Flags will be set, lunch will be served, and will be prizes awarded for the 35th Annual Poker Ride put on by the Gallatin Valley Back Country Horsemen (CVBCH) on July 8.
The Poker Ride is its only fundraiser for the entire year and invites people to saddle up and ride through 10 miles of trail to collect ‘cards’ for their hand of poker. Those with the best hands will be able to claim prizes following their trail ride.
GVBCH has been assisting with trail maintenance since the 1980s, and today hundreds of miles of trails are cleared thanks to the efforts of volunteers.
Janice Cartwright is the safety program director and notes the effort that goes into safely clearing a trail.
“After all these storms and season we’ve had, sometimes we have to clear a trail again, just to get another mile or two further in,” Cartwright said.
Other organizations do similar work, head out to trails in the backcountry and assist with maintenance, and Rich Inman says that if not for these groups there would not be enough tax money to get the job done.
“That’s part of why we’re here, they can’t keep up with all the trails around here that the public wants,” Inman said.
Watch the full interview with Gallatin Valley Backcountry Horseman on Montana This Morning below:
