If you read either of my “Packing” blogs, you know I’m a bit obsessive about being prepared when traveling with horses. Actually, I’m a bit obsessive about being prepared period. So, when I heard there was a group of five riders traveling from Iowa to Mississippi by horseback, my head began to reel with the logistics. I figured they could probably teach me a thing or two about packing. Turns out they had a lot to teach, but packing wasn’t the point.
The group is on what they have dubbed, “The Freedom Trail Ride.” They are riding from Decatur City, Iowa to Vicksburg, Mississippi, about an 800 mile trek. The horses won’t step foot on a trailer the whole way there.
Their mission is two-fold. They are raising awareness and funds for a four day camp for handicapped kids called Horses 4 Handicapped. The camp allows handicapped kids to come ride and enjoy horses at absolutely no cost and runs entirely on volunteers and donations. It takes place annually in April. They are also escorting a Vietnam Vet home after 42 years. When he returned from Vietnam, the town basically kicked him out, now he’s hoping to be welcomed home. The horses and the wagon with the names of his platoon on the side, will make-up his homecoming parade.
I meant to stop by the fairgrounds where they were camping for five, ten, maybe fifteen minutes. I was there for over an hour and wished I could have stayed longer. You expect interesting stories from travelers, but this group has a special passion and an incredible spirit. Their stories were a real eye-opener.
If I was going to travel more than ten miles by horseback, I’d have a map with predetermined stopping points, places to water, places to get food, and most importantly places to spend the night. Heck, I try to plan out my seven mile canoe trip like that and there aren’t any animals depending on my planning then. I asked them about their itinerary.
“Head down 65 ‘till we cross the Mississippi.”
That’s the extent of it. They ride as far as they can, then stop for the night. They left Decatur City with an expectation to camp alongside the highway. It hasn’t happened yet. Each and every night, someone has offered them a place to stay. What’s more, they’ve got a trailer with hay, feed, and other supplies that they leave behind each morning. Every night, someone offers to drive one of them back twenty or so miles so they can pick the truck and trailer up and bring it along. They’ve had people go out of their way to water their horses, cook them meals, offer them showers and more. I’ll admit, my faith in humanity is not that good and I told them as much. Their response, (I paraphrase)
“It’s not just faith in humanity; it’s faith in something bigger. It’s faith in God. You’ve got to know he’s watching out for us.”
That hit me like a two-by-four. Well duh! You can plan and make lists and write itineraries until you’re pens all run out of ink and something will still go wrong, or at least not according to plan. They wake up each morning with a fresh perspective and no preconceived notions about what the day will hold. They’ve got the faith to get them to the next stopping point, and the next, and the next. They’re not worried about when, where, and what they’ll eat. They are focused on the goal and enjoying the journey to get there. Sounds a lot like life to me. We know the end goal. We’ve just got to keep taking the steps to get there.
They had one more lesson for me too. I thought I’d offer them a really nice place to stay. A place designed to cater to horses. It was just two miles off of 65 Hwy. They appreciated the offer I’m sure, but they didn’t want to travel the extra four miles. What’s four miles when you’re traveling 800?!? Well, its four miles when you’re not working toward that end goal. Its four miles when you aren’t making progress. I’m sure stalls for the horses and beds for the humans was a huge temptation, but they weren’t going to stray from the trail. It’s onward, onward, with no detours.
It was an odd feeling to watch them head down the road again. I was filled with anticipation for them and all they will encounter along the way. I tried not to worry about the narrow shoulders and increasingly tuff terrain and weather they would be facing, and I was left with a feeling gratitude and loss. In a little over an hour they taught me some important lessons. What other fresh perspectives could they have shared if I stayed for two or three hours or saddled up and joined them?
This is the video story I put together for work. I do have the best job!
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