James turns 50 at Riders Camp

Turning 50 is different for everyone, some people celebrate with a big blow out birthday bash, some people jump out of an airplane and then some don’t do anything at all. If there had been no limitation, James would have celebrated his 50th on a guided bear hunt in Alaska, but we couldn’t work that into our budget. Therefore, he decided a weekend getaway in the Wenatchee National Forest with his wife, horse, and his dog was just what he wanted!

His birthday lands in early May, and well before Memorial Day, so we didn't fight crowds of people. We loaded the horses up Saturday morning and drove a few hours east to Central WA, where we set up for the weekend at Riders Camp. We had the place entirely to ourselves! We high lined the boys near our camper on the other side of the firepit. Elvis (my paint) and Duke (JJ’s chestnut) then hung out with us, even when we weren’t out on the trail.

We set up camp and then saddled up to go exploring. We stayed on the forest service roads for our Saturday ride, as it was the first one of the year, and the horses were a little soft from the long winter. Plus, they were jumpy from unfamiliar surroundings. Duke always keeps his cool, but Elvis is unpredictable. He tested me right away as we walked up the road where the trees on the left gave way to a large open meadow. Duke casually scanned the field and spotted five cow elk about 100 yards away. Elvis didn’t notice until we were almost past them, but when he saw them he froze in his tracks! His nostrils flared, his neck strained with his head up and I could feel him quivering beneath me - he wanted to bolt! I talked calmly to him and asked James to walk Duke ahead. Elvis wouldn't follow as he was freaked out by the sight and smell of these wild animals.

I finally turned his head and disengaged his hindquarters so that I could move him forward. Of course, then he thought he should run, but I didn’t want that as it would advance his fear. I kept him pulled back and right behind Duke, but I also let him turn his head to watch the elk, so he knew they weren’t chasing him. We passed the open meadow, and all was calm again. We laughed at my silly horse and complained about how we could not watch the elk. Elvis is why hunting horseback never worked out for us. We rode for about an hour then turned around to head back. This time when we passed the meadow, the elk were long gone. At camp, we unsaddled the horses and brushed them down while on a lead rope to let them graze on some grass as a treat.

Once the boys were taken care of, it was time to treat ourselves. In our opinion, there’s nothing better than a bbq’d steak out camping in the woods. We cracked a beer and started grilling! Our border collie Chase relaxed in a camp chair all worn out from trail breaking on the ride today. Of course, she watched James intently every time he turned the steaks, knowing she would get a bite eventually.

After dinner, we put on some music and stoked up the campfire. We decided to make a toast to the first horseback ride of the year and James’s 50th birthday with a shot of Fireball. We may have already been a little tipsy; you can judge that for yourself from the video at the end of the blog LOL. We danced, laughed and celebrated that night, having our private party in the mountains with Chase, Duke & Elvis!

Monday was James's actual birthday, which we had scheduled off as a vacation day from work, so Sunday morning we slept in, knowing we had all day to do whatever we wanted. I managed to drag myself out of bed first to let Chase go potty, feed the horses, and fill their water and then cook breakfast for the birthday boy.

Once we were woke up and fueled up, we saddled up! This time we headed up a trailhead to get off the roads. This ride ended up being the most challenging yet most rewarding ride ever! The early spring scenery & fresh, crisp air breathed life into our bodies, but as we gained altitude, we got ourselves into some snow. The trail was clear where the sun could hit it, but the shady spots were sometimes up over the knees of the horses. They didn’t like that & balked. The funny thing is that sometimes, Duke would brave through & so Elvis would follow, but then sometimes Elvis was the brave one & Duke would follow him. I wish we had more pictures to show you, but these moments were too intense to do anything but get the horses through.

Just as the snow became too high, our trail connected with another that looped us back down to camp. However, as we descended, it became apparent the spring snowmelt was also taking this route! Our horses are very picky and don’t like to get their feet wet, so walking in even a trickle causes issues. However, they also sensed we were heading back to camp, so with a little coaxing, we walked them about 50 yards through a section I would consider a full-blown rushing creek. Our horses weigh over 1,200 pounds each, so these new and unpredictable situations can be dangerous. Once you successfully get through the obstacles & the adrenaline rush subsides a little, then you realize it was exciting & fun! Back at camp, we toasted this latest adventure with another shot of Fireball!

And thus we passed another evening continuing our celebration of James’s 50th birthday. We brushed the horses, played with Chase, got our mitts out and threw a softball for a while, and also hiked around the camp & the creek nearby to take photos. We found a deep, slow-moving spot where the water created a pool. Monday morning, on his actual birthday, James checked off another item from his bucket list & he went skinny dippingwith me for the first time! It was more like a quick polar plunge, but together we jumped in, while our dog looked at us like we were crazy. Don’t worry, no pictures of THAT embarrassing site, but here is our video from James Jack (JJ) True’s 50th birthday getaway!

Click to watch video!

Thanks for joining in on this adventure, we hope all your celebrations are just as fun. Coming up in our next blog, we will be sharing my 50th birthday, which had a completely different vibe when we took the party to Vegas! Until then, what can you check off of your bucket list? #JACTventures GO DO IT!