HOWELL, Mich. — A cancer survivor has embarked on a roughly 2,200-mile journey on horseback from Washington to his 50th high school reunion in Michigan.
Vern Herrst, 67, began his trip Friday from the Methow Valley in northern Washington in hopes of reaching Howell before the reunion in August, the Livingston Daily Press & Argus of Howell reported. He plans to ride his 12-year-old horse, Nikki, through Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“I always wanted to do something like this — and who knows how many more chances I’ll have,” he said.
The trip is also a fundraiser to support agencies that helped in Herrst’s fight against myeloproliferative disease, a blood disorder similar to leukemia. Herrst hopes to bring in $1 or more per mile on behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Washington/Alaska Chapter.
“They were great to me, and I wanted to do something for them,” he said.
