By Cathy Hatcher (pictures & scouting), Pat Dallam (maps), and Adda Quinn (text)
On August 12, 2001, eight ladies rode the second biannual Butt Buster ride from the San Francisco Peninsula ridgeline to Rancho del Oso where Waddell Creek flows into the Pacific Ocean. We were all just your regular old hack trail riders who usually can stand to be in the saddle 4-5 hours at a walk-trot without too much complaining, as long as there are cold beers in the tack room when we get back to the rigs. No fancy endurance-type riders in this crowd, mind you.
Wurr Road. Sounds ugly. Wurrrrrrr WAS uggggly. It's a semi-circle connecting onto Pescadero Road in two places. You definitely want to take the uphill end when going to the Hoffman Creek Trailhead of Memorial Park (San Mateo County Park and Recreation Dept.). If you err, and take the downhill end of Wurr Road, you get to suffer your three-horse gooseneck rig over a narrow one-lane bridge approached by a bend in the road. This entailed backing uphill to get in position to save the taillights from imminent destruction. At one point Wurr Road was so narrow, and impinged upon by giant redwood trees that we unloaded the horses in anticipation of reversing course by backing up a narrow driveway to the right while attempting not to go over the narrow road edge on the left into the creek thirty feet below. Fortunately, a kindly local homeowner observing our plight wandered out with his cup of coffee and assured us that if we could get our rig around the next curve we would be home free to make it to the other end of Wurr Road. Loaded the kids back in the rig and with much gnashing of teeth and nails and managed to squeak around the giant redwood on our right. Whew!
At Hoffman Creek Bridge on Wurr Road Pescadero Park starting spot
It turned out that it was a good thing that we had been so stupid to take the wrong entrance to Wurr Road, because on the way to the opposite end of the road we met Lyndall and her Quarter Horse, Tucker, parked along the road in the middle of nowhere, wondering if she was in the right spot. Follow us, we said more confidently after what we had just been through. Sure enough, around the bend we met the rest of our group who had taken the correct end of Wurr Road to get to the trailhead. If we hadn't goofed getting there, she may not have made the ride. These things always work out, don't they!
This year's candidates for Busted Butts included Cathy Hatcher (who pre-rode the trail route for us two years ago), Edie Morin, Sissi Baskin and I (all four original Butt Busters from the 1999 ride). New additions this year included Pat Dallam, Fran Grace, Haley Baskin, and Lyndall Erb. The only requirements for joining the ride are a horse fit for 25 miles plus, and no whining. Humans ranged from 12 year old Haley to 56 year old Adda. Horses ranged from a 25 year old pony, to 4 buff Quarter Horses, a mustang, an Arab, and a Missouri Fox Trotter. All were proven, trail-worthy mounts.
Cathy Hatcher led us out on her Arab, Mistral, about 8:30am. A cool, mountain fog had everyone inclined to move at a brisk walk from the Hoffman Creek Trailhead down the Old Haul Road. After about half an hour we reached the right turn onto the Butano Ridge Trail Loop which is a steady uphill switchback trail through a beautiful deciduous forest with a dense tree canopy. About half way up, Haley (who weighs nothing and has not an ounce of fat on her) got cold and in reaching for gloves, dropped one on the trail. "Mooooom," was plaintively wailed at the prospect of stopping her horse StarFire to pick it up. She was immediately informed that there was no such person known as a mom on this trip. She was on her own, and to her credit that was the last time she had to be told!
At the top of the mountain we turned left and took the Butano Ridge Road to where it ends in a gate. The trail continues to the left up the hill, which is a little counter-intuitive, since the ocean is to your right. But eventually you snake through some private property easements and hit the China Grade Road in Big Bain State Park in about an hour. Thus far, these trails were hiking/equestrian only. While there is a single-track trail just opposite where you emerge on the China Grade Road, it is not for the feint of heart. We recommend turning right on the road itself, watching out for cars, until you see the huge sign for the Cutter Boy Scout Camp. To the left, you will see the Johansen Road gate. Enter the Park there. You are now in mixed user territory including bikes This demands a bit more vigilance behind, but the bikers were all courteous. The sun was out now making some of these roads (which are all dirt, by the way) quite warm whenever scrub vegetation predominated.
After lunch at Big Basin in the redwoods
The whole trip was being GPS'd by Pat Dallam who had the antenna duck taped to her riding helmet. She looked a bit like My Favorite Martian on her sweet little mustang, Shadow, when viewed from behind. The maps in this article are courtesy of her and her hubby Mike Harper. We lost the satellite at one point toward the end, thus have two profiles at different scales.
Johansen Road splits and you take the left option for Middle Ridge Road down to where it intersects with Gazos Creek Road. With 4.5 hours in the saddle, we were all ready for a break. A left turn on Gazos Creek Road took us down to a creek and picnic area with piped water. This is the first water available for the horses on this route and the only restrooms you will find until the beach. We picnicked in a cool grove of towering redwood trees from about 1-2pm, telling lies and sharing snacks. The horses welcomed the respite and were treated to carrots, apples and hand-carried water. Fran Grace's white QH, Hank, was so dirty we wrote Hank's Bun and Butt Busters on his flanks in his own self-generated mud to commemorate our trek.
Retraced our route back to the gate at Middle Ridge Road, then just beyond it about 100 feet to turn left to Hihn-Hammond Road which drops down another ridge. You will come to another fork in the road. Take the right fork in the direction of Mt. McAbee Overlook. Signs in Big Basin Park are kind of confusing. Near the top of the sign in itty bitty print is the name of the trail/road that you are on. Then in great big print are the names of other destinations. You are now in a very interesting geologic formation of chalk ridges. Soil is white; trees are sparse and really scrubby here. There are fantastic vistas of both the Coastal mountains and shoreline to enjoy. As you continue down Hihn-Hammond Road look for a sign and sharp left turn up over a six-foot high naked chalk berm. It was about here that Sissi decided to shorten her Quarter Horse, Flight's, stirrups but got them so short that she couldn't get back on her horse which had the riders laughing to tears. Edie had to show her how it's done by swinging into the saddle on her ample Quarter Horse, Sheriff.
Down the Chalk Ridge to the Ocean at Rancho del Oso Waddell Creek
This is the beginning of the McCrary Ridge Trail. And what a doozy it is! It is a steep single-track trail with spectacular views of the ocean where you are headed. We understand that this is one of the official routes in the Swanton Pacific Endurance Ride. Awesome, covers it all. Fabulous, technical riding. You stay on an exposed chalk ridge about half the way down, and then enter another lovely deciduous forest to where the trail ends at the Skyline to the Sea Trail. Turn left and cross the creek to water your horses. Watch out for five feet tall stinging nettles on the creek bank. You are now within hiking range of the Waddell Creek Trailhead and there will be lots of hikers and bikers in this verdant, lushly vegetated creek valley. It was about at this point that Cathy kept telling Fran that the end was only 15 minutes away - every 15 minutes!
Once you cross the wooden bridge, you are on agricultural land with a few houses. The flowers and truck crops are beautiful, and grow huge in the fine alluvial soil. Take the right fork in the road near the beach to get to Rancho del Oslo Horse Camp at Waddell Creek. My Fox Trotter, Cocoa, could not wait to "be there", wherever THERE was in his pea-sized brain (he had never been there before!), so Haley and I were first to arrive at 4:30pm, knocking a full hour off of our previous time. Our sweet husbands, who had dropped us at Hoffman Creek earlier in the day, were there with the coals hot, cooking tacquitos and oysters. Everyone had brought food and wine to share and there was an absolute feast awaiting us. We put the horses in the fixed corrals and fed them all they could eat for their fine performances of the day. We had our cocktails facing the beach where boarders were using colorful kites to pull them through the surf and ride in the bay in the warm amber afternoon glow of the day. It just does not get any better than this!
All riders and mounts arrived safely and in good health. The weather was incomparable. The vistas were superior. And best of all: There was NO WHINING. It continues to amaze us that how after a rigorous all-day ride these fabulous horses still have the desire and inclination to want to trot into the finish. What magnificent animals horses are! And what a fantastic opportunity to enjoy old friends and bond quickly with new ones! This ride will definitely be repeated in the future. Eight riders are about the right number to minimize stops along the way.
P.S.
We have to admit that there was a fair amount of sitting around on soft cushions for the next couple of days with wine glasses and a probable run-up in the stock of Preparation H, but there was still no whining.
For questions about horses and trails, keeping horses on trails, and environmental and health issues about horses and trail use please contact Adda Quinn at envirohorse@yahoo.com and see our websites at www.californiastatehorsemen.com/envirohorse.htm or www.smcha.org
