch from ride management, but with the yet-undiagnosed gut thing, I prefer to stick with what I know won't leave me in crippling pain. Hoss's heart rate was in the 40s while he ate his hay and electrolyte bran mash.

While Hoss ate, I tossed my tent searching for my headlamp. It had to be in there somewhere. I finally found it on the far side of my bed, on the floor between the tent wall and the mattress. I was grateful to find it. I turned it off and finished my lunch.

Once again time to hit the trail, we rejoined our riding partners and headed out. The first loop on this ride had been particularly long, about 30 miles, so we only had about 20 miles to go. We were gonna finish after dark again either way. I was very relieved to have my headlamp back!

The trail -- with a little of Hoss's head!

The last loop was back up the power line road the opposite direction from the way we had gone the previous day. When we reached the point at which we turned the previous day, we continued on further through some more trails beyond that point. I had put my headlamp on my helmet in preparation for darkness, but needed to remove my helmet for one reason or another I cannot remember at this point. I got everything situated and my helmet back on. We rode a good mile or more before I realized that, when I had removed my helmet, I had lost my headlamp!

The idea of finishing in the dark without my headlamp was particularly nerve-wracking for me. I had to turn around and find it. I headed Hoss back down the trail as fast as we could go, and ultimately found my headlamp. With great relief, I dismounted and retrieved the headlamp, then got back on and cantered back to meet our riding partner where we had left her.

Sunset/Dusk as we rode down the power line road

We rode through the trails and through some pretty scenery before returning to the power line road we had come up the prior day, and headed back down it. Dusk hit and I turned on my headlamp and realized it was pretty weak. I was pretty sure having been on all day had not been good for the batteries. We paused long enough for me to switch out my batteries and get a better light.

We kept up a brisk pace, but still didn't manage much better time than the previous day's ride. Once again Hoss practically dragged me to the vet, and he vetted through easily. After riding down the power line road, his HRM was going bonkers and not giving a reliable reading, so I don't know what his heart rate actually was.

We parted company with our riding partner and I took Hoss back to the trailer. I got him well cared for and had started on some dinner when the call for the ride meeting went up.




Many riders had left upon finishing, so there were few enough of us left to all squeeze in to the ride management trailer. My completion awards were a Coso Junction Warmup mug with my name on it, and a plaque showing Hoss and I had completed both days. Woohoo! Something for a brag wall!
Yes, indeed, so far, so good. 2012 is starting out much better than 2011 did.