Cross-state horse riders will traverse the Bob

Katie Russell and Tom Fairbank aren't your typical pair. Fairbank is 66 and spent a big chunk of his life in Alaska. Russell is 27 and grew up in Palmyra, upstate New York.

But the two have one thing in common: They both wanted to do a long journey by horseback across the West. You know, like the old days. Roughing it with just a tent, a blanket and a few supplies.

They met in Winthrop, Wash., at a packers rendezvous and hit it off. Fairbank mentioned that he was going to take a journey by horse from Washington state to Montana. He wanted to be a member of the Long Riders Guild, an association of equestrian explorers. In order to do that, he needed to ride a horse more than 1,000 miles.

"It's been on my bucket list," he said.

Russell asked if she could go along. He said sure, and in June they began a journey from Orville, Wash., to Tom Creek in Montana's Centennial Valley. Tom Creek, where Fairbank's grandparents homesteaded, is now part of the Red Rocks National Wildlife Refuge.

Last week, they spent a day in Columbia Heights, which was just about the halfway point. The next leg of their journey will take them down the Hungry Horse Reservoir and through the Bob Marshall Wilderness. So far, so good.

"We're quite the combination of youth and experience," Russell said with a laugh. "Though I did yell at him yesterday for telling me what to do."

They have three horses and a mule. Rio is Fairbank's Tennessee Walker. Russell rides her Spanish mustang, Flint. They also have an appaloosa pack horse, Silver, a mule named Bartholomule and two papillon dogs, Beau and Belle.

In many ways, it's been a "kindness of strangers" tour.

"We've met the nicest people," Fairbank said. "They bend over backwards to help us out. It's enlightening to see how good people really are."

For example, while crossing a river on a narrow bridge, a semi-driver put on his emergency blinkers and followed behind so traffic would slow down.

Other folks have put them up for the night or offered pasture and a place to board their horses. In Columbia Heights, Outfitters Supply provided a corral for their horses while Russell and Fairbank shopped and rested for a day before continuing their journey.

The two keep in touch with friends and family through an electronic device called a Spot. It sends out an e-mail from any location that lets folks know where they are via GPS. It also updates a Facebook site.

They plan on continuing through the Bob Marshall Wilderness and following the Continental Divide as closely as they can before heading southeast to Twin Bridges and on to the Centennial Valley, where Fairbank has family.

Readers can follow their travels on Facebook by searching for the "Tom Fairbank" page with a photo of an older man holding a small dog.