Double Digits

 August 23, 2026
Assunpink WMA
10.16 miles
4h42m

Have we talked about the status of NACMO lately? I don't think we have. 

Earlier this year, Dodie abruptly moved to North Carolina. She was our chapter representative for mounted orienteering and pretty much ran everything single handedly. This was a blessing because she did a great job, but a curse because nobody else was prepped to step up in her absence 

I was originally going to take Dodie's place, but between everything that happened this summer and what I perceived as some... erm... opposition from fellow members (one... one member...) I ultimately backed off. 

In the meantime the season is flying by and there were no rides on the calendar. This year, we did the usual awards ride. Then Sandy took over the Horseshoe Bend ride at the last minute and hosted it in July.

Sandy and I are both worried that the sport is going to die in our region, but we've got a lot on our plates this year in particular. We're doing what we can.

At Sandy's ride, Taylor expressed an interest in hosting a ride of their own. I had popped in to visit for the day and it wasn't long before we were exploring. 

Taylor originally had their sights set on doing a ride at Baldpate Mountain. This was a place I had previously considered as well. Unfortunately, it turned out that Baldpate requires 60 days' notice for a permit. Taylor had an August date in mind. 

I saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. You see, my annual ride at the Assunpink is usually held in August. I was lacking inspiration. 

Max had come home four days earlier and I had no idea whether he would be a keeper, let alone the type of trail horse who could handle the tedium of setting up a NACMO course. 

The idea of setting up a course at the Assunpink without a horse was exhausting. I really didn't have the spoons to deal with people either. Still, I didn't want the ride to fall off the calendar. A lot of people had reached out expressing interest in this year's event. 

Thus we decided that Taylor would take over the ride, which they called Adventure at the Assunpink. I would quietly assist in the background as needed. If you know me, you can already see where this is going. 

The entirety of the ride will span multiple posts, but it turned out that Max was more than ready to tackle set up by the time we were ready to put up the course. 

Taylor invited Hannah and me to assist with setting up objectives. It was Taylor's birthday so the ride would double as a celebration. 

Hannah and I decided to trailer pool to the Assunpink. It was really nice to have company for the drive. Now that the horses are half an hour north of home, the Assunpink isn't as conveniently located as it used to be. 

Taylor sent us their tentative map. I offered some feedback on the course. The original plan felt a bit ambitious and used portions of the park that would require separate permits. I reminded Taylor that my long course last year was 8 miles the way I rode it, but nobody was able to do it in fewer than 11. This sport isn't about distance per se, and it's important that people have fun. 

With maps on our phones and a tentative plan, we headed out to set pie plates. Taylor's approach differed from my usual. 

I typically plan the course on paper, then do a ride to scout out the trail. Once I have a pretty good idea of how I want to set things, I put up the objectives and clues, finalizing my coordinates at the same time. The day before the ride, I do a course check to make sure nothing has blown away or been vandalized. 

Taylor's approach was to set all the pie plates and finalize the maps. We would come back the day before the ride to place the clues and jot down coordinates. This idea stressed me out, but there is more than one way to skin a cat, and Taylor was in charge. It actually worked out beautifully. 

The ride started with visiting the far end of the fields by the parking lot. The trails were freshly mowed. As usual, they move a little bit from year to year. We placed the first pie plate, then headed to the woods by the twin stone walls. Taylor had a medieval theme planned for their ride and the stone walls played into it perfectly. I'll save the delightful clues for another time, but we were having a blast.

Do you see Roger in the distance?

I quickly discovered that Max was the perfect mount for setting up NACMO. He is bold about bushwhacking, but will also stand patiently while the humans get up to whatever tomfoolery is featured this week. Good boy.

We did encounter ground bees early in the ride and made a note for the pre-ride briefing. Thankfully, we spotted them before they got too pissed off. I made an exception to the 100 miles of walking and we all trotted to safety without anyone getting stung. (Another thing I dislike about summer.)

Next up, we took a brief detour to the old gate/farm lane to show Taylor some options. They navigated from there and we took the forested single track out to the 90 degree bend in the dirt road. 

I have never used these trails for my events because they can be hard to navigate and don't appear on some of the maps. Taylor is a map making wizard, however, and had combined the various base maps to create the most thorough map of the course to date. They are very likely stuck with me for this ride going forward. 

Soon we found ourselves in the rolling fields next to Mitchell Road. The good news was that the horses got to graze and Taylor found a perfect hiding spot for their next objective. The bad news was that I got bitten on the ankle by a particularly nasty horse fly. My whole foot turned into a balloon in the coming days.

(Seriously... remind me what you summer-loving folks enjoy about August? Is it the sweat? The itchiness? The enormous bugs? Yuck.)

Victory!

After placing that pie plate, we wandered up the length of Mitchell Road. It was unanimously decided that we wouldn't use the single track along the farthest lake. That trail tends to be hard to follow even when it's not overgrown in the summer. There was some brainstorming and new homes were chosen for the objectives.

Max already drinks out of "chocolate" puddles. Good boy.

A shady walk on a hot day.

We turned right at the "ancient forest gate" and followed the trail down to the next clearing, where many necromancy jokes found their way into the conversation.

We eventually made our way to Roosevelt Road. The Dog Training Area wasn't originally part of Taylor's plan, but it made for a good way to add some miles and space out the objectives on the long course. Away we went!

Taylor put up the objective and mentioned painting banners to use as clues. Epic. 

Meanwhile, Max snacked on the soy. 

(Someone once yelled at me for riding through soy beans in my blog comments. I want to emphasize that these fields do not get harvested. They are planted as part of an "in-kind" program, providing a valuable food source for local wildlife. We are not destroying a farmer's livelihood.) 

After a long sojourn down Roosevelt Road, we all agreed that the old graveyard would be a perfect place to put an objective. 

Apparently, I am very consistent in my inability to find said graveyard when riding this trail clockwise. (Counter clockwise is no problem. WTF?) We overshot it and had to do some creative riding. This included a detour for mushroom foraging on Taylor's part. We got there eventually. Taylor was delighted to find their own name on one of the headstones and promptly decided that would be one of the clues for sure!

From the cemetery we came back down the hill and made a beeline for the lake to let the horses get a drink. The boat ramp was bustling that day so we tip toed to a quieter part of the shoreline. This was Max's first time seeing fishing boats up close and he seemed intrigued.

Fascinating...

We spent a lot of time in the fields between the lake and the hunt house. We had two objectives left to place, and Taylor picked excellent spots based on the spacing on the map. Meanwhile, my Merlin app identified an indigo bunting nearby. I have officially reached an age where I get excited by new bird calls...

At eight miles or so, we placed the last objective near a distinctive gnarly tree below the hunt house. The course was officially set! 

The horses had plenty of energy left so we decided to keep riding. Everyone was having a lovely time.

We circled the Bowl then meandered down to the dam to dip the horses' toes in the lake one last time. The magnificent bryozoans are enormous and numerous this year, which is a good sign that the lake is healthy and clean. 

So cool!

Right around this time, we all agreed we were hungry. There is an excellent deli near the Assunpink, but we would have to hustle to get there before they closed. We agreed to end on a good note and head back to the trailers.

Of course, I had the overwhelming urge to canter the last bit through the open trails. I want it noted that my friends were excellent influences that day and we behaved ourselves by keeping it to a walk. 

By the time we reached the trailers, we were at a hair over ten miles. This was Max's first double digit ride!! I had a feeling he would reach 100 miles before the NACMO ride was over. 

Back at the trailers, Max had another big first. After watching the other horses take turns doing it, he finally rolled after one of our trail rides. Once he realized this was allowed, he blissfully grunted as he scratched all his itchy spots. 

Soon the horses were loaded into the buses and the buses were parked at the deli. Max, Merlin, and Roger munched on their hay while we enjoyed a luxurious lunch that really hit the spot after a long day in the saddle. 

While ten miles isn't that much in the grand scheme of things, it felt like a milestone for Max. He was definitely gaining fitness already. More importantly, he was showing that he could mentally handle a full day of work. 

We were only walking so the ride wasn't a big deal physically. Once you added the standing around involved in setting up objectives, however, we spent nearly five hours in the saddle. 

Max's quarter never seemed to run out. In fact, he seemed to actively enjoy being out exploring with his friends. This was a very important box to check. 

The more boxes Max checked, the more it felt like I hadn’t just found a good horse. I’d found the right horse.

Taylor and I agreed to meet up the following Saturday to finalize the clues and course. After that... the ride would be on! Stay tuned....