Since 2009, Lee Crafton, or Lee Horselogger as he prefers to be called, has been traveling the country in a horse-drawn carriage, and is now on his fifth trip.
His journey began in 2006 when he lost his ranch in East Glacier, Montana after 27 years and dropped out of his doctoral studies. program. Lee took his savings of $75 and some horses and decided to explore the country, traveling at only three miles an hour.
Needless to say, Lee is not your typical 63-year-old.
But a year before his career change, Lee was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of 48 and a tumor was growing in his neck. Tired of chemotherapy, he opted for more naturopathic herbal treatments. Believe it or not, her tumor started to shrink and her cancer disappeared.
His cancer diagnosis ultimately served as a wake-up call, reminding him of his humanity and what he wanted to do with the time he had left.
Since 2009, Lee Crafton, or Lee Horselogger (pictured), as he prefers to be called, has been traveling the country in a horse-drawn carriage and is now on his fifth trip.
His journey began in 2006 when he lost his ranch in East Glacier, Montana after 27 years and dropped out of his doctoral studies. program
Lee took his savings of $75 and some horses and decided to explore the country.
“If you’re unhappy and stressed, you’re not going to get well,” he told the Seattle Times in 2009. “Cancer kicked me in the ass,” he said. “All I can say is that it woke me up. It made me do things I should have done years ago.
In 2009, Lee owned a team of horses and a 50-foot-long wagon. Today, he is left with a horse named Jessie, who goes 3 mph.
But what motivates this rider? As he told WPBF, a local ABC affiliate – why not?
I’m 63, I don’t have any family, so I thought why not? See what’s happening in the world,” he said.
Although he is alone on the road (apart from his horse, Jessie), he seeks human connections from all walks of life.
But a year before his career change, Lee was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of 48 and a tumor was growing in his neck. His cancer diagnosis ultimately served as a wake-up call, reminding him of his humanity and what he wanted to do with the time he had left.
In 2009, Lee owned a team of horses and a 50-foot-long wagon. Today, he has one horse left named Jessie, who goes 3 mph
Although he is alone on the road (apart from his horse, Jessie), he seeks human connections from all walks of life.
“I travel to retirement homes to meet people, I go to schools, I do my show and tell, he’s a horse. You know, a lot of people have never seen a horse,” Lee told WPBF.
Lee hit a bump in the road, both literally and figuratively, last year when a car driving recklessly above the speed limit with state troopers on its tail hit his car and sent Lee and his traveling companion, Baron, 10 feet in the air and 25 feet in a ditch.
Despite having no money and just enough food for his horse, Lee was not discouraged and instead collected money to purchase the materials needed to make a new cart with the using a GoFundMe and selling their own merchandise.
He also did a few side hustles over the years, such as pulling logs with his horses and hauling other goods (which is exactly the job of a horse-drawn lumberjack).
Lee has lived without electricity, running water and a motor vehicle for 18 years, and has no plans to slow down now that he’s on his fifth cross-country trip.
“I will never forget this experience,” Lee said, cherishing his time on the road.
He appreciates the little things in life, especially when other vehicles give him space on the road.
“That’s the biggest problem, just give me enough space, I drive but I’m just like anyone who drives,” Lee said.
Lee hit a bump in the road, both literally and figuratively, last year when a car driving recklessly above the speed limit with state troopers on its tail hit his car and sent Lee and his traveling companion, Baron, 10 feet in the air and 25 feet in a ditch (Pictured: Lee’s car after the accident)
Despite having no money and just enough food for his horse, Lee was not discouraged and collected money to buy the materials needed to make a new cart with the help from a GoFundMe and selling their own merchandise.
He also did some side hustles over the years, such as hauling logs with his horses and hauling other goods.
Lee, who is currently in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is on his way to Boston, Massachusetts – and has no plans of slowing down
But he is also a deep thinker, who documents his revelations and publishes them on his YouTube channel or his Facebook page.
“The secret to the meaning of life is to be so immersed in something that there is no “you” separate from what is happening, so you are not even aware of it.
“That’s what traveling is for me…that’s what it’s all about,” Lee said in a recent Facebook video.
Lee, who is currently in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is on his way to Boston, Massachusetts.
dailymail us
