Update: Long Rider Completes Ride Across Americas

Last month I posted the story of Guenter Wamser, a German long rider who was nearing the end of a journey that spanned two continents and has taken nearly 20 years to complete. Wamser began  his journey back in 1994 at the southernmost tip of South America and he has been slowly making his way northward ever since. We I wrote that original piece he was deep in the Alaskan wilderness and was approaching the end of the trail. Now, a few short weeks later he has completed his ride at last, bringing an end to his Transhumanic expedition.

I received an email from Guenter yesterday informing me that he and his traveling companion Sonja Endweber, had wrapped up their journey a few days ago. Their travels came to an end when they reached the northernmost shores of North America, having covered more than 25,000 km (15,535 miles) in the process. In true long rider fashion, the first thought they had when wrapping up their ride was for their horses. Guenter told me that they had located a large pasture where they were going to let their mounts rest for a few days before they continue south to Canada where they'll spend the winter on a friends ranch.

That's about all I know about how they wrapped up their adventure, at least so far. Hopefully Guenter will post updates to his blog once he gets a chance. Even though the official ride is over, remember that he and Sonja are still deep in the Alaskan backcountry. It'll take them some time before they get back to civilization. When they do, hopefully we'll learn a lot more about the final days of this amazing journey.

Congratulations to Guenter and Sonja for wrapping up this impressive ride. It is a testament to Guneter's determination and spirit of adventure that he never lost site of his goal, even as his focus became more about the journey and less about the destination. We could all learn a little something from that.