Hundreds of people travel the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) every year. Each year, it seems to be more popular as shown by how many hikers make their way through town.

While hikers tend to travel on their own or in groups, not many travel with horses. However, Jess Goodlett is not only traveling with one horse, she’s traveling with two. She made her way through this section of the PCT last week, stopping by Mayor Max’s house to meet him and talk with his staff.

Goodlett’s horses are both rescued Mustangs from the Little Owyhee Herd Management Land located in Nevada. The land stretches hundreds of thousands of acres and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It is made up of descendants of ranch horses that were released or escaped to the area. Makani is an 11-year-old riding horse. Malana is an 8-year-old pack horse. 

Goodlett’s love for horses started at the young age of 10. Her love for horses quickly grew as she went from taking riding lessons to training them. Now she’s taken on this new adventure of long-distance riding.

Much of the planning that goes into hiking the PCT with horses revolves around water sources. Because water is so heavy, Goodlett depends on natural water sources to plan out her trip. Each horse can drink 10 to 15 gallons of water per day, according to Goodlett.
Riding 20 to 25 miles per day, Goodlett and her Mustangs are taking the trail in 3 to 5 day increments before coming off the trail to rest. They have been enjoying their adventure so far.

“My riding horse loves it,” Goodlett said. “She loves getting out on trails. It’s been going really well. The horses are doing great. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful trail already. I’ve already met some amazing people and Trail Angels.”

While the trip has gone well so far, it hasn’t been without some amusing issues. Goodlett added with a laugh, “We did get chased by bees one day.”
While Goodlett wants to ride the entire trail, she is only riding the areas of the trail her horses can travel through. Unfortunately, not all the areas of the PCT are manageable for the horses due to the unsafe conditions, including the Mount San Jacinto section.

“When you’re hiking on your own, you can get a ride into town or camp anywhere,” Goodlett explained. “But with the horses, I either need pens or trees to tie them up. Planning logistics is a lot more challenging. It takes a lot more thought when you’re riding because you have two extra living beings to take care of. A lot of it is planned where the water is and where I’m allowed to camp.”

Taking this adventure has been a dream for Goodlett for years. She first heard about the PCT from friends in 2013.

In 2015, she competed as a trainer in the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth, Texas. Trainers have 100 days to take a completely untrained and untouched Mustang and turn them into a rideable, trusting Mustang. 
It’s here where she met four fellow horse lovers and became friends. They decided to create a group that would support each other’s love and dreams with their Mustang companions.

Goodlett said, “Our group is called ‘Limitless’ — five riders and six horses. We first rode the Colorado Trail, which is 500 miles, in 2017. We planned to ride the PCT in 2020 but that was canceled for obvious reasons.”

The ride along the Colorado Trail took them 30 days. From that point on, they were hooked and decided to set out to ride the PCT. Even though her group couldn’t make it this year, they are still supporting Goodlett behind the scenes as she travels with her horses Makani and Malana. 

“It’s been since 2013 that I’ve been dreaming about riding the trail and now it’s happening,” Goodlett said.

To learn more about Goodlett or support her adventure from Mexico to Canada, visit www.limitlesstreks.com.