Hat Creek Hustle Endurance Ride 2025
- Lily
- Aug 30
- 5 min read
During a personal period of uncertainty and transience, returning to somewhere familiar was incredibly reassuring, even if it was just to a random clearing of pines nestled under Lassen Peak. It was my second time attending the Hat Creek Hustle endurance ride in northern California, and the final stop on an extended road trip I was on with my horses that had taken us from the foggy coastline of the SF Bay Area to the countless alpine lakes dotting the Three Sisters Wilderness in central Oregon. With just my mares as my companions for the past week, pulling into ride camp early Friday evening was slightly overwhelming, the clamor and excitement of horses and riders snapping me back to reality.
Despite taking two horses with me to the ride, ironically neither would be competing. I was set to jockey Jenna Towner’s kind chestnut gelding, Sherman, on the 55 mile Saturday course. This would be my third endurance ride partnering with Shermie, and I was looking forward to spending some quality time with him the next day. I only managed to make it to the tail end of the ride meeting after getting my horse’s highlines up. My friends in camp filled me in on the details while I scrambled to get my tent up, horses fed, tack prepped, saddlebags packed, and a plan decided for the next morning’s ride.
In sharp contrast to the year prior where nighttime temperatures had dropped into the 20s, I ended up crashing out in shorts on top of my sleeping bag that night. My alarm was set for 4:00am, an hour and a half before the abnormally early 5:30am start time, which I would come to appreciate in the heat of the day. I had given myself an extra half hour in the morning to tend to my own horses before heading over to Jenna’s trailer to get Shermie prepped. I had been feeling a bit apprehensive about how they would behave in camp all day and had found someone willing to check on them throughout the ride and ensure they had plenty to eat and drink. Luckily my anxiety was unnecessary, Retta and Stella were the happiest of campers, unbothered by the amped-up horses around them.
The other challenge of the day would be managing Sherman without his best friend and brother, Cardamom, who Jenna was riding in the 30 mile LD. Shermie and Cardi are a bonded pair and it would be their first time competing apart while at the same ride. Luckily for me, Sherman knew his job and headed off to the startline in the dark with his normal, chill attitude. Upon hearing “trail is open,” we trotted off into the void, grateful for the glowbars scattered along the trail, as the ribbon markers were undiscernible in the pre-dawn blackness. Sherman and I quickly found our place in the pack, where we’d remain for nearly the entire ride.
We had not planned to ride competitively for Sherman’s first ride back after a wound had required a few months off to heal. The first four riders soon outpaced us and trotted out of sight, leaving us to navigate on our own, with nobody close to our tail for nearly 25 miles. There was only one mandatory mid-ride vet check for the 55 mile course, back in camp at mile 30. The first loop headed over Hat Creek on wide logging roads up to a view point of Lassen Peak, where I was lucky enough to arrive just as the sun was casting a magical pink alpenglow over the volcano's iconic dome.
At our turnaround marker, Sherman turned on the speed and we whizzed back down the trail, through camp, and out onto a 10 mile loop on the PCT that wound through more pines, sage, and sections of lava rock. It was warming up as we came into our check at 9:24am, with 25 more miles to go. Sherman vetted well and we headed back to his pen to fuel up for what remained of the hour-long hold. Jenna and Cardi arrived 15 minutes before we headed back on trail, and it took a bit of convincing for Sherman to want to leave his brother behind, but he quickly found his mojo again and picked up a steady pace.
It was warm and the dust kicked up from the sandy volcanic trails would have been stifling if we had been behind a large group of horses. Sherman does well in a pack with horses to chase down, but I was very impressed with how well he held his own riding so far by himself. The second half of the ride consisted of two loops, which were 14 and 9 miles respectively. Shermie was definitely confused when we rode through camp yet again, but gallantly kept it up as we set out for the final leg of the course.
Like the year before, this ride was impeccably managed and organized, with great trail markings, ample volunteers, and well placed water troughs. Unfortunately, by midday the yellow jackets had discovered the water and were swarming around all the tanks on trail, despite the best efforts being made by radio volunteers. After getting stung on the nose when he was going in for a drink, Sherman was reluctant to get near the troughs and I was a bit concerned about his hydration. Luckily, he was able to tank up at flowing creek and we cruised into the finish with a group of three other riders who had caught up to us in the last couple miles of the course for an 8th place finish out of 44 at 1:46 pm.
After reuniting with Cardi at last, I took Sherman for his completion vetting, sponged him down, and fed him some well-earned watermelon. As I came back into camp, my mare Stella was lying down taking a nap on her highline. She looked up when I called her name, seeming confused as to why all the other horses were so tired.
With everything going on, I was honestly surprised that I was able to pull it off and make it to this ride, and so grateful to Jenna, for her continued generosity and support, to everyone who made the Hat Creek Ride happen, and, most of all, to Shermie, the little red wonder horse!
To anyone considering attending the Hat Creek Hustle:
This remains my favorite West Region ride I’ve attended! The course is relatively flat, the footing is nice, the views are great, and the general atmosphere and camp is excellent. Be aware that it could be hot and dusty, but don’t let that stop you from having a great ride!
