Matt Parker prepared for his third and final riding season across the American Discovery Trail by strengthening his body and training with a new horse. When he rejoined the trail in Kansas in June, he learned right away that harsh weather would play a role in how quickly he could move across the country.
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Matt continues on through Franklin County as he heads towards the Missouri border. "Kansas has destroyed me. This land is supposed to be flat and easygoing...I don't know. It's rolling. Now Ohio and Illinois-that's flat." Despite being stuck in the same state for over a year, he's optimistic about resuming the trip. "Every now and then, things happen. There are signs that you're on the right path, that people are good and things are going to work out."
John Nowak / The Ottawa Herald
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After putting Silver out in a pasture, Matt waits out a severe thunderstorm in the Bowers' barn.
John Nowak / The Ottawa Herald
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Matt uses his teeth to tie up Silver after through Osage County. He says traveling through on horseback makes even small things difficult. To pick up supplies or food, he must either leave his horse somewhere safe and hitch a ride or risk taking Silver to populated areas.
John Nowak / The Ottawa Herald
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Dr. Michael Prater examines Parker's feet in the emergency room of Ranson Memorial Hospital in Ottawa. Parker said he woke up at 2 a.m. with his feet feeling like "they were on fire". He noticed dozens of red marks up and down his feet, ankles, and legs. Fearing that it could be something serious, he checked into the hospital. Prater speculated that it could be chiggers, an allergic reaction, or possibly Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. He did not know the exact cause, but advised Parker to wash his socks frequently and apply a topical cream.
John Nowack / The Ottawa Herald
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Matt Parker talks to Bill and Jean Bowers, a retired farming couple in Ottawa, about staying in their barn for the night. Every afternoon after riding, Parker has to find a place for himself and his horse to settle down for the night. He usually knocks on the doors of farmhouses in hopes that someone will offer him room and board.
John Nowak / The Ottawa Herald
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Matt Parker walks alongside his horse, Silver, near Vassar, Kan. Parker, 25, Ann Arbor Michigan, is trying to become the first man to cross America on horseback through the American Discovery Trail, a 6,800 mile route that runs from California to Delaware. Starting the journey near Sacramento in 2003, he traveled to Utah before horse problems and winter forced him to stop. In 2004, he resumed the trip with a new Arabian horse and traveled to Kansas where he suffered a broken back, a snowstorm, and the loss of his second horse. He went back to Michigan and began training with a new horse before starting the trail again where he left off in Osage City, Kan.
John Nowak / The Ottawa Herald
Ride of Passage is a limited series podcast about one young man's solo ride across the country on horseback. Produced by Laura Weber Davis. Subscribe now.
