Between sleep and waking states I had a very vivid dream. Pete and I were under a bridge. He rode Tyra up a grassy embankment, into heavy traffic. Tyra ran across and bucked, sending Pete over the edge of the bridge, straight down into a very shallow pool of water.

I didn’t know if he was dead – I woke and began creating the rest of the dream. Pete ended up in an ambulance and was taken to the hospital. At this point in time, there was no going back to sleep.

And so it was with this sense of foreboding that I began today’s ride, six miles in and six miles out on a designated trail. I wondered, as we set out, what would happen if either of us got hurt? I posed this question to Pete at lunch, and he said that if it were me, that he’d wait a while and then go for help.

Now that I think about it, I’d monitor the person’s vital signs and keep them warm so as to prevent shock, hoping that someone would come and find us and perhaps get access to a Life Med helicopter.

The gravel on Nabesna trail was hard on Shadow's feet

We saw two individuals on our ride. They were an older couple, in what they call a side-by-side – I’d seen them earlier in our campground. They’d made the boggy, muddy section of the trail near impassable. I resisted the impulse (as I often do) from telling them that they were ruining the trail riding experience of others, most notably, horseback riders, bicyclists, and hikers.

Today’s ride was varied: long stretches of a gravel bed, punctuated by clear stream crossings. After the first crossing (in which, of course, Raudi barged across), the other two handled the steep drop offs just fine. And the fast moving water? No problem.

There were bugs – no fun. As is often the case, my heart was in my throat on this ride. I am getting better as we do more of those impromptu rides. Not knowing where the trail goes, no problem.

It was at our self-designated turnout spot that it got crappy boggy. The horses had no problem and would have kept on going. I says turn back.

Pete suggested that we turn back when we got to the gravel portion of the trail. Pete also suggested that we take an alternative route, which was to the side of the trail. Ryder was by this point way ahead of us. The animals all said no to this idea. Hrimmi pulled the lead out of Pete’s hand and began heading across the gravel, in the direction of the trailer. Pete didn’t take into account that all, including me, were increasingly opposed to this option. I went to get off Tyra, so as to grab Hrimmi, and fell off, into the gravel. The back of my head hit the ground, hard. I again hurt my neck, which has been giving me problems. I was scared and threw a fit, letting Pete know how I felt. Not good.

We got back on trail, taking the gravel route. We ended up going down a nifty side trail, but had to backtrack because it didn’t lead to the Nabesna Road. After some discussion once we reached the road, as to the location of our truck and trailer, we found it.

Another night here, this is a peaceful place, and free. I never feel like staying in gravel pits. Amazing horses, amazing dogs, amazing Pete.

Next: 158. 6/10/24: Reconnecting with Horses