[pct-l] Horse at fish creek,

[jereenanderson at yahoo.com]

Amanda, 
The riders name is Susan Bates. She and her husband, Burton, have come out from Arkansas. 
I have been assisting her on her thru ride mostly via e-mail. She called me shortly after the accident and again this morning. Her horse is "pretty scratched up but otherwise seems to be OK".
She had come around a corner and came to a very large down tree. The trail was very narrow. She first tried to back him up. When that did'nt work she tried to turn him around and he slipped down on the loose scree - to a wide ledge, fortunately. She found a place where she thought she could get him back up. That did not work either as he went over backwards. His saddle and saddlebags apparently cushioned his fall and saved him from possible serious injury. She left a note by him and went for help. Along came 10 hikers, one of them a very experienced horseman from Italy. Working together they made a route back to the trail. 
Susan,Burton, and the horse "Port",are now at a Forest Service Camp called Heart Bar and will rest Port for 2 or 3 days and then trailer down to have a Veterinarian check out Port.
MendoRider/Ed Anderson