Emily and Steve Part 5

We rode for a few hours, and once I figured out how to sit on the horse without either crushing my balls or having my ass pounded by the saddle, it was actually kind of nice. John and Tessa's farm borders on a national park that allows horseback riding on some trails, and there was some amazing scenery. From the pastoral fields of John and Tessa's farm, we moved into a wide open valley of tall grasses. We followed the trail as it moved into a forest, and then along the banks of a large pond and marsh. Once we turned onto the mountain trail, we started climbing uphill.

We saw only a few other people on the trail, mostly hikers who moved aside to let us pass. As we climbed, the scenery became amazing, allowing us to see the expanse of the forested national park and the patchwork of farmlands beyond there.

Despite the fact that I was riding, I found myself getting hungry. I looked up, and noticed the sun was getting high in the sky. I called ahead to Emily, "how long until lunch?"

"Steve, you are always thinking with your stomach! We're probably another 15 minutes to the clearing where we head off this trail, and then it's another 30 minutes to the picnic spot that John and Tessa suggested. It'll be nice. It has a great view and is very secluded."

Despite Emily's prediction, it was another 30 minutes until we found the clearing where John said to turn off. The trail we started riding on next was narrow and uneven, and the horses had to slow down and take care with their footing to miss the rocks sticking up out of the trail. I was getting famished and a little concerned as the trail narrowed even more and I found the branches from the trees slapping me as I rode by.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" I asked as a maple tree nearly whipped my cowboy hat off my head.

Emily seemed unfazed by the jungle thickness of the forest. "Yes. We are almost there, I can see the sun from a clearing up ahead."

10 minutes later we arrived at a clearing at the peak of a hill.