Thu May 18, 2006
Well today I had quite the adventure on Sugar!
Me and a friend decided to head up to the Main Corral. Looking at the trail map on the Maple Ridge website, this trail called "East Shoesmith" looked like the shortest and most direct route to the Corral. So we trucked along through Maple Ridge Park to the neighbourhood we ride through to get to the trail head we usually take when we do that 1 hour loop. Instead of taking the right fork (to do the loop) we took the left fork and after a few minutes found the trail we were looking for. Not 20 feet up the trail there's a huge bank and I can't figure out where the trail goes. The only place that looked like the trail involved climbing up over this huge boulder. All four hooves on sheer rock at the same time + shoes + climbing = baaad idea. The trail looked super ghetto and we couldn't figure out how the heck to get over the huge bank so we turned around and headed up this trail called Tent, but then I remembered from the map that it was a loop trail, so we turned around AGAIN. We doubled back and ended up on the trail we usually take to get home when we do the 1 hour loop, but instead of taking the connecting one that heads back down to Maple Ridge Park, we continued down the road to the start of the Braidwood trail. We saw the little horseshoe sign that means a trail head is coming up so we went left on another road that led up into one of the new developing neighbourhoods. Just when I wasn't sure whether to go left or straight ahead (there were two streets to choose from), I hear my name being called, and I see a lady I used to board with at another barn come out of her house and head towards me. We chatted for a few minutes and she told us to continue straight ahead and we'd see the start of the trail. We headed up the road and saw another horseshoe sign, but after a few minutes we hit gravel and there were no more signs, it just looked like we were heading up someone's driveway. We were going to turn around when I noticed the dried horse poop on the road, haha, so we continued following the gravel road and just past the driveway was the beginning of the Braidwood trail!
We followed the Braidwood trail down a ways, it was a switchback with some steps thrown in here and there. Sugar was extremely hyper by this point and thought it would be fun to do flying leaps down the steps. We got down to the bottom of the hill and popped out in another newly developed neighbourhood. We followed a gravel path that was next to the sidewalk that looked like a continuation of the trail, and then I looked to my right and I totally recognized where we were - the same route we took once going to the Main Corral from my old barn. Another trail head started just then, Ann and Earl Conn Trail, and we took that through the trees for a few moments until we reached a fork.
Now this is the place where I want to go back and smack myself! I looked ahead a bit on the trail we were on and THOUGHT it was blocked off because I saw some rocks and overgrown bush and just assumed they'd moved the trail because of the new developments. So we took the fork to the right, which was a bulldozed area. The bulldozed area headed downhill for a few minutes and then met the woods again. I couldn't find a trail for the life of me and was thoroughly confused. The horses were getting quite tired by then after our escapades with doubling-back, turning around, doing unnecessary loops, etc. So we decided to head home and we'd figure out the trail another day. When we got off the bulldozed road and back to that fork, I looked a little more carefully at the trail, and DUH - it wasn't blocked off at all, I just didn't look hard enough. I felt sooo stupid! We went down that trail a little ways just to make sure and indeed, it's not blocked off and that is the final trail down to the Main Corral. It was only about another 15-20 minutes from there. I knew from going on that trail before though that there was hillwork from there and our horses were already very tired from our mishaps, so we did end up turning around. We went back along the trail we took before (this time Sugar thought flying leaps cross-country style UP the steps would be thrilling), past the house where I saw the lady I used to board with, and I noticed a trail directly on the other side of the road called Centennial. I remembered seeing it on the map and thought, what the heck, at least it's in the direction of home, so we went down this 3-minute trail and voila - we're back in Maple Ridge Park. I couldn't believe it! 1.5 hours of loops and doubling back and we could've just taken this one little trail and been in Braidwood in 10-15 minutes. shocking.gif
But now we know the way *for sure* for next time, and we can make it up to the Main Corral. Now that we know this super quick way to get up there, I'm hoping that the horses won't be tired by the time we reach the Corral and maybe we can head over to Alco Park. That tacks on an extra hour and a half to the ride so it really depends on how the horses handle the direct and non-mishap-ridden route to the Main Corral. If they're tuckered out we'll condition them some more before we go to Alco Park.
Sugar had a drink in the creek on the way home through Maple Ridge Park and then we turned them out in the mare paddock for a roll while I quickly cleaned my stall. We gave them both a nice cool hosing in the washrack and then tucked them in for dinner in their stalls at 7pm. Sugar will be VERY happy to get her massage and chiropractor adjustment tomorrow! Our appointment is tomorrow at 6pm. If the chiro gives the okay, I'll ride Sugar in the arena on Friday, then she'll get the weekend off (too many things on the go for me!). If it's not raining on Monday we're going to go on the next trailride, but we may have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday if the weather gets bad like it's supposed to. C'est la vie!
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