By Lyonel Doherty

Continuing up Fairview Road to Cawston, Jewel and Katie Keca embrace the day. (Photo by Lyonel Doherty)

That eerie green glow in Quebec may not have been an alien encounter, but that wind and hail in Saskatchewan was certainly a tornado.

It was the most frightening thing Katie Keca and her sister Jewel encountered during their cross-Canada trip on horseback.

The sisters, joined by their brother Joseph and dog Kira, stopped in Oliver on Tuesday to rest up before completing the final leg of their journey that began in May 2017 in Nova Scotia.

“The ride was initially a childhood dream that I had when I was pretty young,” Katie said. “Jewel was the one who made it happen. She didn’t want to go to university but wanted to have an adventure and get a horse.”

Because it was such a long journey, Jewel decided to raise money for dog guide training. (She sponsors dog guides for the Lions Foundation of Canada.)

“It’s more about getting from coast to coast and our experience with our horses,” Katie said. But they also want to give something back.

She admitted that the planning and logistics of such a trip take up a lot of time.

“We really plan it day by day. So much is dependent on weather, the horses and the people that we meet,” Katie noted. “Sometimes we won’t know where we’re going until we wake up that morning and start riding.”

They put “feelings” out on Facebook and meet people on the road who invite them to stay in their barns.

Joseph drives a small camper van while the sisters ride. The van hosts even smaller sleeping quarters and rustic cabinetry they built themselves.

The sisters have to plan for hay and food for the horses (an Appaloosa and a Paint) and must ensure that overall horse health is at an optimum. This includes trimming hooves.

The journey has provided many highlights for the siblings. For example, Jewel said the highlight for her is meeting different people along the way.

“We meet so many amazing people. We’re strangers but then, in like 20 minutes, we’re like best friends.”

Jewel, a dog trainer, said she didn’t expect so much kindness.

“Just yesterday, a woman who heard about us on Facebook came out and treated us to dinner and then she gave our horses a trim and also taught us how to trim.”

Other people have donated hay and food during their trip.

When asked if anything strange or weird happened to them, Katie looked at Jewel and chuckled.

“One night I was pretty sure I had some kind of like spirit or alien encounter.”

Katie said they were staying on this “eerie property” deep in the woods of northern Quebec. She noted it appeared the property hosted a puppy mill because hundreds of little dogs were running around.

“The man (who looked after the place) didn’t speak a word of English and he was a bit creepy,” Katie said.

That night she got up to use the washroom and noticed that all of the dogs were quiet. There was a full moon and she was overcome by a feeling of peace and calm.

“As soon as I unzipped my tent, I saw the glowing green about 300 metres away. I stared at it for 10 minutes, trying to rationalize its neon colour emanating a pool of light.”

She subsequently went back to sleep, and in the morning didn’t see anything that could explain the phenomenon.

Their journey also took them through many thunderstorms. One time, Katie felt a “charge in the air” and got shocked where her knife was touching her.

Another time the sisters were caught in the eye of a tornado in Saskatchewan, which was “scary.”

“We were galloping to escape . . . we couldn’t see because hail and mud was hitting us in the face.”

Katie said she observed birds flying away and antelope jumping fences to flee the ordeal.

Despite challenges with Mother Nature, the duo has received plenty of support and positive feedback.

“It’s kind of cool that, you know, they say we inspire them, but they inspire us with all their positivity,” Katie said.

She admitted that the stress of the journey was huge before they started.

“I hadn’t ridden a horse in like five years. I suddenly had this new horse and was embarking on this massive trip, so we didn’t have much confidence and I think we were really naïve.”

But Katie said they needed that because if you know too much of what you’re getting into, you won’t do it.

“The trip has taught us so much. You pretty much live day to day and you become really comfortable with the unknown.”

Jewel said she loves the freedom and the fact she’s not confined to a nine to five job. But even on a trip like this, she gets bored.

Katie, a bartender and actress, said the journey has been exhausting, which makes it easy to crave the comforts of home.

As for their cause, Jewel starting fostering dog guides in 2016. Her puppy graduated from the program to help a blind woman.

“It’s really remarkable what these dogs can do for people.”

The journey for Katie, Jewel and Joseph ends in White Rock in September.

To make a donation to their cause, visit www.kecingcanada.com.

On the road again to freedom, adventure and a good cause. (Photo by Lyonel Doherty)