ON TAHOE RIM TRAIL
Meet Pony Express re-ride riders and their horses in the Tahoe Meadows
off of Mt. Rose Highway on Friday, Aug. 9
By Nicole Cheslock, NC Communications.
The National Pony Express Association conducted a re-ride of the Pony Express Trail just last month. The ride, including a portion of the Tahoe Rim Trail, was a non-stop event including more than 600 riders and horses. On Friday, Aug. 9, Lake Tahoe and Reno visitors and residents can meet Pony Express re-ride participants, Petra Keller and her horse Tiara Nevada (“T”), among others, on the Tahoe Rim Trail as part of the inaugural Tahoe Rim Trail Challenge, a self guided adventure open to the public.
“Adults are keen to meet our equestrian friends and learn more on the Tahoe Rim Trail, and kids love feeding carrots to our horses,” shares Keller, a member of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA) Board of Directors. “Come out to meet us on the trail on Friday, Aug. 9. This is such a fun photo opportunity and recreation event with a historic twist for friends and families.”
Ranked among the most remarkable feats of the American West, the Pony Express was in service from April 1860 to November 1861. Its primary mission was to deliver mail and news between St. Joseph, MO and San Francisco, CA. Telegrams and letters were carried in a “mochila,” the Spanish word for knapsack. Keller and her friends from the National Pony Express Association will have a mochila used in the Pone Express re-ride on the trail. While other riders carried mail by horseback, it was the mochila, easily transferrable from one horse to another, that made the Pony Express unique. Since the riders had just two minutes to exchange horses, the mochila design allowed for easy and quick removal and placement on a fresh horse at remount stations, was used. The rider’s weight kept the mochila in place during the rugged rides. In addition to a mochila, T’s mother, a Nevada Mustang named Charlie, will be on site from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 9. Everyone donning a Tahoe Rim Trail Challenge T-shirt is eligible for giveaways on Aug. 9.
TAHOE RIM TRAIL CHALLENGE
The inaugural Tahoe Rim Trail Challenge is a self-guided program designed to encourage people to enjoy the great outdoors and support the TRTA, the non-profit organization expressly dedicated to stewardship of the trail. The 2013 Trail Challenge features six extremely scenic and accessible locations that vary in length from two to six miles roundtrip. The Challenge is open to the public and new members are encouraged to join. Upon registration, members receive access to a special members-only webpage with interesting hike descriptions and colorful pictures, a tech T-shirt plus annual membership to the Tahoe Rim Trail Association and invitations to members-only events. Membership costs $55 for individuals and $85 for families. Custom corporate packages are also available.
The Trail Challenge is excited to announce the Historic Pony Express Celebration Giveaway Day on Aug. 9 as part of the “Where’s McLeod? Giveaway Days.” Representatives will be staged at various vista points to cheer on participants and provide a free giveaway from presenting Trail Challenge sponsors in addition to photo opportunities with trail mascot, McLeod the Marmot. Everyone who is wearing their Trail Challenge T-shirt or joins on-site will receive gifts including cold water provided by Spin Games. Giveaways include gift certificates, whistles, bandanas and more from corporate sponsors including CA Technologies, Redemption Sports and Squeeze In. Additional Trail Challenge Giveaway Days will take place on Aug. 24 and Sept. 21. Visit www.trailchallenge.tahoerimtrail.org to register.
The 2013 Tahoe Rim Trail Challenge is made possible from generous sponsorship support from NV Energy, Spin Games, REI, Desert Research Institute, International Game Technology, The Weekly, 101.5, KOLO 8, Reno Gazette Journal and Capital Public Radio as well as Sunshine Tahoe, Squeeze In, KristineMitchell.com, KPS|3, North American Embroidery, and NC Communications.
ABOUT THE TAHOE RIM TRAIL ASSOCIATION (TRTA)
Established in 1981, TRTA is a membership-supported organization that maintains and enhances the Tahoe Rim Trail, a trail like no other™. TRTA exists to practice and inspire stewardship, promote access to the beauty of the Lake Tahoe region and sustain the Tahoe Rim Trail system. This mission is accomplished through two overarching programs: Trail Operations and Trail Use. Both programs offer in-depth trainings and rewarding volunteer opportunities. TRTA recruits, trains and manages approximately 1,000 volunteers who contribute more than 17,000 hours annually to support TRTA’s mission. Volunteer efforts, individual and corporate donations and grant funding make TRTA’s annual stewardship work and more than one hundred free public offerings possible. Visit http://www.tahoerimtrail.org.
Attached image:
Petra Keller, a member of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association Board of Directors, and Tiara Nevada riding a portion of the Tahoe Rim Trail during the June 2013 Historic Pony Express Re-Ride.
Credit: Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA)
