We welcome you to the 2024 Distance Horse National Championships / IMJ Highlands Cup 100 Mile Ride. The Highlands Cup 100 is held in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area / Jefferson National Forest in Southwest Virginia. Mt Rogers is known as a mecca for horseback riding with several hundred miles of trails from Damascus to the New River. The Ride Camp is in Cripple Creek in the East End of the Mt Rogers Recreation Area which is favored for it's quality trail riding. Less rocky than the High Country, the trails wind through the forest, meadows and up and down mountains with catchy names such as Horse Heaven and Hussy Mountain. The main trunk trails are the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail and the Iron Mountain Trail with several connectors.
In 2023 we held our first 100 as a test ride for this year's championships. We had some tough challenges with unusually hot weather and some strong storms during the ride. We also had lost use of the Iron Mountain Loop due to an issue between the Forest Service and a landowner and had to make some last minute changes to the trail that were less than desirable. All this made the first year super challenging for ride management and riders alike. Despite all that, we had 50% completion, which is average for 100 mile rides, 5 first time horses completed, several first time 100 mile riders completed and Meg Sleeper and Belesema Sapphire conquered the adversity and won the ride in 15:24. I commend all the riders who took the challenge of participating in a first time 100 mile ride and invite you to come back and experience our positive changes. Through your feedback we learned a lot, the test ride allowed us to find the pitfalls and improve the route to be the best it can be at this time. We regained the Iron Mountain Loop, several excessively rocky areas were eliminated, loop lengths were shortened when possible and some overly technical trail was rerouted to add wide, rolling trail with great footing that also reduced the elevation gain by around 1500' overall. 14 miles of trail (8 of which you travel twice) were rehabbed last year by theBack Country Horsemen of the Virginia Highlands with the help of a Legacy Trails Grant from American Trails. We are very excited about the changes and look forward to those returning as well as new riders to our beautiful mountain trail system!
Link to online entry form click here- https://www.ericv2.com/SOLE
The ride starts at beautiful Triple C, the farm of Nancy (Ride Manager) and Bill Sluys in Cripple Creek, Virginia. You will enjoy awesome sunrises and sunsets, great food, music, camaraderie and a 360 degree view from the ride camp. We have loads of volunteers to meet your every need on the trail and in the vet checks and we will do everything we can to help see you safely through! Our ham radio team will keep track of you! Our vet staff is second to none and will expertly evaluate your horse's ability to safely continue! The superb SERA timers will get you in and out on time and we will have lots of P&R folks to get you quickly through!
Total Elevation Gain- 13062' Total Elevation Loss - -12993'
ABOUT THE TRAIL
After leaving camp you will soon hit the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail (VHHT),marked with permanent Orange Diamonds. You will gradually gain elevation over the next 8.5 miles from 2333' at Triple C past the Divide and around to Horse Heaven at 3836', the highest point on the ride. The trail will round the peak and then start descending to your first Vet Check at the Hussy Mountain Horse Camp at 14.5 miles for a 40 minute hold.
Your next leg will take you deep into the woods, continuing on the VHHT. Once you cross hwy-21 you will encounter 2 moderate climbs, the first one, a little more challenging, dubbed "The 21 Commandments" by Alex Uspenski during our trail project last year, due to the number of rolling grade dips that were constructed or repaired. You will enjoy 8.5 miles of newly rehabbed trail before turning down the mountain on Hale Lake Road. At the bottom you will encounter a short (0.3 mi) section of paved road that takes you past a big white barn and you take a left up Dry Creek Road (gravel) where you will have a 15 Minute Hold near a shady creek (must meet 64 pulse before hold starts). Sorry, no crews will be allowed here but volunteers will take care of you and your horse, be sure to carry electrolytes with you, we will transport one small bag of stuff for you if you need it.
After Dry Creek Rd 15 min Hold you will then access the VHHT on a beautiful section that is just ripe for trotting and a good canter. You may even catch some mountain views through the trees in places. After 5.5 miles you will return to Hale Lake Road and continue east on the VHHT on the section you saw earlier, but you won't mind seeing it again since it will look different in that direction and the footing is great. The approach to the "21 Commandments" is a little steeper in this direction so take your time on the way up but have fun as you come down the grade dips! My mule, Danny, loves to trot these! At the bottom you'll cross a couple of creeks to cool your horse in. Your second Vet Check will be back at Hussy Mountain Horse Camp after 17 miles and you will be happy to see your crew again! You are now at mile 46. Relax in the shade and enjoy a 50 minute hold here.
Leg 4 will bring you back down the mountain to Triple C. The shorter 10 mile loop will give you a breather and then you will have another 50 minute hold to rest up for leg 5 over Iron Mountain. By this time you are past the half way point! About 6 miles in to Loop 5 you will encounter your biggest climb, up Arrowhead Road, about 1.8 miles with some steep sections before it levels off and descends gradually down the Iron Mountain Trail and Yellow Branch Trail for 8 more miles to the Brush Creek Road 15 Minute Hold. For some riders it will be dark by now and we will be sure your trail is lit with fairy lights. Crews will be allowed to meet you at this hold which is in the Brush Creek Road Day Parking Area and not far from camp by road. Same as before, you will have to meet the 64 pulse before your hold starts.
After leaving the hold for the 7 miles back to Triple C you will go about 3/4 mile on a narrow single track trail before crossing Brush Creek Road to Snowbird Road (a private road). You will be passing some houses so if it's late keep the conversation down so you don't make the dogs bark. At the top of Snowbird Road you will turn left onto the Mikes Gap Trail and have some nice trotting before climbing a short but moderately steep section to the top and back to the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail. The next mile will be rocky, but hey, it's the mountains, you've got to expect some rocks! When you pass the green gate you will go right and then left and back to Triple C for a 40 minute hold at 78 miles.
Going out on Loop 7 you will return to the VHHT and when you come back to CC Camp Road you will turn to the left and head up the road to "The Divide", a gradual 1.8 mile climb. At the top you will again rejoin the VHHT back down and access CC Camp Road back to Camp for a 13.5 mile figure 8 loop. A shorter 30 minute hold will keep your horses from stiffening up before your last loop of 8 miles. No mountains this time, just a few hills here and there on what we call the Shiloh Loop, our home loop. Your horses will recognize the trail because they have just seen it but you won't have to go back up the mountain! When you come back to the big intersection you will go to the right this time and back to Triple C for the finish!!
