Garth Meyer
August 29, 2001
They're taking to the hills this Sept. 17. It's the occasion of the seventh annual "Horses, Hikers and Mountain Bikers Poker Ride/Hike."
The event, put on by Molalla Riverwatch and the Bureau of Land Management, along with other sponsors, features mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding on trails in the Molalla River Trail System.
"I think it is valuable in getting different user groups together," said Bill Taylor, Molalla Riverwatch president. "Because the Molalla River Trail System is a multi-use, non-motorized system."
The event is a fundraiser to support the improvement of the trail system.
"We build the trails together and use the trails together," said Becky Wolf, Molalla Saddle Club president and member of Oregon Equestrian Trails, one of the event's sponsors.
The event is made up of people collecting cards at a series of checkpoints while they hike, ride horses or bicycle. People are given a map with designated routes, which include three moderate routes designed for riding, biking or hiking. These routes intersect at points where cards are drawn.
The horse route is about a 2.5 hour ride while the bike route takes about an hour and a half and the hike is less than an hour.
Aferwards, participants gather at the Hardy Creek trailhead for lunch, entertainment and prizes.
The five best poker hands reap the first rewards, highlighted a $100 Grand Prize.
Other prizes are raffled, including items such as clothing, tack, dog food, outdoor gear and coupons for food, entertainment, merchandise and services.
"Most people go home with a prize of some sort," Taylor said.
Everyone, including families or individuals, are invited to participate. Opportunities to partner with others are provided, as teams form at registration. Partners consisting of two user groups, such as a hiker and biker, receive an extra card, but travel different courses. Dogs and foals are not allowed to participate.
Information will be provided on the Molalla River Watershed as well as pointers for enjoying the shared trail system. The event is sponsored by Molalla RiverWatch, Inc. and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), with assistance from Molalla Saddle Club, OET - Silverton chapter and Merry Cranksters Mountain Bike Club.
The event originally was called the Knobbies and Nags Poker Ride, before hiking was added.
"The cool thing is that it's the three groups that normally are at odds with each other," said Pat Patteson, Molalla area resident. "Horses hate mountain bikes, mountain bikes hate horses and hikers hate both."