ROUTE
San Andres Itzapa, Chimaltenango TO Santa Cruz del Quiché, Quiché GUATEMALA.
5 days riding: 113kms. 3 days off. Very hilly | Quite hard start.
Taking off from San Andres Itzapa two Fridays ago was surreal. The couple days off in San Martin allowed me to let it all sink in. The last few months writing and redoing my website was pretty taxing.
I relaxed in San Martin, attended a wedding and went on a little ride with my friend and host David Alburez. Leaving San Martin after the wedding I had some doubts about whether this second trip was actually a good idea. As the week went on I felt better about my decision and reflected on my different thoughts and feelings. I record audio every day and post it on my Soundcloud account. MORE on this week here >>>>
My Soundcloud feed is THE location to hear about my behind the scenes thoughts, feelings and reflections about our Second Long Ride. CHECK IT OUT!
All throughout the week, the views were absolutely spectacular, the roads were surprisingly nice, and the people I met and the hosts I stayed with were fantastic. I also met some really fine horses.
Roxy transitioned from dry to fresh feed; leaving this time of year, the beginning of rainy season, was part of tue plan.
This last week the terrain was VERY hilly and tough, and after 4 days and 90 kms of riding, it was time to take a day or two off. Roxy and I are both feeling the effects of starting up again. It takes a while to get into the rhythm of long riding and hills only make it harder.
I’ll probably ditch some gear once I get my extra backpack and us across the border. Then I’ll send it up to central Mexico. I also anticipate losing some weight after being relatively inactive while I wrote my books and redid my website over the last 3 months…
I’ve got another week to 10 days before crossing into Mexico and I need to get my finances bulked up to make that happen smoothly.
I have several books for sale on my website. Buying my book helps you learn about horse travel! And it helps me be able to continue riding and sharing what I see, learn and know.
[ABTM id=214777]
I’m raising funds for the Mexican Equine Therapy group “Red de Terapias Ecuestre México”. You can make a donation to them or to us here:
https://5000milesofhope.org/5001donations/
Happy Trails from Santa Cruz del Quiché, Guatemala!!!
Chris MacLuckies’ professional career began with a decade-long stint as an organic vegetable grower in Ontario Canada. His career is prolific in breadth and scope. He has farmed organics commercially, volunteered in Guatemala, ran a gardening business, raised and raced sled dogs, tended his livestock, and ridden his horse on a multi-country expedition.
Chris is a certified TEFL ESL English Teacher, author of seven books, freelance content creator, and outdoor travel gear designer.
