As I sit here, a hail storm is easing up. Unreal. It began about 20 minutes ago. Good luck prevailed. There is no other way to articulate this. This morning, Deb and her posse arrived at our place uncharacteristically late – they were supposed to be here at 9 and got here at 10. Dan in his trailer was right behind Deb. This gave us more time to get ready. When they finally got here, we really looked like we had our act together. Our horses were saddled up and ready to hit the trail.

We got going at 10:30 a.m. – we were an impressive lot. There were nine

horses and eight riders total. There was one less rider because Pete was ponying Hrimfara. I again rode Tinni and he rode Raudi.

It was from the onset a beautiful day; sunny with just a slight breeze. I had my raincoat tied to my saddle, just in case it rained. I did not bring my rain pants. Fortunately, this turned out to be a moot point. We rode down Murphy Road, cut over on Ridge Runner on the side trail, went back to Murphy, made our way to Buffalo Mine Road, and then went downhill to Moose Creek. There, at the creek, we assessed the situation. I could hear the water before I saw it. It was loud, but not overly so. The creek itself looked just a tad bit formidable; I mean I would not have been able to cross it on foot. Tinni and I waited while the three dogs and eight riders and seven horses made their way across the fast flowing waters. I breathed a sigh of relief when, finally, Pete and our mares set foot on terra firma. This was Hrimmi’s first major crossing, and she handled it like a pro. Unreal. Cool to see Raudi show her the ropes.

Then it was our turn. I didn’t have to ask Steady Eddy Tinni what to do for he’d been across this creek before. I kept my eyes on the distant shore, and he picked his way across. What a trooper.

We continued on down the ATV trail. It was rutted but fairly dry, only slippery in a few places. At one point Deb took a side trail, and her horse Monet grew nervous. It occurred to me later that if Raudi was asked to leave the other horses that she would not be this way. This is because we’ve spent so much time on the trail minus the company of other horses. If anyone was nervous, it was me – I just am not used to riding with others. But I was way better than I used to be. Used to be that I didn’t even talk to anyone. This time I chatted with the other riders.

We stopped and tied up the horses and ate lunch in a grass thicket. Tinni later told me that this was his favorite part of the ride. We continued on, and in short order we came to the creek again. We had to cross it a second time in order to get back to Buffalo Mine Road, which is what we attempted to do.

This second crossing was more difficult than the first because the creek bed was narrower, making the water run faster. It was of course also deeper. The other riders, minus Pete and I, crossed. This time, the dogs didn’t fare as well. Lou, Deb’s dog, and Ryder got swept under one of the horse’s feet, and rolled around a bit in the current. Lou made his way to Deb who by then was on the far shore, and Ryder and Rainbow came back to us. She had a scraped leg. Rainbow also had had a tough time of it, getting knocked around a bit. Pete and I checked the dogs, who were okay, then he and our crew headed across. Talk about my heart being in my throat. I was worried for us all.

Raudi and Hrimmi and the dogs made it across just fine, leaving Tinni and me to make our way across. Three quarters of the way across and Tinni and I hit the rough area. It was deep and fast flowing. I felt Tinni’s feet leave the ground. He was swimming hard, and attempting to keep from being swept downstream. I helped him out, by putting weight on his right side. I again breathed yet another sigh of relief as his feet hit terra firma.

We headed back in the direction of our place, which is down Buffalo Mine Road, with Tinni following behind. During the entire ride I was hyperconscious about Tinni’s being lame. I so want him to be okay. He definitely did not want to extend himself and go any faster than a walk, so I did not encourage this. But by the ride’s end, he was okay. Deb did some chiropractic work on him, said that a rib was out of place. So maybe this will have helped him.

Got back to our place – the sun was still shining. Then suddenly, the rains came. I then and now am feeling lucky – horses and dogs and humans made it home safe, and without getting pummeled by hail.

Next: 151. 6/8/15: Doors Everywhere