Head for the Hills!

Tons of new updated information on the 'Trail Updates' as trails are drying out and all those damned mosquitoes finally disappearing. Noted wildlife and equestrian artist Shannon Luyendyk poured over maps with me last week - the girl's determined to ride every single spare moment! She'd recently ridden southwards of the Little Elbow trailhead on the main cobbley exploration road (the Big Elbow Loop intro-section) and then up onto the Three Point Mountain Trail.

Steep that one, in places, and you need fittish horses but once you get high, well, even your horses admire the views. Seriously! Turning around after a lunch-break, and back at the valley's bottom floor, the girls took the softer-on-the-feet earth track that runs parallel back to Little Elbow.

Well, I rode it last year and the last section had a fair amount of deadfall with old growth forest all around. I had an experienced mountain horse and one who'd packed besides in his youth (they learn to go 'around' the tree and your kneecaps get to stay intact, nice) but if I'd be riding something a bit more skittish, well, it could have been interesting.

Shannon's comments were sharper, as now apparently part of that trail is undercut from the river running in sections underneath and definitely they felt adrenalin nasties negotiating some of the sections. Oops. From the southerly point descending from the Three Point Mountain trail, there was no indicating this could possibly be a not-safe trail - although there is, apparently, helpfully a notice at its northerly 4-way join up onto the Wildhorse Trail.

And, here's a photograph for the records. Safety means taking an up-to-date map and knowing how to read it besides! Here are the girls at decision time, saddlebags filled with lunch, safety first aid kits and waterproof layers. Perfect.