聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Confucius, a Chinese teacher and philosopher, once said, 鈥淲herever you go, go with all your heart.鈥� For Katelyn Stromgren and her horse Whiskey, both of British Columbia, these are words to live by as they embark on a journey across Canada.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Before considering this adventure, Stromgren had traveled the Maritimes, Quebec, and Ontario at 18-years-old. She had been bitten by the travel bug and was determined to see the country and while on that trip she fell in love with Quebec.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 had moved to Montreal a couple of years ago,鈥� Stromgren explained. 鈥淚 loved the language, culture, and history of the area. I thought, I鈥檓 never going back [to B.C.], 鈥楬ello new life!鈥� I brought Whiskey and my dog and cats, everything. And I really liked it there, but I didn鈥檛 find the success I was looking for there.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚f anything could go wrong, it did,鈥� she now laughs at her bad luck in Montreal.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Although at the time she realized her path had taken a detour, Stromgren鈥檚 outlook on life easily led her to a new path. She would head back to Kelowna, but in an unconventional and adventurous way. She would grab her traveling partner from his lodgings outside Montreal and embark on the cross continental journey with him.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 still love Quebec and I鈥檒l go back there sometime,鈥� Stromgren explained. 鈥淏ut, Quebec will always be there and I have Whiskey now who would be the perfect horse to take on this journey.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 After moving everything back to Kelowna, Stromgren prepared for her adventure and left with Whiskey on April 30th of last year.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Whiskey is a 17-year-old gelding, which Stromgren says is very much like her: they鈥檙e both stubborn and determined. This is actually how Stromgren came to own Whiskey.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚鈥檝e had him for eight year and I鈥檓 used to him,鈥� Stromgren explained. 鈥淚鈥檝e put a lot of hours and work into him. I was actually given him for free and told he was 鈥楿nrideable, untrainable, and good for nothing but horse meat.鈥� At the time he was pretty nasty, and he can still be stubborn, but he just took a lot of patience. It would have taken about eight months before I could really sit on his back. He just never really had the proper training, he is a lot of horse: super smart and stubborn. But, I 鈥榯eenage girl-ed鈥� him and he鈥檚 good now.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Whiskey is enjoying himself on the trip as well, 鈥淲hen we鈥檙e riding his ears are forward and he鈥檚 marching forward to the west.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 It鈥檚 been an interesting trip so far for the pair: 鈥淭his is my second season doing this. Last year I had a couple of setbacks along the way.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 This included an injury Whiskey sustained, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 work a horse when they鈥檙e injured, so I had some time off. I probably had a month of good weather left when that happened, but I was in Fannystelle and I had one degree of separation from the family there, it was where my grade two teacher had grown up, and while Whiskey was healing, I got to know them, and although I could have made it a little further last year they offered to winter him. I knew he鈥檇 be happy and healthy there, so he stayed with them and I went back to Kelowna to work for the winter.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淥n May 21 of this year I picked up again. I didn鈥檛 intend for this to take two seasons, but it鈥檚 an adventure and I love being on horseback, so I can鈥檛 complain, it鈥檚 a great way to spend the summer.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Stromgren is loving the adventure with Whiskey and enjoying the many people they meet along the way.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭raveling on horseback has its nuances, everybody and their uncle stops to talk to you and you meet a lot of the local people,鈥� Stromgren explained. 鈥淚鈥檝e noticed the subtle accent changes along the way as well, had I taken a road trip to see the sights it would have been different, it鈥檚 really interesting the little things you notice. When you travel slowly it鈥檚 a nice way to explore and you see so much.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淵ou meet people who know the area and have their opinions, I really like just listening with an open mind, setting my beliefs aside, and just looking at life from their point of view. There鈥檚 no better way to learn and experience an area than to listen and observe. Traveling by bike [cycling] would be similar, but you still cover so much more distance and not really having to rely on hospitality along the way.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭here鈥檚 just small cultural variations you might not see otherwise,鈥� Stromgren added. 鈥淛ust something that comes to mind are what they call mile roads in Manitoba, here I hear them called grid roads 鈥� even though their signs are titled as range roads 鈥� and I know in Alberta they call them range roads, so just little subtleties like that stick out more when you鈥檙e travelling slowly.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Stromgren and Whiskey travel between 30km and 50km a day and last year, two weeks into their adventure she realized she would be going through horse shoes quite quickly unless she found a more durable replacement.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 found a Ferrier who was somewhat retired, he had shoes and borium 鈥� it鈥檚 a metal used in heavy workload applications 鈥� but the borium wasn鈥檛 applied by the Ferrier,鈥� Stromgren explained. 鈥淎nd those shoes lasted about 1,000 km before it slipped off the shoe. I arrived in Nipigon [Ontario] and I had heard the name of this one Ferrier everywhere, so I contacted him and he was really enthused about helping and wanted to come to me to fit Whiskey, but he was leaving the province the next day and couldn鈥檛, so a blog reader of mine trailered Whiskey and gave me a ride to the Ferrier there and those shoes will have to be reset, but we鈥檝e traveled 1,000 km and they still look good.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭hat was on Canada Day last year, which was kind of disappointing. On my third day into the trip someone gave me a Canadian flag and I thought I would wear it as a cape as I rode down the side of the road, I didn鈥檛 intend a trailer ride, but needed to take one so I didn鈥檛 get to do it last year. Now, a year later, I have that same flag packed and I鈥檓 going to make it happen this year. It hung on my wall all winter in my apartment and I would look at it and say, 鈥榥ext year.鈥欌��
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 It鈥檚 been an interesting journey and Stromgren has enjoyed the beauty of the ever changing landscape.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of fun and I鈥檓 so, so glad to be doing it.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 For Stromgren traveling is a large part of her life: 鈥淓very six months I find I just need to do something and I鈥檒l take off for awhile, there鈥檚 just so much to see. I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 ever going to see all of Canada to my satisfactory, I mean it鈥檚 the second largest country in the world.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚鈥檝e been out to the Pacific and to the Atlantic, I still need to go to Newfoundland, but I鈥檇 love to take a couple of trips to the Arctic Circle as well, one in the summer and one in the winter, see a 24-hour day and a 24-hour night, and see the Northern Lights from the North; I think that would be so interesting to see that and I know I would meet a lot of people along the way.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 To keep up with Stromgren and Whiskey鈥檚 adventure, you can find her on Facebook at 鈥淥ne Girl, One Horse, One Country鈥� or by searching for OneGirlOneHorseOneCountry.wordpress.com online.
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