Big Meadow Equestrian Camp
By Steve Cozzetto
On the weekend of August 4th-7th Scott Rogers, Mark Seitz, Sespe Steve & Mallory Cozzetto, along with former BCHC members John Sanders and Nancy Brown of Coarsegold met for a camping trip at Big Meadows Equestrian Camp in the Sequoia National Forest near Kings Canyon. The campground which is first come, first serve was filled to capacity which underscores a need for more easy access campgrounds tailored for equestrians.
The first night we were approached by a 10 year old entrepreneur/hustler named Vincent, who, for a few dollars per day would clean the corrals and water your stock. Apparently his sales pitch was successful because a couple days later he was complaining of having so much work that he needed to hire an employee.
Scott Rogers spent a lot of his time interacting ( as he is prone to do) with BCHC members from other units exchanging ideas about challenges, goals and ways to achieve those goals.
On Friday, some of us rode to the famous Buck Rock Fire Lookout Station where Scott Rogers and Nancy Brown made the perilous ascent to the station while being watched and cajoled by Mark and Sespe sitting on benches in the cool shade at the bottom. Upon their return we were greeted by John and Mallory who provided the riders with libations to fortify us for the arduous trip back to camp.
On Saturday Mark and Sespe started on the trail to nearby Weaver Lake but missed the trail and after a bit of bushwhacking decided to return to camp. Big Meadows Equestrian Camp is a beautiful creekside camp located at the 7200 foot elevation with restrooms, dumpsters and 16 corrals and historically, has been maintained by the San Joaquin Unit. It would have been closed to the public this year due to funding constraints. However the San Joaquin Unit entered into an agreement with the forestry earlier this to provide volunteer campground hosts who oversee the management and cleaning of the facilities. They do accept donations to help offset the costs. The partnership is a perfect example of what a BCHC unit can achieve if it works closely with our tax supported land stewards.
