Great Northern Horse Adventure halts in Malta

Last Thursday, Vern Herrst, a horseman from Winthrop, Wash. along with his saddle horse Nikki, pack horse Caddy and newly found dog appropriately named Traveler made a stop in Malta during his 2,200 mile trek from his hometown to Michigan. But Malta will also mark a place where his progress has come to a halt due to an injury occurred during his ride.

Nonetheless, Herrst is on a mission and regardless of how long the injury will halt his progress he is determined to finish his mission – to raise funds for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society – specifically for the Washington / Alaska Chapter in Seattle, Wash., who is sponsoring the event.

"To help fund research and help fund families that need help," Herrst said.

Herrst set a very realistic goal of raising $2,200 or one dollar per mile. As of last Friday he was able to raise $925.

Though his residence is in Winthrop, Herrst's journey started in Newport, Wash., saving him two weeks through some pretty rough terrain.

"So I started in Newport and I've come across some of Washington, some of Idaho and two-thirds of Montana so far," Herrst said. "I've still got North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan to go through."

So how did he choose the path he's taking?

"I sat down and broke out my handy-dandy Rand-McNally Road Atlas and I figured okay, I-90 is out and I-94 is out because both of those towns go through Chicago and there is no way in God's green earth I'm taking a horse through Chicago," he said.

So to avoid those highways, Herrst would either have to go south or go north.

"That's what I decided to do," he said. "Take the most northern trans-continental highway there is, US 2 which goes from Seattle to Maine."

Upon seeing that the Great Northern Railroad rides along US 2, Herrst decided to give his adventure a name that symbolizes the journey, The Great Northern Horse Adventure.

"Not many people in the last hundred years can say that they rode Washington to Michigan on horseback or even Michigan to Washington," he said.

There is also another reason Herrst chose to have his cross-country journey end in Michigan.

"I hope to be in Howell, Michigan for my high school class' 50th reunion," he said.

As for the cause, Herrst is all too familiar with the symptoms of Leukemia.

"In December of 2013, I was diagnosed with Myeloproliferative Disorder, which is a blood disease similar to leukemia," Herrst said.

He is being treated oncology department at Wenatchee Valley Medical Center and has to take seven pills daily.

He went on saying that leukemia is not really financed.

"If I can raise some money for them that would be great," he said.

Last Friday, his trip came to a halt in Malta, as Herrst found out he had to leave town for surgery on an inguinal hernia obtained during his ride. If not properly treated the hernia could have become fatal for Herrst.

"It will take surgery to fix it," he said. "It will take ten days to two weeks before I can even back in a saddle. Anybody that rides knows that there's a lot of pressure put on the abdomen, the back and the legs."

If you think riding a horse is simple, Herrst disagrees.

"A lot of people say you don't get any exercise," he said. "Those are people that don't ride a horse."

So why would he continue the ride even with an injury that could re-occur.

"I was very humbled when I pulled into Dodson," he said. "I was given a gift by the people of Fort Belknap."

In Assiniboine culture, he was bestowed with a very high honor, a star quilt.

"Another reason I won't quit is because of what they honored me with," he said.

He gave the people of Montana's Hi-Line a great compliment.

"The people that I have met so far along the Hi-Line and that I have met on this trip have basically restored my faith in the human race," Herrst said. "I have felt the warmth from the people that I have met around here. They are helping because they can help. That's the way it was when I was growing up and I see that all along the Hi-Line."

If you would like to make a tax-deductable donation: visit http://events.lls.org/pages/wa/horseadventure16 and to keep track of Herrst's journey search 2016 Great Northern Horse Adventure on Facebook.