Along for the historic ride

In the days before planes, trains and automobiles, horses were the main means of travel between B.C.’s rich interior and the scattered settlements on the coast.

The importance of that means of transport in B.C.’s early history is being commemorated by the Backcountry Horsemen of B.C.’s Aldergrove and Yarrow chapters. They are in the midst of a nine-day ride between Fort Langley and Jacobson Lake in the Interior, where they are scheduled to arrive on Saturday.

I had the privilege of joining about a dozen riders for a portion of their ride on Saturday. My daughter Chrissy, an experienced horsewoman, and I met up with them early Saturday at Gladwin Pond in Abbotsford, their campsite for the first night. They rode from Fort Langley to the campsite, just west of Mission Bridge, on Friday.

We spent a good part of the day in the saddle, first on the Matsqui dyke, then on roads in the eastern end of Matsqui Prairie, with the stretch along Clayburn Road into Clayburn village being the most challenging, given the high volume of traffic.

From there on, the ride became very interesting — and much more like it would have been 150 years ago. We headed up Sumas Mountain on a good trail off Straiton Road. This was very similar to pre-automobile days — a wide trail which climbed steadily to allow horses and mules to make good time.

When we reached the top of this trail, we stopped for a lunch break. The horses and mules were tethered to nearby trees, and didn’t seem to mind the stop.

By this time, we had been on the trail for about three hours. The climb into the cool forest was a welcome break from the warm sun we had experienced on the prairie.

On horseback, one has time to think. It’s much different than travelling by car, where the radio or CD player is on and the cellphone is ringing. The pace is slow and steady. One notices plants, trees, wildlife and many other interesting sights.

After our lunch break, we crossed a road and headed right into a bush area, on a barely-noticeable trail.

For the pack animals, this was a challenge. One young horse ended up running into the trees with packs once too often, and the pack became unbalanced.

When we got out into an open area, the horse wouldn’t stay in the line. This called for a stop and a repack — which took surprisingly little time. It was all done within about 20 minutes.

Jim McCrae, a veteran packer who prefers mules to horses, explained to me as he was loading up that the packs must be balanced in weight, not only on each side of the horse’s back, but also within the packs themselves. The balance must be as close to even as possible, so that it’s easy for the horse or mule.

After that, we headed over Sumas Mountain to the prairie on its south side. We wandered up and down a pipeline trail, travelling onto roads on occasion. Most of the ride was on the trail. I had a memorable moment when going down and then up a steep embankment, leaning backwards when I should have been leaning forwards. Fortunately, my horse Bro was a lot wiser than I was and I stayed in the saddle.

At the bottom of Sumas Mountain, we took a very brief break and enjoyed cold water supplied by Peter Thiessen, a Backcountry Horsemen member who was driving the support vehicle. This truck and trailer, with signs supplied by The Times, and flying B.C. and Canada flags, was a lifesaver on busy roads.

Thankfully, the rest of our ride was on trails along the Sumas River. Views were incredibly scenic and it was hard not to feel like we were riding back in time.

The telltale reminders that a bear had also used the trail was a reminder that even in 2008, B.C. remains a wild and rugged place — even within sight of Highway 1 and its Saturday afternoon traffic.

Chrissy and I left the group a short distance west of where they were to head onto a trail along the Vedder Canal. They were riding along there to a campsite in Yarrow — after some nine hours or more in the saddle.

On Sunday, they travelled from Yarrow to the Tamihi campsite along the Chilliwack River — crossing a busy Cultus Lake road in the midst of the Sunday afternoon traffic. With the help of Chilliwack RCMP, the crossing was safe and quick.

On Monday morning, they were heading deep into the mountains. They were on their way to Chilliwack Lake, then east over Paleface Pass into the Skagit drainage. By Thursday, they plan to ride up the Skagit River to Sumallo Grove in Manning Park, and travel deep into the mountains north of the Cascade recreation area. They are set to arrive at Jacobson Lake on Saturday.

The ride gave me a new appreciation of the rigours of travelling by horseback, packing your own goods and a lot of other freight, and relying completely on the “horse sense” of your animals and your own experience to get to your destination safely.

Things weren’t easy for the pioneers — but there were few dull moments.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES

The Backcountry Horsemen of B.C.’s commemorative BC 150 ride wasn’t simple to organize.

Carleigh Paterson, who recently graduated as a farrier from the Kwantlen University College’s Cloverdale campus, was in charge of the ride on Friday and Saturday. The talented young woman and experienced rider, who rode her horse 35 miles for fun just a week ago, spent more than six months checking out trails and routes, seeing firsthand which roads were the safest, which trails needed repairs or gate keys and getting permission to camp.

She and other members of the group spent hours in planning sessions, ensuring that every conceivable obstacle was discussed and dealt with.

Their attention to detail in its own way reflects the pioneers’ methods. A pack trip across the Cascade Mountains, as was often undertaken by Hudson’s Bay Company employees and ranchers like Princeton’s John Fall Allison, entailed a lot of planning and attention to the smallest detail. Inattention could be, and sometimes was, fatal.

The Horsemen also have had lots of support from several sponsors — The Times, Station House Pub and Restaurant in Aldergrove and the Super Save Group. The sponsors believe strongly in the heritage aspect of the ride, as it marks B.C.’s 150th birthday.

Support from the RCMP, Abbotsford Police, BC Parks, Metro Vancouver Parks, Fort Langley National Historic Site and tourism officials was also critical in making the event happen.

As of Monday morning, everything was proceeding well and an important part of B.C. history was being relived firsthand.