A8
LOCAL
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
From Enterprise to Patagonia and back Drought
Local equestrian
fi nds endurance
race to be ‘epic’
By ANN BLOOM
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — It’s called
“the greatest test of horseman-
ship and wilderness skills on
earth” for a reason. The Gaucho
Derby, a 500-kilometer horse
race done in 10 days in Patago-
nia, is a test of endurance, and
determination on the part of both
horse and rider.
Brenda Johnson, whose par-
ticipation in the race was fi rst
reported in the Chieftain in Feb-
ruary, qualifi ed for the race, and
left for Argentine Patagonia,
South America, in late Febru-
ary for the race which was run in
early March.
Johnson described her expe-
rience as, “epic.” She said that
was the only word she could
think of to describe it. “It was lit-
erally epic. It is the best word to
use,” she said.
She described the terrain as
very much resembling Wallowa
County.
“Our mountains are big and
beautiful,” she said. “But those
mountains were on a whole
other level. So much wilder. It
was humbling.”
One thing she said that sur-
prised her, in addition to the
scope and scale of the scenery,
was how important the other rid-
ers were.
“It was impossible to do it
alone because of the intensity of
the course and the terrain,” she
said. “Friendships were forged
out of necessity and love.”
Of the 34 original riders who
started the competition, 28 rid-
ers crossed the fi nish line. Six
competitors dropped out or
were withheld during the race
because of injury or other med-
ical reasons.
“It was nothing like I thought
it would be. I thought I’d pit
myself against nature,” she said.
“In addition to navigating the ter-
rain I was navigating a multicul-
tural social landscape — it was
an amazing human experience.”
However, she did have
Richard Dunwoody/Contributed Photo
Brenda Johnson rides one of her favorite horses during the Patagonia
Gaucho Derby.
an opportunity to test herself
against the ravages of nature
when, during a severe wind-
storm, her tent collapsed, and
she spent the night trying to keep
it from blowing away. It was a
night of little sleep.
“It was 3 a.m. and the wind
was so bad, my tent polls
snapped like twigs right through
my rainfl y” she said.
Thankfully, there was no rain,
just wind she added.
Those riders and friendships
became even more vital when
Johnson was injured halfway
through the ride. She was dis-
mounting her horse, a mount she
described as challenging, when
the horse bucked and she, “face
planted on a rock, and I broke
my nose.”
She said there was quite a bit
of blood due to the fact she sus-
tained a laceration in a vein in
her nose and blood was pump-
ing out.
“My race was over,” she said.
She could not continue with-
out being checked and cleared
by a medic.
There were medic and vet
check points at various stages
along the race, which was fortu-
nate, because within 20 minutes
of Johnson reaching a medic at
a vet checkpoint, a more serious
accident occurred when another
rider was kicked in the head by
a horse. If it had not been for his
helmet, the accident would have
proven fatal.
A medic had already been
called to ride out with her, but
due to the seriousness of the
other rider’s injuries (he was
knocked unconscious), a heli-
copter was called. Between the
medic, a veterinarian, John-
son and some of the other rid-
ers, they provided fi rst aid to
the injured rider during the two
hours they waited for the heli-
copter to arrive. Both Johnson
and the injured rider were taken
to El Calafate, Argentina, to a
waiting ambulance.
Johnson was cleared by the
doctor and the medic on the
tarmac and, “the doctor sent
me on my way.”
The next morning, the Argen-
tine Army Helicopter crew fl ew
the medic and Johnson into Sierra
Nevada, a beautiful estancia
(ranch) and one of the horse-
change stations. She stayed in
Sierra Nevada for a little over
24 hours and then reunited with
the other riders. She said she was
honored to cross the fi nish line
with Kirsteen Thain, the rider
from Hong Kong, whom she had
ridden the entire race with prior
to her accident as well as a group
of riders from Africa, Mexico
and France. The Gaucho Derby
has participants from all over the
world.
Johnson said that travel to
the starting line went smoothly.
Most people spoke English, and
none of her fl ights were can-
celed, although she admits there
was a moment of complete panic
when the bag containing her stir-
rups, leathers and helmet was
the very last bag coming off
the plane when she landed in
Patagonia.
“It was the one bag that could
not be replaced,” she said.
Besides the riders, there were
about 50 crew members (med-
ics, vets, etc.), and about 50 gau-
chos (Argentine cowboys) who
handled the horses used in the
ride. There were over 300 horses
needed from start to fi nish.
Although the riders used
maps and GPS trackers, there
were times when they lost their
way due to the terrain, lack of
sleep and the emotional intensity
of the ride.
“Oh, yeah. We got so lost, ”
she said.
Recovering lost ground was
time- and labor-intensive.
After the ride was over, she
and a couple of riders spent
several days traveling around
Argentina sight-seeing, but
more importantly using the
time to process their experience
and decompress from such an
exhausting and intense experi-
ence. She still maintains contact
with the people she met on the
trip through social media.
Finally, given everything she
experienced, would she do it
again?
“If I could aff ord it? If some-
one paid for it? Would I do it
again? In a heartbeat,” she said.
Coleman
Oil Wallowa
Cardlock is
NOW
OPEN
emergency
declared for
four counties
Chieftain staff
SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown declared
Friday, May 13 a drought in Baker, Doug-
las, Wallowa and Wheeler counties
through an executive order and directed
state agencies to coordinate and priori-
tize assistance to the region, according to
a press release.
The Wallowa County Board of Com-
missioners approved a drought declaration
April 20. The action meant a letter was
sent to the governor requesting action by
state and federal agencies.
“Baker, Douglas, Wallowa and
Wheeler counties are facing historic chal-
lenges from drought conditions that are
creating hardships for the people, farms,
ranches, communities and ecosystems of
the region,” Brown said in a statement
accompanying the order. “I am committed
to doing everything possible to make state
resources available to provide immediate
relief and assistance to water users.”
As of May 9, the snow-water equiv-
alent in the four counties was signifi -
cantly lower than during a normal water
year, and forecasted water conditions are
not expected to improve. Drought, severe
weather conditions and the upcoming fi re
season pose signifi cant threats to the local
economy, agriculture and livestock, natu-
ral resources and recreation in the counties.
The drought declaration unlocks a
number of drought-related emergency
tools for water users, including assistance
to local users. Drought declarations also
allow the Water Resources Department to
expedite review processes and reduce fee
schedules. Declarations are intended to
be short-term emergency authorizations
to address water supply challenges. More
information is available at https://tinyurl.
com/DroughtWatch.
Drought declarations typically go
through a three-part process before secur-
ing a state drought declaration from the
governor. The county commissions in
each of the four counties fi rst declared a
drought emergency due to low snowpack,
low precipitation, low streamfl ows and
warmer-than-normal temperature, and a
state drought declaration was requested.
State offi cials subsequently met, and the
Oregon Drought Readiness Council ulti-
mately recommended that the governor
issue a drought declaration to provide crit-
ical resources to confront current water
conditions and future climatic forecasts.
• Conveniently Located
• Accepting all Major
Credit/Debit and CFN Cards
• Easily Accessible for
Semi trucks, Campers
and RV’s
• Non-Ethanol Premium
• 24/7 Fueling
71051 HWY 82
Wallowa, OR 97885
888-799-2000
www.colemanoil.com
Happy Memorial Day!
May 30th, 2022
Honoring all
who served!
BARGAINS
OF THE
MONTH ®
While supplies last.
EARLY SPACE
RESERVATION DEADLINE
for advertising is 5pm Thursday, May 26th.
Ad copy is due on Friday, May 27th at 10am.
All ads must be approved to print
Tuesday May 31st at 11am.
SAVE
8.99
$ 5
OR MORE
Preen®
5.625 lb. Garden Weed
Preventer
E 137 898 899
M-F 8AM-5:30PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM
JAC’s Innovative Sales and Marketing Solutions
Contact Jennifer Cooney TODAY!
jacs.isms@gmail.com • 541-805-9630
Hurricane Creek Road
Enterprise, Oregon
541-426-3116
Sale Good Thru May 31st