June 2007 to September 2009
The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) leads from the Mexican to the Canadian border through the USA. It is one of America's 8 National Scenic Trails. The CDT runs along the North American continental divide. This represents the dividing line between the tributaries of the Pacific in the west and the Atlantic in the east.
In June 2007 the journey started on the 5000 km long hiking trail along the Rocky Mountains. In summer 2009 we reached the Canadian border. Why did it take so long? Because in between there are unique, beautiful landscapes that want to be discovered. The journey is the goal, slowness is the beauty of traveling.
The CDT took us through the New Mexico plateau, also known as the Land of Enchantment (Tierra de Encanto), past the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, through the lonely plains of Wyoming to the natural wonder of Yellowstone National Park and up into the rugged mountains of Montana.
We adopted our four Mustangs from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). These wild horses were tamed by prisoners as part of a social project (Colorado Wild Horse Inmate Program). In the course of this project, the prison inmates receive vocational training in riding horses and can thus be more easily reintegrated into society after their release.
Wild mustangs have been protected by law in the USA since 1971 (Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971) and their population is controlled by the BLM. If the numbers of wild horses and donkeys get out of hand, they pose a threat to the pastureland. In order to ensure the survival of these animals in numbers that are acceptable for the pastureland, some of the wild horses are captured by the BLM every year and given up for adoption.
The team
Günter, Sonja and our animals: the puppy Leni and our four Mustangs Rusty, Dino, Lightfoot and Azabache. If you want to know what happened to us on the way, read the diary!
