Hello
I spoke with Dirk on Friday and the gang is doing well as they are on their way towards Thunder Bay. Dirk was noticing that as they move up north, the spring season is about 3 weeks behind central Ontario. Where they are right now, the fiddleheads are just coming out although all the bugs you can imagine are in plentiful supply. They are being plagued with deerflies and horseflies which can be horribly annoying as they buzz around your face and can give a very painful bite. They have been spraying themselves and the horses, but still the bugs are bad and they have to sleep with their heads covered. On the road where it’s breezy, the bugs are less of a problem. They had been warned by others that the bugs will only get worse and that they have been known to literally chase moose out of the bush…it’ll be interesting to hear of the horse’s reactions if they see a moose. Dirk was remarking that the horses are still a bit spooked by any cows that are a different colour than the black and white Holsteins that they are used to!
I had asked Dirk how they sleep ’cause they have no mattresses or sleeping pads with them (!). Dirk said that they use the horse blankets and their duster coats underneath them and put another blanket on top. They have to cover their heads from the bugs and use their saddles as pillows. They sleep quite lightly and each takes turns getting up to tend the fire where they are allowed to build one. When they are in the bush, the horses are penned in with their portable fence which is essentially a very long (1000 ft) length of rope. The horses are very well trained and won’t cross a rope. Of course when they can, the horses are pastured in a friendly farmer’s field and everyone can sleep better! They are very much looking forward to a real bed at the end of the journey.
I tried to get their exact route out of Dirk but he wasn’t quite sure. They will be taking highway 2 in Manitoba and then Highway 13 in Saskatchewan which leads into B.C.
As it’s behind season, it’s still too cold to jump in the lakes or rivers for a real good wash up. The boys fill up their water bottles when they can and are able to at least brush teeth and get their faces clean. I didn’t delve into the great details of their hygiene. Some things are best left as a mystery….
They’ve already had to change the horses’ shoes. A friendly farmer called his ferrier who came to see the horses and re-shoe them with shoes that the guys had brought with them. They reckon the horses will need new shoes every three weeks. Dirk said that the shoes were so worn in the front that they could have snapped them in two with their hands easily!
Along the way people have been super kind and generous to the boys. Around the Soo (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) people kept saying…”Hey aren’t you guys something to do with the Mantracker? The Mantracker’s assistant Phil lives around here…” See http://www.mantracker.ca/ So of course the guys went to visit Phil and had a good chat. Seems Phil’s wife is experienced with horses and fed and watered them while the boys chatted with Phil. They’ve met a lot of generous souls along the way who’ve brought the horses sweet feed, hay and water. Gotta love them Canadians eh?!
Apparently both guys have lost a few pounds. Natural enough since their diets consist mostly of beans and fish…beans, beans, the magical fruit…I guess you could say the boys are on their own kind of musical ride…..groan!
Anyways…that’s all for now…I’ll post as I get more news. Ride on! Jane Hubbard

Hello people. I spoke with Dirk on Sunday and they were just north of Wawa, Ontario. He figures they’ll be in Thunder Bay towards the end of next week…that’s around the June 4 or 5 mark. They are in good shape and good spirits and moving forward. They don’t expect to have cell service for a while so this may be the last post till T. Bay. He’s sent along some pictures with a couple they met so I am hoping to get those in the mail soon…stay tuned. Jane Hubbard

Hello all! I spoke with Dirk today (Sunday, May 16) They are now on the other side of the Sault, Ontario and are enjoying the beautiful sunny weather. They expect to be in Thunder Bay in about one and a half weeks.
Dirk reports that the horses are in great shape and are building up muscle. I forgot to ask Dirk if he and Paul are also becoming more muscular! Definitely by the pictures, I see Dirk’s face is very tanned so there must be some sun getting to them…He said that he had a shave for the first time on their trip yesterday and that it felt great.
There are still lots of blackflies around to plague both horses and riders. They hope for windy days or rain so they don’t feel the bugs.
On good days they can make about 7 km an hour. Dirk reports that the horses are getting more aclimatized to life on the road, but as they get tired, they can get more skittish. They have improved since the beginning of the trip when they were spooked by crossing railroads or bridges. He said that one day near the start of the trip it took over 15 minutes to coax Chevy over a bridge! They saw a moose in the distance and that spooked the horses as did a herd of over 50 black cows that ran toward them to have a better look.
They keep emphasizing how they are meeting wonderful people along the way. Along a Highway 17 sideroad they met a gang of horseback riders and rode with them a ways. They were invited to spend the night on their farm and had a good night’s rest.
Their diet is still sparse consisting of cooked dried beans with garlic and ginger, dandelion greens and fiddleheads. Chef Dirk says that if you boil fiddleheads too long, they get rubbery. He also says that with eating all the beans, it’s sometimes “windy” on the trail.
That’s all for now!
Stay tuned…Jane Hubbard

I just received the first package from the boys. It contains journal pages and photographs which will be posted on the gallery page. Jane Hubbard
They write:
Day 1.
The first day was a little bit crazy. All of us, humans and horses were a bit nervous. We made about 15 kilometres and we found a nice place to spend the night. We put our tarp up and used our saddles for pillows. Then the storm came, complete with pounding rain, thunder and lightening. Well, we are not too concerned as we are close to Coldwater, Ontario.
Day 2.
We were on the road by 8:00 am. It was an absolutely brutal day. We stayed in the saddle for 10 hours and ended up near Severn Park, which incidentally is the blackfly capital of the world! There was trouble finding a place to bed down as it is all cottage country in the area. When we did find a place to rest, we thought it made sense to leave quite early, but take it easy so as to not over-tire the horses. We are all adjusting to life on the trail. We have met some wonderful people along the way (www.naturalhorse.com)

Of course, it started to rain in the middle of the night and because the skies looked clear, we hadn’t put our tarp up. We took the tarp, covered our saddles and bags and stayed with the horses till first light. Lesson learned? Always put up the tarp!
Day 3.
At first light, we saddled up and got going. The problem today was that in the middle of the bush, there’s not much for the horses to eat. We gave them water and they grazed on the grass at the side of the road. Our plan for today was to go through “Big Chute” towards highway 400. We realized that the area we were in was perfect for survival practice, but not for horses. It became clear that we needed to find a farm where we could buy some hay. The horses were getting hungry, just like cranky babies they were getting touchy and unnerved by little things…such as a frog. Roo (Paul’s horse) was getting stubborn and was getting to the point that he didn’t want to walk anymore.
We stopped in Big Chute to ask directions to the nearest farm and the horses were under some trees. Suddenly Roo got spooked and took off which caused Chevy (Dirk’s horse) to do the same! A car stopped and Paul jumped in and they drove 2 kilometres down the road where a woman had found the horses and was holding them both.
In the meantime I was kept busy collecting my belongings off of the road as my drybag had ripped in half and my saddlebag had opened spilling its contents far and wide!
We had been told that we could not travel along highway 69 so we bypassed the area. We found ourselves at a farm just north of Sudbury where everyone was able to have a good rest. I had my saddlebags repaired.
It is much colder here than it was in Toronto and on Saturday (May 8), they were calling for snow! The nights are definitely cold and as we are not allowed to have a fire we are sleeping with the horses in order to keep warm. We are keeping warm with two pullovers, a duster and a blanket each.
So we are now moving towards Lively, Ontario. We thought that taking a mining road as a shortcut would be a good idea. After travelling for 16 km, we were told we’d have to turn around and go back as they were starting to blast. We had to go back the same way we came for the whole 16 km as there was no other route.
We came off of the mining road, got a bale of hay and put up our camp.
Day 6.
We took off early and made it to Nairn. It was snowing like crazy and when we arrived in Nairn, we stopped at a horse farm. We were totally covered in snow and we were all so very tired so that night we slept with the horses.
Day 7.
We left early this morning (Sunday…it’s been a week) and from Espanola, Ontario, took the Old Webbwood Road towards our friend Hans Hansen’s place (www.infinitywoodcraftcreations.ca).
Day 8.
We were hell-bent to make it to Hans’ place in order for us all to have a good rest. It is only 10 km along the highway, but we took the backand bush roads and so it was actually a 25 km journey. We are really happy to give the horses a good rest and Hans’ wife Ange has been so helpful with the horses. She’s well experienced, having horses of her own. We are planning to get up early on Wednesday morning with the sun again and hit the open road… Please stay tuned, meet us along the way and share your thoughts on our grand adventure.
Dirk and Paul.

Hello people. I was just speaking with Dirk on Sunday afternoon and they are in Espanola, price about two hours west of Sudbury. It has been an early spring here in Ontario, price but on Saturday it snowed on Dirk and Paul. It has not been warm. They found refuge at a horse farm where they slept in the barn with the horses. All had a good rest. They are making excellent progress, online sometimes doing 60-70 kms a day. Both horses and riders are in great shape.
They are taking the Old Webbwood Road and expect to be at their friend Hans’ place for a couple of days. Everyone can have a good rest!
They have met some great, generous people along the way and so far, their spirits are still very enthusiastic!! They have been keeping a journal and will send it and pictures through the mail. We will be posting this here on the site when we get it. Should be a fascinating read.
Let us know if you see them and keep the comments coming!

This is what Wendy, who met them, writes:

This is what Wendy has put into the comments: I was thrilled to talk with Paul and Dirk this morning as they left their first camping spot. What an interesting night they had…rain and thunderstorms but they were smiling and ready to hit the road. What an interesting trip they will have. I look forward to following their trek across this wonderful country of ours. What an adventure! Happy trails to you both!

Dirk has just called me, order they are ready to start. The horses are trained and Dirk was eating dandelion leaves. That will be part of their daily diet for the next months. Yummy! It is raining a bit, medical but it is warm. Soon they will leave, some friends will be there to say goodbye. Best luck!

Hi there, medical today the guys are leaving. I hope it is such a fine day as here in Germany. We will see it as soon as we get the photographs. Dirk has sent a comment! I do wish them all the best, a safe and exciting trip. I would never do that myself, but I can understand why they have to do it.

This is Elli writing, here Dirk´s girlfriend in Germany and I will keep you update, price together with our friend Jane about what is going on with the guys! If you have any questions, buy please contact us. And thank you for all your comments and good wishes. Yesterday I skyped with Paul and Dirk, they have everything together and are really excited about riding away tomorrow! I hope they will make it very quickly!