By Al Camp
and Roger Harnack
Chronicle staff

     CHILIWIST - A rainy night left approximately 200 riders cold and wet Tuesday morning, May 5.
     But a roaring fire, hot coffee and a cowboy breakfast helped them prepare for the 44-mile wagon train from the Olema area to Winthrop.
     And by the time the group hit the trail at 9 a.m. on the Ride to Rendezvous, there were no dampened spirits.
     "This is the best ride around," rider Christy Schneider of Kamiah, Idaho, said while preparing for the four-day trek. "This is the Cadillac of rides."
     Schneider and the others on the wagon train planned to traverse the Chiliwist area Tuesday and Finley Canyon on Wednesday before heading into the high country of the Methow Valley on Thursday.
     The last two days of the wagon train are expected to cross Pipestone Canyon and the Bear Creek area.
     The ride ends at High Noon on Friday, when the wagon train is expected to roll into Winthrop, marking the beginning of Winthrop '49er Days.
     More than 200 horses and two dozen wagons are on the journey that will have participants bedding down on private property along the trail each night.
     Schneider said this ride is better than others because itís catered and wagons are still allowed on the roads.
     The ride, however, is not for the faint of heart, she said.
     "It can get steep, making it challenging," she said.
     At least one local golden ager was up for the ride.
     Ed Buchert Sr., who turns 91 in June, is riding the entire trip with a couple family members, Mike and Sam Buchert.
     Together, the Bucherts span three generations.
     Ride organizer Marva Mountjoy said this is the 11th year for the ride, a major fund-raiser for the Washington Outfitters and Guides Association.
     "It's a lot of fun," she said, noting packers come from all over to participate in the ride and the subsequent rendezvous in Winthrop.
     Once in Winthrop, the packers will set up camp in Winthrop Park for three days of food, fun and games.
     Visitors are encouraged to stop by the park and learn first-hand about life on the trail.
     "We'll have samples of what the cooks fix in the mountains," she said. "And don't forget about our Western poetry and cowboy singing."
     The Ride to Rendezvous and "49er Days wrap up Sunday.
     "We're promoting the outfitting industry in our state," Mountjoy said. "Then weíll all go home exhausted."