WHILE MY BACK cries out in pain at the thought of it, my spirit soars with envy hearing how Juelie Dalzell and husband Jeff Chapman of Port Townsend are now traveling via horse and buggy on The Palouse to Cascades trail, formally known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. They are taking part in the annual cross-state ride sponsored by John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders Association.
I’ve heard many others share their excitement in taking part in the ride, so I was thrilled for both when I heard the news. These avid Back Country Horsemen Buckhorn Range members are among 90 riders taking part in the annual 240-mile ride this year.
Dalzell’s horse, Jack, is pulling the cart. Jack is a Norwegian Fjord, a breed of a strong but smaller, lighter draught horse. He’s 24, and Dalzell’s ridden him long hours and kept him in good condition — even through winter — in preparation for the 18-day trek.
The ride starts near the crest of the Cascade Mountains and winds down into the desert, so riders must be prepared for all types of weather extremes, from freezing snow to a blazing sun.
I asked Dalzell if the entire trail was wide enough for her cart. She said it was, because the trail is a Rails-to-Trails conversion similar to the Olympic Discovery Trail. That means almost all the trail lies along an old railroad bed. Unlike the ODT, the ground jutting from it contains chunks of rock used to form level ground for the rails.
Some of their fellow travelers will be driving wagons of all types, including covered carriages and small carts like hers. Horseback riders and a few mountain bikers also will be joining them.
Those with rubber tires have been warned to bring spares with patching material because the rocks have punctured a great many tires in the past.
For those with horses and mules, the animals need to wear steel shoes with a touch of borium for extra traction as well as have synthetic pads between the shoes and hooves to protect the animals from bruised soles. Those bruises have ended more than a few rides.
Consider quality hoof boots as well as bell boots to keep rock debris out.
Each morning’s routine includes saddling or harnessing up the horse and then leaving the horse in camp with someone else to drive the vehicles and gear to the next campsite.
“And then there’s a bus that brings you back to your horse, and you start riding toward that night’s campsite,” said Dalzell, 73.
Like Dalzell and Chapman, the organizers said about half of the riders are older than 60.
When I asked how long riders would be sitting in the saddle or in the cart each day, Dalzell replied:
“It varies. We start off with a short day of 11 hours. The longest day ride is 24 miles. We’ll also have two rest days during the trip.”
As Dalzell described the long miles and hours of sitting in the cart, I thought, “Oh, my aching backside” because I didn’t see much padding on those seats; I didn’t see any springs to cushion the ride from the bumpy trail either.
Dalzell chuckled.
“While our small cart will be easier for Jack to pull, it won’t be all that comfortable for us riders. That’s why I went out and bought some extra cushions just for that.”
She also heard there will be a massage therapist available on rest days. I sure hope there’s more than one therapist to serve all 90 people.
At night, she and Chapman will bed down in their comfy camper. Some will set up beds in their horse trailers while others will be in tents.
Overall, the group will be “roughing it” without electricity, internet or even cell phone service most days. While most overnight camps will have water, not all of them will, so each person must haul three days of water for both animals and humans, along with hay and feed for the horses.
Most meals are provided for humans, as well as a traveling four-seat porta-potty. Anyone needing to ease the call of nature at the side of the trail is asked to follow Leave No Trace practices by carrying out their soiled toilet paper in plastic bags.
Training
“My husband and I decided to go the John Wayne Trail Ride together, but we decided his horse wasn’t fit enough,” Dalzell said. “So, I thought, ‘Well, OK then, I’ll train Jack to drive my little cart, so we can drive together.’ ”
Both she and Jack lacked experience — he in pulling and she in driving — so she turned to friend Sarah “Sally” Dean. Considered a local guru of drivers, she helped Dalzell and Chapman for several weeks to train Jack to drive and pull the cart.
“She broke it down into steps, showing me one step at a time,” Dalzell said.
Dalzell and Chapman practiced for a week, and then Dean showed them the next step.
“She’s just been a wonderful teacher,” Dalzell said.
Now that she’s been at it a while, she feels confident letting Jack lead the way on the ride.
Local trail
A week or so ago, Andrea Gold said she was walking on the Larry Scott Trail when she was pleasantly surprised to run into Dalzell and Dean driving Jack.
As a child, she said she drove a pony cart and had just recently purchased two Amish driving horses — “who’ve been there, done that” — from CM Farms in Pennsylvania with the goal of getting back into driving.
“I’ve known these ladies for years, and I hadn’t realized that Juelie started driving, so it was a happy surprise,” Gold said. “I’ve recently met a couple other people who also drive. Lacey Pontius used to be a commercial driver in St. Louis and now lives in the south end Beaver Valley with two draft horses she drives.”
Bonny Short is a former Pony Club leader who drives her mini-horses, said Gold, who added, “We’ve got this small community of people (who) are interested in horse driving around this area. That’s kind of cool.”
Dalzell’s offered to take me out in her cart with Jack when they get back. I look forward to it and to hearing all about their journey on the John Wayne Pioneer trail.
For more information about the trail, visit John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders Association at johnwaynetrailride.com.
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Karen Griffiths’ column, Peninsula Horseplay, appears the second and fourth Sunday of each month.
If you have a horse event, clinic or seminar you would like listed, please email Griffiths at kbg@olympus.net at least two weeks in advance. You can also call her at 360-460-6299.
