Simple. That's how Lee Crafton, 45, of Proctor, Mont. (40 miles south of Kalispell) lives his life.

Raised and educated on the East Coast, he easily took to “roughing it” on the ranch his family purchased, and working as a horse logger.

When the ranch sold recently and cancer struck, he refused to give up on that independent spirit. Crafton is traveling around the country in a make-shift covered wagon.

A trailer, sheltered by plastic, keeps him from the autumn elements as he manages to progress about 23 miles on a good day. He plans to replace the cover with a sturdier material before winter arrives. For the most part, this is where he sleeps, cooks his own meals and documents the progress of his journey.

Starting out in East Glacier Park, he will be traveling with his two Suffolk Punch horses, Tom and Max, to Boston. They easily carry the 3,000 pounds of trailer and supplies. Flanking his patio-style chair inside the wagon are his two Great Pyrennese dogs, Katie and Kerrmutt, also are part of the team. The dogs are lauded for their sturdiness and deterring mountain lions and other predators of ranchers. “They are my family,” Crafton explained. “You don't sell family.”

After Boston it is on to the Gulf Coast and California for Crafton. “I want to see the real world,” he commented.

He said treatments for his Lymphoma were making him sick. He is forgoing modern medicine, and living his life the way he wants to. “The cure kills,” reasoned Crafton about his former treatments.

“I took off a month ago. I just needed to do something different,” he said. “I decided I had other things to do with my life. I am not going to die while I am alive.”

Although traveling alone, Crafton said he has gotten help from friends and acquaintances. A $3,000 loan helped him purchase the trailer and harness equipment for his small team. He also said a cell phone is necessary because he is traveling alone. Another friend helps him log pictures and data for a web page. “I am not just doing this for me. A lot of people never live their dream. Life is too short to not follow a dream.

“I have my time. Time is most precious for me. I have a limited amount of it.”

So why not see the United States in a vehicle that can cover a state in a day or a few hours, instead of a month? “Moving 2 1/2 to 3 miles an hour, you really see the pace of life slow down. The stress levels drop,” Crafton said.

He added that he has already taken the standard road trip in the past, and said he has difficulty recalling any of the landscape because he was going through too fast.

The easy pace also allows him to encounter more of the local people. “If I'm stopped, I hope people come and talk to me ... I am writing a book about the journey,” Crafton said.

He said he finds how personable people still are in North Dakota refreshing. “Here, people are just people,” he said. Back home, too much of the property is being bought out by the wealthy, forcing those who have lived off the land to move away, he said.

On the road, he has found many generous. Donations of supplies and feed for his animals will arrive without him asking. “I started this with just $75 in my pocket,” Crafton said.

Crafton expects to be in Minnesota by early November.

He notes to the curious that it is legal for him to travel U.S. 2 in North Dakota, albeit a much slower pace than passing motorists. He also points out that his horses are traveling without shoes as a demonstration to how they can perform without them.

As far as his illness goes, Crafton said he will go this route as long as time allows. Arrangements have been made for the care of his animals.

“This just needed to be done. I needed to see the world,” he said.

For more information or to track Crafton's progress on the Web:

http://lee-the-horselogger.com

LeAnn Eckroth can be reached at leckroth@willistonherald.com.