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Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a three-part series covering the Tevis Cup Ride that was held on July 28.
With packs loaded, we began hiking from the green gate into the Granite Chief Wilderness Area the Friday before the ride was to start. As usual, my hiking skills don’t compare to that of Harvey Roper and Monti Reynolds, but this time, I was able to keep a steady pace and get over the top of the hill with no problem. Well, except for my back. That daypack was not meant for a trip such as this and it weighed heavily on my shoulders and neck. I was kicking myself for passing up the sturdier pack I’d seen that morning. Maybe I should have left my two cans of beer behind or ditched the Gatorade. Nah. I wanted to be prepared, and you never know when a cool beer would come in handy. Maybe I would need to throw it at an angry bear in the middle of the night. Despite my back trouble, I was very proud of myself when I came upon our campsite only a few minutes behind the others. The previous month of diet and exercise paid off.
The view from the group's campsite in the Granite Chief Wilderness area is breathtaking, even as the sun sets. Photo by Don Chaddock.
We’re awake early the next morning, after a fitful night of trying to
sleep. At 5 a.m. I get out of my relatively warm sleeping bag (which is
another “I should have” item that I’ll explain some other time when I’m
in the mood) and start getting dressed, snacking on the trail sausage
and preparing to leave. We decided that Kathleen Sailor and I would
head back in the direction of the green gate (and the Jeeps) to shoot
photos and video of the riders as they came down the hill. Harvey,
Monti and Bob Richardson would proceed on to “The Bogs,” a
boulder-strewn area about a mile closer to the starting line. This
meant that Kathleen and I would need to pack out our camping gear,
keeping it with us as we shot the ride.
The crowd cheered the first rider to come through the ceremonial finish line shortly after 10 p.m. at the Gold Country Fairgrounds on Saturday, July 28.
I was able to really take in the scenery as we began our hike back. The
Granite Chief Wilderness Area was gorgeous, especially when the trees
opened up and you could see for miles over treetops and mountains.
Kathleen was more interested in shooting from a different location than
the one Bob assigned to us, but she hiked with me to my spot, and then
headed back up and over the ridgeline. It was peaceful in my hillside
meadow, all alone with only the chirping of birds and a cool early
morning breeze to keep me company. The sun was shining on the mountains
ahead of me, but my meadow, and the trail, was in heavy shadow, which
was going to make my job even more difficult. It’s no wonder Kathleen
went back to the side with rising sun. At 7:30 a.m., there were still
no riders (by this time during the 100-Mile Endurance Run, most of the
runners had already been through this area). I decided to get a the
Gatorade from my backpack, which I’d placed away from the trail up the
side of a small incline (so it wouldn’t spook the horses). Just as I
grabbed the bottle, I heard the horses in the distance. Sprinting down
the hill to my camera, I reached them just in time. The video camera
worked fine, but my still camera battery was dead. I jotted down in my
notebook that I need to purchase a backup battery for that little
camera.
The first two riders came through and, much to my surprise, the second
was Potato Richardson, who I saw the day before, head hung low after
his horse was disqualified. “I got another horse,” he shouted, riding down a rocky trail. More riders came through, some happy to see me, shouting “Good morning,” while others spoke to their horses or other riders.
Kathleen came back to my location at about 8:45 a.m. but before she’d even had a chance to rest, Harvey, Bob and Monti arrived, ready to head back to the Jeeps. The trek down was a nice hike (much nicer than coming up in the hot afternoon sun, I say).
Two sets of trail sweeps came through as we were loading up the vehicles, with one lone Tevis rider pulling up the rear. She said her horse was injured and she needed to get it to the first aid station, which was still some distance ahead.
After an exploratory drive to see if the road we were on actually led anywhere (it didn’t), we turned around and drove to our next location. We had to go up and around, as Harvey put it, to get to the next checkpoint near Red Star Ridge. A bumpy, dusty road ride later, we arrived at 11:55 a.m., only to find that we’d missed the riders, who were up ahead. We stopped to discuss options and Kathleen snapped some photos of Harvey and me, as we were covered in a thick layer of dirt and dust. (Hopefully, I will never see that photograph. It took two showers to get all the grime off me.)
Back into the vehicles we went and headed to Last Chance, another veterinarian checkpoint. The riders were beginning to show fatigue, about nine hours into the ride. We spotted Greg Kimler from Echo Valley Ranch with his junior rider, Elise Travers. I also spotted Dan Moores from Auburn Running Company acting as support at the station.
After more photos and videos, we loaded up and headed to Auburn, arriving around 4:15 p.m. It gave us enough time to clean up before meeting at the stadium at the Gold Country Fairgrounds. At 5:30 p.m., we hastily edited video footage taken earlier that day. Shortly after 10 p.m., Jeremy Reynolds arrived to a cheering crowd (having crossed the official finish line at 9:43 p.m.). John Crandell was only two minutes behind. Potato finished 38th at 3:30 a.m. Echo Valley Ranch’s Greg Kimler finished 53rd and Elise Travers finished 52nd, both arriving at 3:52 a.m. Haily Daeumler, 13, finished 61st at 4:22 a.m. while her great-grandmother, Gloria Vanderford, finished 62nd.
Horses and their riders make their way through the Last Chance veterinarian station located north east side of Foresthill. Horses must be deemed healthy and fit before they are allowed to continue the ride.
The day was long and grueling, but not nearly as difficult as what the horses and riders went through. Having covered two events on the Western States Trail for the first time, I have a new respect for the runners and riders, and a desire to see more of the trail for myself. Full ride results are available at www.foothill.net/tevis.
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