End of the trail

MALDEN

– After

more than

two weeks

on the trail, the John

Wayne Pioneer Wagons

and Riders Association

completed its 45th 200-

mile, cross-state trek

Saturday, June 3.

The riders hopped

on their wagons and

horses in Easton on

Thursday, May 18.

Since, they've traversed

Kittitas, Grant,

Kittitas and Whitman

counties on what the

state calls the Palouse

to Cascades State Park

Trail.

Locals along the

way have a different

name for it – through

Adams, Southern

Spokane and Whitman

counties, its known as

the John Wayne Trail.

Wagons and horses

made stops here

near Othello, in Lind,

Ralston and Revere

before reaching the

final stretch between

Tekoa and the Idaho

state line.

Several new riders

joined this year to earn

the honorary "White

Scarf" – an earned token

for a rider completing

their first ride.

"Ages of the participants

ranged from 12-

85, coming from seven

states, Alberta, Canada,

and Germany," volunteer

Sharon Lindsay

of Spokane Said. "A

variety of horse breeds,

mules and ponies provided

the transportation,

with a few hardy

individuals riding

bicycles."

First-year rider and

a new group member,

Karen Hardy of

Chewelah, noted how

visual and fantastic her

trip has been this year

while urging others to

join next year.

"The trail is such a

gem for our state and

that we go through all

these little communities

that are bypassed

by the highways. We

usually do a little fundraiser

for the towns,

and it's really nice," she

said. "This whole world

would be better if we

could get out to meet

our neighbors; this is a

great way to meet your

neighbors."

People from across

the West gather to ride

the roughly 18-day trip.

"The horses love

consistent work. To be

able to just set aside

the better part of a

month is so good for

them and us, "Hardy

said. "It's a very unusual

site to see a hundred

people on horseback

anywhere."

"This group has

been around for years,

and they sort of quietly

and consistently

worked on this trail

with the legislature to

create such an amazing

trail."

An average day

for the riders starts

at about 5 a.m. when

horses are fed.

The John Wayne

riders parking committee

heads out soon after

to assist in moving the

caravan of vehicles and

gear. Participants are

transported via school

bus into town and back,

where they prepare

their horses and set out

for the ride to the next

town.

"It takes a village,

and it's mostly volunteer-

based," said John

Wayne social coordinator

Olympia Granger

of Bothel. "It's a great

way to see Washington

because we travel

through a lot of different

terrains."

Granger added a

highlight to this year's

journey – the riders

went through an ice

cream shop drive

through on horseback

during their travel

across Kittitas County.

Despite the ice

cream respite, Granger

said her favorite part of

the trail is in northern

Whitman County.

"Malden is probably

my favorite. Malden is

pretty nice," she said.

It's a good rest day,

relaxing and quiet."

Lindsay noted that

riders enjoyed trail

improvements in Whitman

County, especially

near Malden.

"Improvements to

the trail in Whitman

County were greatly

appreciated and participants

are already

looking forward to next

year, particularly the

famous pie auction for

charity held in Malden,"

she said.

Results of the pie

auction were not available

before press time.

The John Wayne

riders are always looking

for new people to

join the trek.

"Get out and enjoy

the trail. It's a really

amazing thing in the

state of Washington

that other states don't

have," Hardy said.