Crystal Mountain
I love horseback riding and the closest place for me to trail ride (with a horse that can accommodate my weight) is at Crystal Mountain.
I drove up the two nights before a hike I was leading, so that I had a free day to do some horseback riding. Rooms there are a bit pricey, but since the closest campground is a bit of a drive, I coughed up the money.
We rode to Henskin Lake, which was beautiful. It was quite a steep climb back down the mountain, though, so I was glad I had a good seat. It was quite a workout on the core and thigh muscles.
We were almost back to the stable when an unleashed dog came out of the woods and spooked the horses. Three horses bolted, mine included, and I hung on for dear life, while pulling on the reigns. I was petrified that I would fall and mess up my new knees! Thankfully, I kept my seat. But, it left quite a huge bruise on the inside of my left thigh (probably from squeezing the saddle so tightly with my legs)!
The day after the horseback ride, I hiked up along the ridge with some other people. There had been a lot of smoke from forest fires in Canada, so everything was a bit hazy (though it was clearer than the day before). It was also pretty hot.
