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I grew up in Texas, the land of cowboys and horses, so I know a little something about riding—but not enough to stop myself from entering this year’s Western States Trail Ride, also known as the Tevis Cup. It’s a 100-mile (161-kilometer), 24-hour trek on horseback through California’s rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains.
I was smart enough to seek advice from people with a little more horse sense than me. The first thing I learned was that despite a lifetime in jeans, I didn’t even know how to dress. Wear those pants, I was told, and after about 50 miles (80 kilometers) I wouldn’t be able to sit in the saddle—or anywhere else. One secret of comfortable riding: Panty hose, worn under jeans to prevent chafing!
The day before the ride, I met Chuck, the Arabian horse saddled with me for the duration. We went out and rode one canyon together so I could get a feel for the trail and Chuck could get a feel for me. We both knew immediately that race day would be the longest 24 hours of our lives.
At 5 a.m. on ride day, some 200 riders headed off down a narrow, dusty trail in the dark. The horses seemed as excited as the riders, jumping around, straining against the reins, bumping into each other. Some were slipping on the rocks, and a couple actually fell during the hectic start. But a major concern at the Tevis is the condition of the animals. If regular vet checks find a horse showing signs of too much wear, rider and horse are pulled from the race. About half the entrants every year are disqualified along the way.
Fortunately, I had a good human partner, “Potato” Richardson. He’s successfully completed the Tevis 13 times. This would not be number 14. Since we were filming this ride for National Geographic EXPLORER, we knew we wouldn’t be able to keep up with the others. We planned for a trailer to meet us periodically and jump us ahead. Thanks to some miscommunication, it was 12 hours before we first connected with the trailer. At that point, Chuck was holding up a lot better than I was!
We ultimately completed about 45 miles (72 kilometers) of the 100-mile (161-kilometer) trail in 17 hours. I tried to score a special award as the person who spent the most time in the saddle and covered the least distance, but the organizers didn’t think that was prize-worthy. My saddle sores were my only trophy. You can join me on the race and see the person who actually won the Tevis when my Explorer Journal segment, Racing the High Sierras, premieres on Sunday, November 17. Happy trails!
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Behind the Scenes Extra!
How did the EXPLORER crew cover the Tevis Cup endurance ride? The shoot included everything from pitch-dark night, brutal high Sierra sun, a temperature range of 45 to 105 °F (7 to 41 °C), high humidity, light rain, and many miles of hauling equipment in extremely dusty conditions.
Supervising producer Margaret Burnette used five different types of cameras: the new Sony digital 3-chip and the just-released JVC Digital Palmcorder, plus the more traditional Beta SP, Canon Hi-8, and lipsticks (small cameras that can be mounted almost anywhere!).
“The challenge we faced was trying to cover Boyd while also trying to cover the faster-paced frontrunners,” says Burnette. “It was a great opportunity to compare and contrast cameras, and to put the new digital cameras through a serious field test!”
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