craigdailypress.com

Filipe Leite grew up hearing the story of Aime Tschiffely, who in 1925 rode 10,000 miles from Buenos Aires to New York City on two horses.

Now Leite is taking that story and making his own modern day version, committing to a two-year journey on horseback, through 12 countries across North, South and Central Americas.

Leite is stopped in Craig for a about a week, while his horses rest and one recovers from a fungal infection.

Along the way, Leite said he is relying on the kindness of strangers to provide places for him and his horses to sleep and eat. Leite spent Thursday night sleeping by his horses at the fairgrounds in Craig.

Beginning in Canada, and ending in his native country, Brazil, Leite is documenting his entire trip, "Journey America", via modern day mediums such as Twitter, Instagram and a web series on OutWild TV.

Leite said his goal is to show commonalities amongst people of all different cultures.

“I’m a non-believer in the system we live in,” Leite said. “I’m doing this trip to show how we’re all inherently similar, we just complicate it with religion and philosophy. We all want to love and be loved.”

Born in Brazil, and moved to Canada at age ten by his parents, Leite said it was eye opening to move from Brazil, where there were billionaires and people starving on the street, with few in between, to Canada which operates on what he said is almost a socialist system.

“I want to show the dichotomy and close that gap. Poverty’s got to end,” Leite said.

To follow his journey visit www.journeyamerica.net.

Darian can be reached at 875-1793 or dwarden@craigdailypress.com