by Connie Tabbert
Editor
HALEY STATION — Katelyn Stromgren is hoping to be home by Halloween.
The 21-year-old from Kelowna, British Columbia moved to Montreal about a year ago. Wanting to return home, she decided to “do something different” to get there.
“I like to dive in head first into the deep end,” she said, adding, “I didn’t want to sit in some podunk town. Of course I can ride my horse across the country.”
On March 3, she drove her car back home, asked her father Doug to look after her dog and two cats and took a bus back to Montreal.
On Monday, April 30, she saddled up her horse Whiskey and together the two set out on a six-month adventure from Mirabel, Quebec, where Whiskey had been stabled while she lived in Montreal.
Along the way, she spent time camping or accepting the hospitality of kind-hearted people who offered her a place to spend the night.
“I planned on camping a lot more, but at the end of the day, if I can sleep on something soft, because my air mattress isn’t, I will,” she said. “It’s so much nicer to pull in and lay down on something soft.”
Amber McLaughlin, of McLaughlin Clydesdales in Haley Station, heard about Ms. Stromgren’s horse trek through facebook and her blog, contacted her, and invited her to spend a night with them, if she was in the area.
On a very rainy and stormy Saturday night, 10 days after starting her trip, Ms. Stromgren, was met by her hosts near their home and offered a ride in their car. It was slow-going because Whiskey was following close behind from a lead in the car.
Once cleaned up and enjoying a bite to eat, the McLaughlin’s extended an invitation to Ms. Stromgren to spend a rest day at their farm…and she accepted.
Curled up on the couch Sunday afternoon, Ms. Stromgren said it’s been a wonderful adventure so far.
While she has everything required to set up on the side of a road for the night, she is enjoying the offers of hospitality as well.
She and Whiskey have been together for almost seven years.
“He’s of unknown parentage, average size and solid,” she said. “He’ll be 16 (years old).”
The two have been travelling an average of about 26 kilometres a day. However, Ms. Stromgren said once they are both in better shape, she’s hoping they’ll get closer to 40 kilometres a day.
“We go about five to seven kilometres an hour,” she said.
When it’s hot or raining, Ms. Stromgren said she’ll walk with Whiskey. She knows when Whiskey is in better shape, he may even want to canter a bit.
When it rains, such as it did Saturday night, she was prepared for it, with a rain sheet for Whiskey and a raincoat and pants for herself. However, she needs to spray the coat to make it more water-repellent, she said with a laugh.
Ms. Stromgren has everything she needs to travel, with stops along the way for water and necessities. Prior to leaving on her trip, she did research for endurance riding and how to pack lightly. Although she admits she did back-pack previously in Ontario, so travelling solo isn’t new to her.
As for Whiskey’s needs, he can have all the grass he wants, she said. She also carries 15 to 20 pounds of grain for him, which is about a week’s worth.
Ms. Stromgren said life is short and people need to make the most of it.
“Follow your dreams,” she said. “You are the only one holding yourself back.”
To finance her trip, Ms. Stromgren admits she’s a minimalist.
“I’m living off a shoe-string budget,” she said, adding with a laugh, “This is what tax returns are for.
“I’m no worse off now then I was working in a dead-end cashier’s job.”
Ms. Stromgren called her mom, Janna, Sunday morning to tell her she was coming home.
“Before I could tell her I was riding home, she said, ‘You’re riding that horse home aren’t you?’
“My mother understands me.”
When she leaves the McLaughlin’s Monday morning, Ms. Stromgren said the two will ride up Highway 17. She expects until she gets north of Lake Superior she won’t have the chance to get off the Trans-Canada Highway.
But, until she gets to where she’s going, Ms. Stromgren said it’s all blind going. She isn’t going to check a map to see how far to the next town or city; or where the back roads are. She’s going to use gut instinct to get where she’s going.
“That’s what makes it all fun,” she said.
If you want to follow Ms. Stromgren’s trail, check out her facebook page, One Girl, One Horse, One Country or her blog by googling onegirlonehorseonecountry.wordpress.com
“I’m giving myself a generous estimate of about six months, which allows for a lot of rest stops and errors,” Ms. Stromgren said. “I’m not in a rush.”
