July 6, 2017
With the news of the trail closure of Segment 7 due to a fire, our plans for the day had changed.
We were so fortunate to be able to find someone willing to step in and help provide transportation for our horses around the fire closure all the way to the start of Segment 8 at the Copper Mountain Trailhead.
In the morning, we were able to sleep in… just a little. When we woke up, we packed up camp and then made our way down toward the Blair Witch Trailhead, where we would meet Leah, our first “Trail Angel.”
A Trail Angel is someone who provides support on trail for thru hikers (oh and us thru riders, as well). In the thru-hiking world, they call this support trail magic. It can show up anytime, anywhere, unexpectedly. From help with transportation, offering a ride, providing meals, supplies, lodging etc… All I can say, trail magic can be the most amazing and uplifting experience when you feel the generosity of others supporting you on your thru-hike/ride.
It would take two trips to get all six horses to the Copper Mountain Trailhead. Makani, Zurhk and Dazzel went in the first load, since they had quickly become buddies on trail. Leah dropped us off at the trailhead and then headed back to pick Zeus, Sam and Fireball.
We found a place where we would be allowed to set up camp and got the horses settled in. There was no point trying to add in any mileage for the day. The horses have had five days of riding, and a rest day was well deserved. So we took a Zero Day.
The horses were able to graze all day in camp, while we found time to go into Copper Mountain and get a big, cooked meal. We always worked it out that one person would stay in camp with the horses, so that the others could enjoy some time in town.
Tomorrow, we would start Segment 8. We had a pretty big climb in the morning.
