Here, I have compiled answers to commonly asked questions in one easy access place!
⚡🐎
All my opinions are my own and are subject to change. I’ll be quietly adding to and editing this post behind the scenes for some time.
Table of Contents
*Some questions contain a “Read More” button in their answer. Click on this for a more in-depth explanation!
What are you doing?
Where are you going?
Who is your horse?
How did you prepare for the journey?
What gear do you use?
Where do you stay?
How do you contain Finley overnight?
What does your horse eat?
How do you water your horse?
Do you use a support vehicle?
How long will it take?
Where did you winter?
How do you care for your horse (vet, farrier)?
What would you do if something happened to Finley?
How have you crossed major rivers?
Why haven’t you posted much on social media?
What challenges have you faced so far?
Why make the trip?
Are you missing anything?
What part do you look forward to the most?
What happens when it’s all said and done?
What are you doing?
I am riding across America on horseback!
Mission accomplished as of September 30th, 2023!
Where are you going?
I am riding from New Jersey to Oregon. My route will be between 3,000 and 3,500 miles.
My trip ultimately clocked in at 3,600 – 3,700 miles!
I will pass through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Idaho.
You can view a detailed post on my route HERE. All the roads on my map are captioned and color coded by difficulty.
I chose this path across the country because, in a sense, it is the last remaining one for me to take to hit states I have never been to before!
Who is your horse?
Finley!
Finley is a 6 year old, 14’2” hand, 1020 lb, sorrel gelding. He is a mustang from a herd management area known as “Palomino Butte” just south of Burns, Oregon.
Read More
He was captured in August, 2021, the same month I moved in with my long riding mentor, Sea, to begin preparing for this journey. His herd had an emergency gather due to overpopulation and water shortages in the area; without intervention from local ranchers and the Bureau of Land Management, many would have died of dehydration.
I adopted Finley at the end of January, 2022, at a BLM facility in Tennessee. I chose him, #7184, based off a single photo after everyone else who wanted to select a horse had gotten the chance to already. I worked with him for the next three and a half months before our departure on May 20th, 2022. The majority of his foundation, over a 45 day period, was done with Next Level Horsemanship in Port Matilda, PA, where I lived on site as a stall hand and got to be hands-on in his daily training process.
We left for this trip when Finley was 120 days out of holding.
At our start in New Jersey, Finley was still too scared to be touched by strangers, and he could not be safely ridden, so I opted to lead him across the entirety of the state. By central Pennsylvania, he became fully comfortable around people and I began riding him solely in his rope halter. The same has been true ever since.
Finley is the only horse for me. I will have no other. He is my mirror.
How did you prepare for the journey?
I spent four months living with my long riding mentor Sea in 2021, learning about horsemanship and working odd jobs-babysitting, housekeeping, etc.- to save money for the trip.
M O R E C O M I N G S O O N
In the meantime, check out my “Finding Finley” posts, but be warned! They are absurdly long: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
What gear do you use?
See my gear list HERE for the most comprehensive answer to this question.
In short, I ride Finley solely in his rope halter with a Circle Y saddle born the same year as me and a peculiar looking foam pad.
Read More
Gear changes over time; you never finish with what you started with. This list reflects my gear by the end of the journey which remained relatively stable for the last 2-3 months.
Finley’s Tack
➣ saddle, pad, blanket, breast collar with wither strap, front and back cinch, cinch protector, 4x hoof boots, rope halter with fleece covers, lead rope, sponge, dog collar, ID tag, Spot Gen 4 tracker
My Outfit
➣ shirt, undershirt, sports bra, pants, leggings, underwear, socks, hiking shoes, bandanna, gloves, reflective vest, helmet
Horn bag 1
(2.5 — 3.2 lbs, dead weigh)
➣ 1/2 of my picket rope, hobble
➣ Hairbrush, deodorant, sunscreen, lighter, duct tape, hair ties, tooth brush/paste, paracord, spare batteries, copy of Finley’s ID tag, sewing kit, hoof boot parts
Horn bag 2
(2.5 — 3.2 lbs, dead weight)
➣ 1/2 of my picket rope
➣ Electronics–1st battery pack, tail light, 2-3 wall chargers, 1-2 iPhone cords, 2 USB cords, 2 USB-C cord
Cantle bag 1
(4.5 — 5.5 lbs, dead weight)
➣ Rain coat
➣ Journal, pen, medical records/paperwork
➣ Liniment, SWAT, vetricyn
➣ Tent stakes, splint, horse brush
➣ Rotating items: bug spray, food
Cantle bag 2
(4.5 — 5.5 lbs, dead weight)
➣ Tent rain fly
➣ Tent pole
➣ Bute, banamine, electrolyte paste
➣ Spare clothes — 1 underwear, 2 pair of socks
➣ Rotating items: bug spray, food
Bedroll Bag
(4.7 lbs, dead weight)
➣ Tent body, sleeping bag
Backpack
(3-4 lbs, live weight)
➣ Medical kit
➣ Light jacket
➣ Water filter, pouch, headlight
➣ Garbage bag, ziplock bags, napkins/toilet paper
➣ Rotating items: salt, fluid flavor packets, 1-2 water bottles, owl feathers
Pants Pockets
(2-3 lbs, live weight)
➣ SPOT Gen3 tracker, phone
➣ Wallet, lip balm
➣ Pepper spray, knife
➣ 2nd battery pack, iPhone cord
➣ Rotating items: bear spray
Where do you stay?
I have a blog post about this HERE. It details where we have stayed every night so far. Check it out!
The short answer is that we typically stay with hosts or on public lands.
In Iowa and Nebraska, I posted on Facebook groups for local trail riders to find accommodations. This social networking was wildly successful in securing hosts for those states. Provided you’re comfortable and willing to establish a presence online, I would highly recommend this host finding method in the U.S.A.
Otherwise, for Finley and I it has been a matter of happening upon people. Knocking on strangers doors, even. “Something always works out.” Over the course of our journey, I’ve never had a sleepless night. At least not entirely …
I often scope the area we’re in on Google Maps, satellite mode. I always search for fairgrounds, rodeo grounds, stables, cowboy churches, and campgrounds. If I anticipate having trouble, I will look at rural cemeteries.
⭐ I highly recommend the On X Hunt app. It shows you accurate property borders on a virtual map. This feature is a game changer! Countless times it has pointed me in the direction of unmarked public lands that I otherwise would have been oblivious to! ⭐
It is harder to find places to stay on the east coast compared to the west. This has been my experience walking, cycling, and horseback riding cross country. There is more public land in the west, as well as right-of-ways in the countryside where locals won’t mind you pitching camp so much.
Of course, having a horse adds an extra variable since, without hay, you need to be able to graze them overnight.
Read More
I’m not going to lie to you: this can be a major stressor on the road. It’s definitely the one I’ve called my mom crying about the most.
And yet? I rarely bother to plan my stays in advance. I began in New Jersey not knowing where I would sleep on Day 1, or Day 2, or, well, any of my nights in that state.
Being prepared doesn’t mean knowing where you will sleep every night. The harsh reality is that you can’t, not when your daily mileage is ever-changing.
Being prepared means plotting accommodations where you can while recognizing and accepting that you will face some uncertainty going forward.
Some people will try to chastise you for this. They will say that you are stupid to set out with such an unknown. These people have never crossed the country before and never will unless it’s with the comforts of a cushy support vehicle. Consequently, these same people will convince themselves that conditions must be perfect in order to begin living their own dreams, which is one of the saddest lies a person can tell themselves.
Don’t fall for it.
With this uncertainty comes a mystifying, wondrous heap of chance encounters. You will meet people you never expected, and you will be better for it. The backpacking community has the saying “the trail provides” for a reason.
How do you contain Finley overnight?
If I don’t have access to a fixed structure–like a fenced-in pasture, corral, or stall–then I will picket Finley.
Travelling self-contained, it is impossible for me to carry a portable electric fence. A high line, which is a rope strung between two fixed points, would be equally impractical, since it would not allow my horse to graze adequately. These two methods are popular with people who are going on weekend getaways with consistent access to a horse trailer and hay nets.
This leaves me with two options: picketing, otherwise known as tethering, and more traditional hobbling.
Read More
The problem with traditional hobbling, where the horses front legs are tied together, is that it only
slows forward movement. A horse can still cover considerable distance in a night while hobbled if they feel compelled enough to. In the remote backcountry, especially if you are accompanied by other equines who will have a natural tendency to want to stay together, this method can work quite well.
However, Finley and I are often camping in areas where he must remain within a set perimeter. Examples include backyards and baseball fields. Places in the midst of suburbia, closely bordering other private properties and active roadways.
This is where picketing becomes a necessity. It has allowed Finley to be confined to a certain area while allowing for free range of movement. He can happily walk around, even trot, and lie down to sleep. It has been a game-changer for us.
I started with a twisted cotton 3/4” by 25 ft rope before transitioning to a 1/2” x 50ft diamond braid polypropylene rope. I only switched after Finley had months of experience with a larger rope. Here is a picture illustrating the different diameters I have worked with. My current rope has a 244lb working load limit so it has the capacity to break in an emergency.
Picketing Finley involves attaching a hobble (collar) around one of his front pasterns (ankles). My 50 ft rope is tied to a ring on this hobble with a quick release knot. The other end of the rope is then, either, connected to a carabiner on a 12 inch stake or tied around a solid object. Again, with a quick release knot.
Using a stake is not as reliable as tying to a fixed structure like a tree or post, since there is always the potential for the stake to be pulled. However, in an emergency, it could be argued that it is advantageous to have such a breakaway system to avoid injury to your animals leg. Using a stake also gives your animal a greater grazing perimeter, a full circle.
The reality is that there is no surefire way to contain a horse in the backcountry without the potential for mishap. “Online camping is very safe!” What’s important is that you take every precaution you can to mitigate the risks while recognizing that accidents can and do happen. After picketing Finley with great success over a hundred times, he got lost, once, in Wind Cave National Park. Searching for him was an arduous, week long ordeal. The fact that he not only pulled his stake in the first place but then disappeared without a trace was a terrible stroke of luck. It was unfathomable. Thankfully, he was found alive and well after 7 days, only slightly dehydrated with a small, superficial abrasion on one of his back legs from having snapped his rope.
Has this stopped me from picketing him since? Of course not. When you accidentally rear-end someone, do you stop driving for the rest of your life? No. I am always looking for flaws within our systems to ensure Finley’s safety, however. Previously, I have braided an ID Tag into his mane. Going forward, he will also have a GPS tracker on him overnights! (At this rate, I figure it took 7 months for him to get lost the first time, so we have another 7 months until it happens again, and by then we’ll be to Oregon, ha!)
You can read articles on picketing/hobbling by Outfitters Supply, one of the leading sellers of back country gear, and by Horse&Rider Magazine. I also highly recommend these articles by Cavvy Savvy and Western Horseman.
What does your horse eat?
This information is explained in depth HERE.
As a mustang, Finley is an easy keeper. He does well on graze (grass) alone, which we find in abundance on the side of the road. He is a living lawnmower. Rarely, I will carry grain in his horn bags if the opportunity arises. We often stay with other horsemen who supply us with hay, as well.
The principles we follow of taking 1-2 rest days a week and stopping periodically, up to 10 minutes for every hour of travelling, is largely to ensure Finley is well fed. I always like to ply Finley with as much food as possible before we begin a day, to the point of delaying our morning departure if need be. I’m also guilty of buying him treats anytime we visit a grocery store or gas station. He is particularly fond of Nature Valley: Oats and Honey granola bars.
Read More
If we are staying in a location where Finley must be contained without hay on sight — for instance, a stall at the fairgrounds in Henry, Illinois or the round pen at White Rock Conservancy in Coon Rapids, Iowa — I will search for local hay dealers on Facebook Marketplace and pay them to deliver two bales.
Any time we are holed up for two days, I will generally ask for two bales of hay. While one bale is more than sufficient for that time period, I like to get two on the off chance they are poor quality bales, since I cannot inspect them prior to delivery. It also allows Finley to stock up and gives me wiggle room if I decide we should remain situated for an extra day.
Graze was rich and abundant for us from May through October, New Jersey through Iowa. It began to decline significantly in Nebraska in November, becoming more sparse and brown. It was still suitable, just marginally. During this period, we mostly stayed with hosts where Finley had access to hay.
Over the winter, Finley was let loose on 100 acres of pasture, with access to hay only when there was dense snowfall, and he did beautifully. He didn’t lose an ounce, despite how barren and dead the fields might have looked to an uneducated eye. Good graze returned for us in all its watery, green glory in mid April.
Update: Unfortunately, some bad news—our farrier in Idaho Falls has told me that Finley is “metabolic.” His crest, the skin around the base of his mane, is enlarged and his hooves are a little flat; evidence that there is too much sugar in his diet!
The good news is that this has been caught early and is totally reversible.
What I believe happened is that I was so eager to maintain his weight, a good, even body score of 5 out of 10, that I have plied him TOO much with food and actually overcompensated.
Like I said, as a mustang, Finley is extremely thrifty, an “easy keeper,” which normally works to our advantage but has unintentionally done the opposite in this instance.
All this means going forward is that I will need to lower his sugar intact, avoiding processed, ultra refined foods and being more sparing with apples, grain, etc., especially on rest breaks when his caloric needs are not as great.
Thankfully, we are just coming out of the spring season, the time of year when graze is known for being the richest, especially in the cool mountains of Wyoming, and, thus, struggles with high sugar content is not uncommon! Summer and fall rolling in should automatically help mitigate the issue.
At our last vet visit in Mountain Home, Idaho, I raised concerns about Finley’s enlarged crest and our Dr. said not to worry about it! He felt that the condition was very slight and that, with the mileage we’re covering, it’s better for him to have a little more weight on him than not. Overall, Finley’s body condition was described as “great!”
How do you water your horse?
Horses require between 5 and 15 gallons of water a day. It is impossible to carry! Instead, I water Finley at creek or river crossings. Any natural sources we come across. In a pinch, I will buy gallons of water in a town or knock on a local’s door to ask to use their spigot. Both rarities.
Sometimes, frustratingly, the banks of waterways are too steep for a horse to access. In these cases or, really, whenever we find a spigot, I will empty Finley’s horn bags and fill them with water to transport to him. His horn bags cannot carry water over an extended period of time but are suitable for temporary containment.
Read More
Prior to starting this journey, I thought water would be a bigger concern than it has been. It’s been blissfully simple on the east coast. Really, if you’re east of the Mississippi, you have little to worry about.
If I anticipate water shortages through any parts of Wyoming, Idaho, or Oregon, I will look into the possibility of having water “cached,” which is where you have someone leave jugs in designated locations ahead.
Update: I had to call in local support to bring Finley and I water once in the deserts of south western Idaho. This is the only instance where we required assistance to get through an area!
Do you use a support vehicle?
No.
Finley and I do not use a support vehicle. Additionally, we do not quietly skip miles*. Our intention is to truly go the whole way together, start to finish, step by step.
While we had to take a winter off, we bedded down in place and picked up in the spring right where we had left off, having never left the small town of Chadron, NE, during that time, like the pioneers of olden days would when they missed the cutoff to cross the Rockies before snowfall.
*I am not above trailering over a dangerous stretch while long riding, that would be my duty to Finley, but the need never arose over the course of our journey! I can also say with the utmost confidence and pride now that we never did skip a mile, either. 🌞
Read More
Support vehicles are against the spirit of adventure and true long riders do not use them unless necessary.
Perhaps a harsh statement, especially for such a contentious topic.
I equate using a support vehicle to having bumpers when bowling. To someone who has never bowled before, it seems ingenious, why wouldn’t you use bumpers? You can never strike out! Yet anyone who has bowled before knows that bumpers are, really, for those inexperienced and insecure, and are unheard of in professional leagues.
Consequently, support vehicles tend to be popular with publicity-seeking types, those who aim to sell their image on social media more than they care for genuine adventure.
Unfortunately these “influencer riders” as I’ve come to call them are cropping up more and more. In addition to often using high-dollar support vehicles, they tend to boast about wanting to beat some arbitrary “world record,” often in regards to speed (which is inherently ripe for disaster), post tons of staged, professional photography, and love TikTok. (Despite how specific this sounds … I promise I am not talking about one person! But rather a growing number that exemplify this trend.)
Many of the struggles* that come with crossing America are removed with a support vehicle to ones detriment. This may sound unfounded, ego-driven, but with adversary comes unparalleled growth. Likewise, acting as if a support vehicle is necessary would suggest that long distance riding is exclusively a rich mans game, which is an image I am vehemently against.
*Let me clarify– the struggles I am referring to are NOT in relation to or at the expense of the well-being of ones equines.
You can ensure your mount receives proper care and consideration without employing constant vehicle support while going ocean-to-ocean in the United States.
The LRG website states: “Whereas the Guild recognizes that a support vehicle may be used in extreme situations where the safety of the horse is at stake, master equestrian travelers do not need to bring along a motorized comfort zone to accomplish their goal. If an emergency situation arises, then transportation can be arranged.”
Despite this, I fully respect everyone’s decision to use a support vehicle as they see fit.
How can that be, after what I just said? Because there is no right or wrong way for someone to live their dreams, provided safety standards are met. While I may believe that support vehicles fundamentally change the nature of ones travels, turning an aspiring long rider into more of a tourist, if someone aspires to use one, and does, I am happy for them.
How long will it take?
Originally, my intention was to cross the country within one calendar year, beginning in May and finishing in November, for a 6-7 month trip. However, I am no early bird, and my ability to dawdle is unsurpassed. What’s more, Finley and I faced some hiccups at the onset of our journey that delayed us further.
It quickly became clear that we would not cross the Rockies before snowfall, which can come as early as September. Therefore, we had to take winter break OFF from December 1st, 2022 to April 22nd, 2023.
I believe strongly in the LRG’s principles: “We are about the deceleration of our souls, not the idle boasting of a lightning-flash crossing of a continent … we do not encourage anyone to brag about a needless quest for kilometers as a justification for their existence. Equestrian Travel is by definition a denunciation of haste. It cannot be rushed and still be done well.”
I intend for us to reach the Oregon coast by the end of September, 2023, which will make the whole trip 12 months long, discounting our time off!
Finley and I officially ended our ride on September 30th, 2023!
Where did you winter?
Finley and I wintered in Chadron, Nebraska.
I rented a one bedroom apartment off of King St. while Finley roamed a 100 acre pasture he shared with another sorrel gelding named Quinn four miles east of town!
During this time, I completed three college courses-Precalculus, Microbiology, and Chemistry–online while working part time at Ace Hardware to cover living expenses and save for our final leg!
Most of my schoolwork was completed at the library, just a block shy of my house, or McDonalds, with their free WiFi.
Read More
Chadron has all the markings of a good town: alleyways and alley cats. One orange-and-white stray would stand on his hind legs like a meerkat and peer into my front door, imploring me to give him scraps of chicken. I never could touch him, but seeing him waiting on my stoop after a long day always made me smile.
After the winter off, I hoped to keep Finley in a pen at the local boarding barn in town for a month. That way, I could handle him daily with access to a round pen, as I knew he would need to be re-acclimated to, well, everything. Groundwork. Riding. People. Traffic. The whole shebang. Horses tend to revert with time off.
However, the boarding barn did not have an opening come spring, so I bought a bike off Facebook Marketplace to ride to and from Finley’s out-of-town pasture. When my bike broke down (one of the pedals flew off on the highway!), I would walk the 8 mile round trip back and forth until it got repaired. (Okay, I really didn’t have to do this much. My friend and the homeowner, Mike, would feel bad for me and drive me often.)
How do you care for your horse (vet, farrier)?
- We take 1 to 2 rest days out of every given week.
- We aim to take 10 minute breaks every hour of riding.
- We have taken multiple extended periods off, from weeks to months.
- I walk a portion of every day, from 1/2 to 1/4 of our daily mileage.
A horse can safely carry 20% of their body weight; we follow this general rule of thumb. I weigh 140-150 lbs. My saddle weighs 25 lbs. The rest of my tack and packs weigh another 20-25 lb. Ideally, my weight would be brought down to 125 lb so our total would top off at 175 lb. Presently, it fluctuates between 185-200 lbs which is within reasonable limits.
Update: As of Idaho Falls, I am down to 133 lbs!
How far we travel in a given period is entirely contingent on Finley’s physical and mental condition. We always try to err on the side of caution.
I carry his coggins, vaccination record, proof of ownership, and health certificate(s) in our saddle bags at all times. Every morning, I double check to make sure his saddle bags seem even in weight, and will reassess them as needed throughout the day. I carry a portable scale for these purposes.
I wear a neon yellow safety vest at all times to ensure we’re as visible as possible and I strap a Cygolite Hotshot 200 lumen tail light to my rear saddle bags when it feels necessary.
My medical kit for Finley varies. I always try to maintain bute, banamine, vet wrap, triple antibiotic, vetricyn, and liniment. SWAT fly cream in the summer. I added a fly mask to our arsenal in Idaho.
Finley has routine farrier and vet visits.
Read More
He saw a farrier before our departure in Pennsylvania. This was the first time he had seen a farrier since being gentled. Thankfully, his hooves were already in remarkable shape! The farrier had to trim little excess. Mostly, the bars on the underside of his hooves were overgrown. When we saw a farrier again in Iowa, they were amazed with Finley’s quality of hoof.
Finley travels barefoot. As a mustang, his hooves are nearly as hard as stone. He has never been lame and shows no discomfort on pavement. I put Renegade Hoof Boots on him for for gravel or rough terrain.
Finley’s vet check record–
-
-
-
-
- 1st with Dr. Stephanie Benner before our departure in PA
- 2nd at Claremont Vet Hospital in Ashland, OH
- 3rd at Kesson Vet Clinic in Delphos, OH
- 4th at Iowa Equine in Huxley, IA
- 5th at Companion Animal Clinic in Chadron, NE
- 6th with Dr. Robert Reid in Chadron, NE
- 7th with Fall River Vet Clinic in Hot Springs, SD
- 8th with Salt Creek Vet Clinic in New Castle, WY
- 9th with Knight Veterinary Clinic in Mountain Home, ID
What would you do if something happened to Finley?
If Finley sustained an accidental injury that took him out of commission, I would have him trailered to our final destination for him to live out his days. I would not continue on with another horse. This journey is not about simply riding across the country, whatever means necessary. I am aware of others who will swap out their horses when one needs to recuperate in order to keep going, as they have multiple on stand by, and I can respect that, but it would feel ingenuine for me to do, since Finley is the only horse I love. If he is temporarily wounded and just needs time off, I will wait for him. If he’s out, I’m out.
How have you crossed major rivers?
The three most challenging rivers we have had to cross were the Illinois River, the Mississippi River, and the Missouri River.
A kind local couple tailed us with their blinkers on as we crossed the Illinois River at Henry, IL. I led Finley, mostly at a jog.
Finley and I received a police escort from Rock Island City PD over the Mississippi River at Muscatine, IA.
I led Finley across this bridge as well to be absolutely safe. Largely, because when I Googled “how high is the Norbert F. Beckey bridge?”, the answer I received was 60 feet. And when I Googled “can you survive a 60 foot fall into water?” the answer was, well, it’s debatable.
Finley was impeccable, calm and composed!
Lastly, as fate would have it, a tractor needed to cross the Decatur, NE, bridge over the Missouri River the very moment we arrived, so Finley and I were able to join their ensemble. A pilot car blocked the opposing lane for us. Again, I led Finley. This bridge was the most narrow and grated.
Finley is not shy of bridges.
I happily rode him across the old railroad bridge outside Valentine, NE. It is one of my fondest moments!
Why haven’t you posted much on social media?
This is the elephant in the room. 🐘
I’m really sorry to everyone who has met me and Finley on the road and been eager to follow our adventure only to find no trace of us online.
Until recently, there were no updates of our progress on my site.
I hope to have more blog posts out soon!
Read More
Social media is something I have trouble with. You know, it can really suck you in, make you start “doom scrolling” until your system is all out of wack. My head is clearer when I step outside. And on the road, I’m living so presently, every day something new, which makes it hard to switch gears and settle down to write. It’s also hard for me to put my heart on my sleeve, to be honest about my vulnerabilities publicly.
Sometimes when Finley and I are riding through towns, I can feel the weight of so many eyes on us, staring, snapping photos, and the attention gets to me. I cover my face with my bandanna and breath a sigh of relief when we’re back out in the countryside and it’s just the two of us again. It’s something I’m actively trying to better myself on, as I know it’s not good for me to have this underlying anxiety.
I’ll continue to quietly maintain this website and, hopefully, begin updating my private Facebook page, too, as I do genuinely love meeting people and appreciate everyone we’ve met who wants to stay in touch. I feel like I owe it to you guys to share the journey. And I feel like I owe it to my past self who wasn’t sure I could do it and would get a total kick out of reading how I did. Or how I had fun trying, anyway.
What challenges have you faced so far?
Rain rot has been our #1 nemesis!
Dealing with it has straight up sucked.
M O R E C O M I N G S O O N
Why make the trip?
For the love of exploration! Before I plant roots that’ll keep me grounded, and before my knees get too bad. 😋
M O R E C O M I N G S O O N
This answer will be lengthy but worthwhile … kind of like the trip, ha!
Are you missing anything?
A dog.
My sister has stolen the heart of my childhood dog, Rascal, while I have been away. It’s devastating but, maybe, for the best. He is much happier now having someone else to love. However, this means I am without a dog to call my own, which is a sorry state for any one to be in.
Read More
If you don’t know, the stroller from my walk across America was named Faith after a
dog I nearly adopted. (Well, that and the George Michael’s song.) I kept a dog collar that I had found discarded in the road for the entirety of my trip, on the off chance the right dog came along.
Now, I keep a dog collar (gifted by my co-workers at Ace Hardware 😘 ) around my saddle horn. Technically, it acts as a makeshift night latch strap. Otherwise known as a chicken strap or an “oh sh*t” strap. It’s meant for hanging onto if your horse bucks. Finley has never bucked, though. So maybe I have it in the hopes that it will manifest my dream dog.
I should really lose 10 to 20 lbs before I add a dog to the team, though. And the reality is that I am terribly picky with dogs. Just any one won’t do. I’m looking for the right dog, and they would have to find me, as Rascal did.
What part do you look forward to the most?
The West.
The Wind River Range, most of all.
Since Finley and I will reach the Rockies in late June, the higher elevation trails will still be snow-packed, inaccessible, but we should be able to see the beauty and grandeur of the mountains from below.
Wintering in Chadron, NE, felt like stopping at the gateway to the west. We’re now just getting to the other side of it!
Finley doesn’t know it yet, but we will be passing through his birthplace in Oregon. He is headed home in more than one sense.
April 2023 Update: the view from Fort Robinson, NE, our second day back on the road after winter break! Already, it feels like we’ve entered another world.
July 2023 Update: we made it to the Wind River Range!
August 2023 Update: At last! Finley got to come back to Palomino Butte, Oregon, where he was born in the wild. He has spent more time in his life here than anywhere else, since he was rounded up at the age of 4 and it’s been just 2 years since then. And with him spending six months in holding, we have only known each other for 1½ of those.
September 2023 update: And finally, we have met our journey’s end!
What happens when it’s all said and done?
Finley will be trailered to the San Juan Islands of Washington state where he will live with my long riding mentor, Sea, for the foreseeable future. She has a ten acre property there with other horses where he can free roam, occasionally joining her on rides into town or into the backcountry. He will never be for sale. After I get him situated there, I will fly to North Carolina to finish college. I have two years of my Bachelors left then four years of veterinary school if I can get accepted!
10/8/23 Update — Finley has settled in well on Lopez Island, and I have flown back east. We’re on opposite sides of the country now, just as we were before we met. He’s been visiting me in my dreams, though so often in them he’s lost and I’m searching for him. And then I think: how often must he go and stand at the gate to his pasture, looking around for me, wondering? Less and less as each day goes by, I suppose. He’s happy being a horse with his new herd. He’s home. I have yet to find my place elsewhere, but I am optimistic because, heck, it’s always easy to be cheery when you’re starting fresh in life and the road ahead is still just the epic fantasy you make up in your head. 🌞
I’ll see Finley again.
