Nine hour horse trek by Carly Gooch

This is a story written by Carly Gooch. I wrote it for English class. It's a continuation from the Kolob horse ride. Pictures are below on the kolob post.




NINE HOUR HORSE TREK
Have you ever ridden on a horse that's only been ridden three other times before, on a nine hour horse ride, on a rocky dangerous terrain in the middle of Zion's Nation Park? i think not.
It started when my dad asked me to go riding with my cousins. I'd been riding lots of times before, but for nine hours on a green broke horse? My dad ASSured me the horse, Curly, would do just fine. She was a sweet horse of thirteen and generally calm, so i decided to go.
We loaded up the horses on a bright frosty morning at 6:00 A.M. We drove to Zion and met up with my uncle and some of his kids. His wife Chantra, my favorite cousin Kailee, (13) Sunnie (10) and Preston (4) were all there. The first part of the mountain was easy and beautiful, but as we got deeper and deeper, it was like heading into the bottom of the ocean. It was so pretty. The foliage was so lush, green and thick. The rocks were steep. Three times my horse slipped, but she managed to pull herself up and keep on going.
At around 10:15 we stopped in a secluded area surrounded by skyscraper trees for a potty and eating break. My legs felt as if I'd been doing the splits all day. Soon we got back on and continued our little trek.
The scenery was just as beautiful. We would trot, gallop, or just walk the horses. I talked with my cousin and smelled all the flowers. It was near lunchtime, and we knew the waterfall was near.
Ten miles to go and my aunt's saddle slipped sideways; she fell off her mustang. It was pretty scary, but she was okay. Seven miles to go and, (this is one of my personal favorites) My legs were really getting tired so I swung them over to one side. My horse was really calm and she didn't mind, but when Kailee tried it...her mustang, Kate, didn't really appreciate it and she took off. A minute later she was readjusted back in her saddle. Four miles left and there's a sideways hill. The only way to get to the other side is by crossing over the big slippery rock that's right smack dab in the middle. There's a stream about three horses wide and knee length deep. It was rushing fast, and i seemed to be able to feel its movement in my stomache...Swishing inside. I'm worried for my horse and had a prompting feeling to get off and lead her over it.
As Curly and I crossed over the rock, her feet started to slip! I didn't want to let go of the lead rope, but as she went farther and farther down the rock, I could hear my dad's voice over my own beating heart!
"Let go! Carly, let go!"

I did.

Curly slipped off the rock and fell the four and a half feet down into the stream below. She luckily landed on her feet and got away with only a few scratches. She stood there for a minute, shook herself off, then began eating the grass along the stream bank.
I was very relieved. She seemed fine, so I got back on her and we continued. The rest of the ride was watery and we were walking in constant mud. We could now hear the falls!
"It can't be far!" my uncle said, pulling out his camera. And sure enough, the next turn led us to the beautful falling diamonds of water. It was dazzling. The moss and vines were hanging over the rocks and the water spilled into a stream. we ate a soggy lunch and let the horses rest and drink. My legs hurt so much I looked like a duck waddling around while trying to stretch out.
I was feeling better, sitting there chatting with my cousins when I realized we still had to go all the way back!

LoVE,
cArlY GoOCh.