The Buck Mountain Boogie endurance ride (Road to Tevis #101)

I didn’t know at the time, but the Buck Mountain Boogie was Jazz’s and my final endurance race together. (See Saying good-bye to Jazz.) There were a lot of lasts for Jazz and me at the Buck Mountain Boogie, but there were also a few firsts! For one thing, it was the first time I had done a ride just one week after another. I had done back-to-back 50s with Fantazia, but Jazz had always had at least two weeks between endurance rides.

This time not only had Jazz just completed the La Grange Ditch 50 seven days earlier, but we had also spent several weeks exploring the far northern reaches of California.

Jump to:

Leading up the the Buck Mountain Boogie
The long slow road to Mad River
Ride Camp
Company arrives!
The Buck Mountain Boogie 50-mile Endurance Ride (Overview)
Loop 1
Loop 2
Conclusions

Above: Looking through Jazz’s ears at the view from my cousins’ pasture near Trinity Center. We stayed there between the La Grange Ditch 50 and the Buck Mountain Boogie.

Leading up to the Buck Mountain Boogie

Three weeks earlier, Jazz and I set out for the northern part of California from my home in foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada near Springville. After some adventure (Always check under the hood for rodents!), we arrived at my brother and sister-in-law’s house in Montague, a small town north of Mt. Shasta. From there we explored the region within easy ride or drive distance. See Jazz’s adventures in the far north and Riding in the Marble Mountains if you want the details!

A Council of Elders

After completing the La Grange Ditch 50 on July 1st, I drove up Highway 3 to my cousin Andy’s cabin near Trinity Center. He and his sister have just over 100 acres with forest, flowers, a huge meadow, and gorgeous views. There are two cabins and a barn, but no beds for visitors. I suspect Andy might not want to encourage lengthy visits! I stayed in the horse trailer, very happily.

Andy and I had planned my visit months previously. What I did not know was that my cousin Heidi and her husband Felipe would be there as well. (Read about Heidi on her website, Vibrant Living. She’s a holistic life coach.) This might not sound exciting until you realize they live in Alaska and neither Heidi nor I had any idea the other was going to be there.

I am the eldest grandchild of my father’s parents; he has two sisters. Andy and Heidi are also the eldest in their families. Hence the council of eldest cousins 😉

Jazz in the meantime got to experience life in nature, with a herd of elk and a bear passing every night. Because he had been so nervous at night in the Marble Mountains, I worried that Jazz would be anxious. He had to be tied to the trailer, because the elk had destroyed fences. (I hobbled him during the day, but not at night!) Surprisingly, Jazz was very calm at the trailer. He never so much as neighed, and just watched the elk calmly. I know the bear passed at night–fresh bear poop is unmistakeable–but Jazz never fussed.

On July 5th my cousins continued their journey to the coast and Jazz and I drove south to Mad River for the Buck Mountain Boogie.

The long slow road to Mad River

It’s only 98 miles from my cousins’ place to the campground on Van Duzen Rd. near Mad River, but it took me well over three hours to make the drive. It’s very curvy most of the way. The grade was steep enough that I had to put the truck in manual (2nd or 3rd gear) on a regular basis to avoid riding the brakes.

The provisions and safety stops

I stopped at the Holiday Market in Weaverville for food, beer, and ice. First though, I pulled into a tire shop and asked them to check all my tires.

I always check the tires on my truck and trailer when I set out. I hadn’t done so since I left home, and I was going into a non-communication zone where I might not find a tire shop or be able to call AAA. Normally, I hit the Big Brand tires on the way out of town. Since I purchase all my tires there, I never feel guilty about having them check eight tires. But I wasn’t planning on buying tires in Weaverville, so I gave the man a tip… He was very surprised 😉

Later I stopped at the Mad River Ranger Station on Hwy 36, just before heading south on Van Duzen. I got a camp fire permit and a map. Always a good idea. Sadly, someone parked on top of my fire pit, so I never made a fire!

Above: Jazz eating his mash our first day at ride camp at the Buck Mountain Boogie ride. I had my pick of potential campsites and picked the best. We had shade and a fire pit. By Thursday evening, we were surrounded by other rigs.

Ride Camp

Ride Camp for the Buck Mountain Boogie was 4 miles down Van Duzen Road near the tiny town of Mad River. (You can see the location in the Garmin-generated maps below). It’s off Highway 36, which runs from 101 near Fortuna to Red Bluff off I5 (and beyond). I lived in Arcata, in Humboldt County, for four years, so I had driven 36 from 101 to 5 years ago. It’s a beautiful, remote drive. (Hwy 36 is much improved since 2012!)

There is zero cell coverage for people who have AT&T. That includes me. I was going to be there, incomunicada, for a full four days.

Arrival

It was Wednesday, so I was not surprised to find no one there. I had checked with Ride Manager Pam Peace about arriving early. She told me where to park… Not on the river side, where the horse trailers of the those out marking trail were parked! I wasn’t entirely happy with having to park in full sight of the road and far from the water. I prefer to park out of sight of the road when I am going to be alone (on advice of my CHP brother).

Luckily I had brought enough water to tide Jazz over until they would bring water to camp. So I conquered my fear of ax-murderers and chose what I thought was the best campsite, between trees so that Jazz would be in shade all day long. It was also right in the middle, and close to the porta-potties. After setting up the trailer, I saddled Jazz and headed across the road, looking for trails.

Our first “pre-ride”

When you arrive three days early, you can really get to know the area! On that first ride, Jazz and I followed the ribbons that had just been tied. After a mile or so, we came upon the trail markers. They told me I could ride up a few miles then come back down a road for a nice 5-mile ride. Unfortunately I did not go far enough to find the road to which they referred, but I still had 3.75 miles of enjoyable trails.

Jazz and I covered 1.75 miles of what was to be the start of the ride Saturday. After crossing the van Duzen, the trail led up Brown Canyon along a tributary to the van Duzen. The trail rises about 600′ and is for the most part easy. I did discover one Scary Bit, where the trail goes between a large conifer and a 15-20′ drop down to the stream. The scary part thing about it was that the ground is cut away under the trail. I made Jazz hug the tree and go fast. You can see it from above in the video below.

A night alone by a road

Jazz and I had been completely alone in the Marble Mountains, but we had been in a remote campground. We were arguably less alone by the Van Duzen. Cars passed all night long. This freaked me out more than solitude. Nature doesn’t spook me. Unknown humans do.

Jazz was unbothered. I fell asleep eventually, after blocking the trailer windows so I couldn’t see the lights of passing vehicles.

Thursday…

The next morning I followed the trail suggested by the trail markers. I had also spoken with Pam, and she described the road clearly. Jazz and I had to keep going up the hill until we found a big dirt road. On both loops of the ride, we would continue up the hill. On Thursday morning, we followed the road down the hill. It goes down toward and past Ride Camp. Jazz wanted to cut through the forest directly–He’s finally gained a decent sense of direction! The road loops around and back down to the river.

Company arrives!

When we got back to camp after 5.5 miles, we had company! Dave Rabe had arrived and taken the second best spot. Not too long afterwards, I was amazed and delighted to see Nina and Juan pull in. They had come all the way from Malibu; Dave had come from Reno (I think). We’ve all met at many rides before, all in the southern regions of California. I had not expected to see them there, and it made me happy to find familiar faces.

Now, not so long ago, I didn’t know them either. But I did now, thanks to many rides, mostly xps. At Weaverville I had known no one, and I had expected to know no one at the Buck Mountain Boogie (besides the ones I had met in Weaverville). Discovering other southern region folks had come to the ride was great. I realized then that, despite my asocial nature, I had begun to feel a sense of community with others I regularly saw at rides.

Of course, Nina and Juan are something special! Coming soon, or at least within a few months: an interview with Nina Bomar. Dave is also something special, and I got to know him a tiny bit at this ride.

An afternoon river hike

As Ride Camp slowly became busier, I headed up the river to find the Scary Overhang. I wanted to gauge the chances of it collapsing beneath a horse and rider. Fortunately I had brought my river shoes. I slipped them on and started up the Van Duzen River. From there I followed the feeder creek up to the overhang. As you can see in the video below, it was mainly rock and unlikely to collapse.

I continued a bit more up the river, then headed back down. On the way, I saw many flowers and plants, as you can see in the slide show below (some of those are from my rides, but many from the walk).

Above: Scroll through my slideshow of flowers and trees. A big part of the reason I love endurance is that is brings me in contact with new plants!

More company arrived…

By the time I got back to ride camp, it was a busy place. I discovered that the problem with taking the choice spot between trees in the middle of open space is that other people are going to surround you. At first, I thought I was boxed in. I had a rig to the west and a rig right in front of me. A couple pulling a trailer with a camper was in the process of parking as close as they could get behind me. (They parked right on top of my fire pit!)

Fortunately, the rig in front of me had left room for me to pull out… As long as no one parked too close. Someone did, but they were going to leave after the LD on Saturday.

Friday

Friday was unremarkable. Jazz and I had a short, 1.5 mile ride, most of which was up and down in the water of the Van Duzen. (See the above video.) More people came. Ride meeting happened. I tidied the trailer, cleaned tack, read a book. Went to bed early.

The Buck Mountain Boogie 50-mile Endurance Ride

On the whole, it was a tough ride. Both loops were long, with a trot-by vetting in the middle. (We had our hour-long hold at camp.) They were also nearly identical, with a slight variation. You can see it in the images below. You can also see where the Ranger Station was right just east of Van Duzen road. Ride Camp was on the east side, just south of the start. I did not begin recording at the start, but my finish marks are just past it.

Above: My tracks for Loop 1 (left or top) and Loop 2 (right or bottom). You can see how similar they were.

Both times I forgot to start my watch at first, but using my other track recordings and math, I know the first loop was a full 24 miles. The second was about the same, so that makes 48 miles, with over 8000′ total elevation gain. Most hilly rides tend to be closer to 45 than 50 miles.

The tough part was the 8000’+ total elevation loss. A fit horse can go uphill all day without undue repercussions. Going downhill is hard on knees and hocks. This ride was particularly tough because much of the downhill was gradual descent on hard dirt roads. I had far rather slide down steep sandy slopes. For most of the downhill, I made Jazz walk. At times he jigged, but mostly he was good, especially on Loop 2. On the very gradual slopes we jogged.

I was glad to have a fit horse. We made up for the slow downhill by powering uphill. On both loops, once we were on the forest service roads, Jazz and I would trot uphill past lots of horses and riders. Then they would pass us on the downhill stretches. But we passed more than later passed us, especially in Loop 1. You can see that clearly in the graphs of speed and elevation in my description of the separate loops.

Above: More pictures from the ride, mostly of plants. The madrone trees were amazing.

Loop 1

The ride started at 6am, but I did not mount until the crowd had left. Despite setting out five minutes after six, with no one in sight, Jazz was worked up. I attribute that to our experience at the La Grange Ditch 50, where I held Jazz back unnecessarily and made him very upset. Regardless of the cause, I had to make Jazz go slow at the beginning of the Buck Mountain Boogie, because there were a lot of rocks.

Jazz’s most crazy behavior was during the first mile, because I made him walk. We couldn’t see any other horses for a long time, besides one that passed us early on. Nina and Dave were behind us, but everyone else had already started. Unfortunately Jazz knew perfectly well they were up ahead!

As soon we got out of the river bottoms and started climbing, I let Jazz have his head. Well, ok, not entirely. But I did let him move more closely to his desired speed! He motored up the hill, and since we had ridden the trail twice already, he knew his way on every turn and over every log. We quickly caught up with the pack and started passing horses.

Yes, it was tough, but I had a heart rate monitor on Jazz and his never went above 180 bpm. Once he realized I wasn’t going to fight with him, he settled down and his heart rate stabilized. Even while trotting up the steepest slopes, it stayed between 150 and 160 bpm.

(Read my post on the Benefits of using a heart rate monitor.)

Above: The view from the Buck Mountain Boogie trail at 6:33am. It was a beautiful morning.

Eventually, Jazz calmed down. He then turned into a spook monster. For some reason, trotting along roads is scarier than following narrow trails. He found the cattle guard terrifying and wheeled 180 degrees on the way up and down. Then there was the sudden advent of asphalt in the middle of a heretofore dirt road. We were trotting along at 8mph and Jazz sat down and came to a screeching halt. I was convinced he had scraped his hocks, and asked the vet to look at him closely when we got back to camp, but he was fine.

Some statistics

I forgot to start my watch until 6:20, when we’d gone over 1.6 miles, so it only recorded 22.4 miles. Total duration was 3 hours, 33 minutes (total moving time 3:16). My watch recorded a total ascent of 3261′, but we had already gone up about 850′, so I would guess the total was ~4010′. Our average speed was 6.3 mph (average moving speed 6.8 mph). Jazz’s average heart rate was 108 bpm (max 180).

Above: Speed and elevation profiles for Loop 1 (top) and Loop 2 (bottom). Loop 2 had a long steep downhill grade from the top that was very hard on the horses. You can see that Jazz and I went slowly whenever we had to go downhill! Our speed spikes whenever there is uphill trail in the middle of a downhill run. My watch lost connection with Jazz’s heart rate monitor off and on, especially on the first loop.

Loop 2

We started Loop 2 at 10:53am. Jazz had eaten and drunk well during the hold, and he was much calmer… But he still had some spook in him! This time Jazz did not wheel as we approached the cattle guard, but he bolted after we had passed it. Since it was uphill, I took the opportunity to make him gallop as fast as he could for about 100 yards. Hopefully he will never want to bolt again!

We started Loop 2 right in the middle of the pack (11th of 21 I believe). However, I once again allowed Jazz to motor up the hills at a pace of his choosing. We had passed eight riders by the time we got to the top of the ridge. (All but Justin Loewen and Carla Eigenhauer, who are clearly in another league of endurance riders! I will never be capable of riding that fast.) Then I slowed down for the long steep downhill stretch you can clearly see in the speed and elevation profile images above.

Four or five horses and riders passed me on the way down that hill. Jazz was too tired to make a fuss! We caught up with them again on the next uphill stretch. Aurora Thompson on Apollo Tou Delos spent many of the last ten miles playing unintentional leap frog with Jazz and me. They would zoom past us on the downhills but we would pass them again on the uphill stretches. Great training for Jazz.

Final statistics

I remembered to start my watch fairly quickly, and it recorded 23.5 miles in 4 hours and 6 minutes (moving time 3:35:33). Our total ascent was 4009′. Jazz’s average speed was 5.7 mph (average moving speed 6.0 mph). His heart rate was very similar to the first loop, despite it being hotter: average 100 bpm, max 180. It was 55 when I dismounted, 44 at the vet check a few minutes later.

We finished fourth, to my surprise. I had thought there were a few riders in front of Aurora. I clearly lost count!

Conclusions

Jazz did an excellent job on this ride. Yes, he was too worked up at the start, but he relaxed. He was very fit and it showed. This was not an easy ride. Jazz was very sore behind the withers, due to saddle fit (he had lost a bit of weight) and those long downhill declines. Other than that, however, he was in great shape. His legs were clean after the ride, the next morning, and after the long trailer ride home.

Above: Jazz on two of our pit stops along the freeway. He won’t pee in the trailer (despite abundant bedding), so I unload every 3-4 hours. He is happy to pee anywhere soft, and has no problems with semis and traffic!

I had my farrier take Jazz’s shoes off the next day. I planned to give him 8 weeks barefoot, turned out on a hilly 30-acre parcel. He was happy and sound. Four weeks after coming home, I had ridden him once and ponied him once when I got the Facebook message from his owner telling me she was having her trainer pick him up early the next morning.

The Buck Mountain Boogie was a great last ride to have with Jazz. He showed off all of his strengths (powering up hills, going through any type of water, drinking and eating along the trail). He demonstrated progress by behaving well for the vet and playing leapfrog calmly with many other horses on the second loop. And we were fourth of 21 horses on a tough ride!