An Update for 2025

Dear friends

How incredible that it is February 2025 already! What a crazy blur this past year has been. I do owe you all an apology for my lack of any updates since last October… It has been a whirlwind of a time, but I am here now to provide some updates and give a bit of an outline of what 2025 may look like for myself and my adventure plans.

As you know, I came home early in October, at least a month earlier than I had anticipated, due to continued deteriorating health concerns in my immediate family back home in Tasmania. As anyone who has experienced the illness of a loved one will know, the emotional and mental turmoil of such an experience is hard to put into words, sometimes fading into the background, sometimes absolutely levelling you flat. Going through four months of this rollercoaster while on the road on the other side of the world frayed me thin mentally and emotionally, and made it almost impossible to be fully present in the journey I was on. Even when crossing the Eastern Provinces, meeting so many people and experiencing so much generosity and kindness, new landscapes and new experiences, as well as having the honour of getting to know my own horses better and build a stronger relationship with them over time, my heart was only half there. When I came home in October, I knew I couldn’t go through that again. And as many people know, there is no timeline for a terminal illness to plan around.

All this to say that I have made the both very difficult and yet only decision I could have made, and will postponing the rest of my trans Canada journey until 2026.

I worked so hard to get myself on the road in 2024, sacrificing a lot of time and energy into the trip, and it was no easy thing to put that aside and recalibrate the whole journey.

But here we are. The daily challenges on the road were difficult and sometimes unexpected (looking at you, crazy hot humidity of Eastern summer!), but absolutely nothing could have prepared me for a family tragedy of this calibre.

So, what does 2025 look like for myself and my horses? For now, Jack and Wilson are enjoying their winter break in Sault Ste Marie, being well looked after by Kristen and family, where they can remain as long as needed. For myself, I will be heading back to university to finish my fourth year in psychology, as well as of course keeping my Tassie boys Mr Richard and Micky entertained with lots of trail rides and tasty snacks.

2024 tested my ability to pivot to the very limit. I wonder what wild surprises 2025 will have for me?

And just a little footnote for those who have been following along for the whole journey. Some of you may remember Mojo, my beautiful Arab cross who absolutely did not have the disposition to be a packhorse on the road. He spent a summer at Lance and Sarah’s by the coast of Nova Scotia, and then found a beautiful new home with an adoring new human who loves him as the quirky sensitive soul he is.

Jack and Wilson enjoying some winter sunshine in Sault Ste Marie

Mojo JoJo being given all the love he deserves at his new home.