It’s been hard to miss the family riding horseback through Greene County the last few days. Seven horses, saddlebags, wide-brim hats, and friendly smiles, and even the family dog – the Whites have stopped to chat with curious onlookers, share their story, and make several new friends along the way.
WGRV reporter Beth Hixson caught up with the family on Friday — Joshua and Terra White and their two teenage sons, Lucus and Levi — as they paused for ice cream and let their horses rest in a grassy patch near Creek Side Market on Asheville Highway.
Joshua tells WGRV that when the family set out on horseback three years ago, they were in a bad place mentally. Joshua’s father had passed away at far-too-young-age of 50. Then came COVID – a tough time for the family.
After the pandemic, he and his wife decided to take a step back from the stresses of life: politics and divisive words, and even the luxuries of a home and the conveniences of every day life. The West moved too fast, and they didn’t think that lifestyle was for their family. It was time slow down. Joshua said that the goal of this trip is just that: for the White family to enjoy their time together on what Terra called their “grand adventure.”
The Beginning of the Journey
The White family’s journey across the nation started in Susanville, California, in April of 2022. The family made their home in Nevada, but wanted to go across the entire country. Their goal is to make it to the Atlantic Ocean at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, making this trip a true coast-to-coast experience.
Terra says this trip has not only been a great opportunity for her family to enjoy their time together, but also a great experience for their sons, Lucus and Levi, to homeschool. She calls the journey a “high school/home school adventure for truth in America.” Terra said that the boys do all the financing, all the navigation, and have pretty much trained all seven horses on the ride. The boys handle all their own shoeing and tack repairs. Terra said that any situation that comes up, they look at their surroundings and figure out a solution.
Working Through The Journey
As the Whites have traveled, Levi said they have done nearly every odd job you could imagine. They have worked on ranches, been roofers, maids, barkeeps, worked in sawmills, apple orchards, and even hauled cheese for a church. Joshua said the family has worked their way across the country, and have met every kind of person along the way — actors, billionaires, even people with dark pasts. Joshua said the family makes new friends every three, seven, fifteen, or twenty miles, adding that they feel they are really blessed that way. The family has friends in almost every town across America. Terra refers to it as a “big spiritual family” that has been created through their travels.
How A Journey Can Change You
The Whites talked to us about how this trip has changed them as people. Joshua and Terra say the family has stopped using divisive words that tend to separate people. During their journey, they have met people from all sorts of different back grounds, religions, cultures, and dominations of faith; they now refuse to separate other people into social and political titles. Joshua says “We just refer to everyone as friend, and it’s amazing how our lives have changed from doing that, you know? Plus when you’re grateful for water, you don’t really care about politics”.
Danger On The Journey
Of course, a three year long horseback adventure does come with several stories and memories to last the family a lifetime. There isn’t a way to avoid danger on a trip like this, especially when that’s the name of one of your horses. Danger the horse was brought to them by a good friend in Nevada, and Danger had a reputation for being a bucking horse. The family says for the first couple of days Danger had been a little spooky, but was otherwise doing well. One day, another family that they had recently met passed by and honked their horn. Danger was in the back of the line carry only saddlebags, and started bucking in the middle of the road, blocking cars. As Danger was bucking around, the reins on Joshua’s horse broke, and he fell to the ground, landing face first on the asphalt, knocking him out. Levi said that wasn’t the end of the story. Danger decided to take off running in between the other riders. The confusion led the other horses lead ropes tangling around Danger. Lucus was stuck on a runaway horse following Danger, with all the other horses in tow. The rest of the family was left on the roadside. Lucas said that he and Danger and the other runaway horses made it to town long before the rest of the family.
Other Memories From The Journey
As if the runaway horses weren’t enough, have lost the horses before out the desert. They discovered how to track like Native Americans.They have seen a Mormon cricket migration. They have experienced 80 miles of salt water. They’ve been face-to-face with all forms of wildlife, from bears and moose, to mountain lions. They look back on these memories and look forward to future events with a smile no matter what the trial.
The Journey Into Greene County
The family arrived in Greene County earlier this week, although they aren’t exactly sure of the time. For this family measures days not with a watch. They measure it in hoofbeats and sunsets. They have traveled over 3,700 miles and been through fifteen states. They were in Rogersville last weekend and came in to Greene County through the Baileyton area, going through downtown Greeneville, and making their way out across the river at Jones Bridge.
Sometimes they camp out. Sometimes they meet someone locally who hosts them. Here in Greene County, they stayed at the stockyard, on the property of a retired police officer, and other friends they have made while here.
What’s Next On The Journey
The White families travels are nearly over as they reach the last 390 miles to the east coast. They say the question they receive the most is “What’s next?” While they wish they had a better answer, they say they are not sure. The family say that new opportunities keep arising and they are just trying to find out what the best fit for their family is.
“I don’t know if back West is where I need to be. It’s a little faster out West. I really like over here, the sense of community. You don’t have that in the west. I think that’s something the East has on us.
Joshua shared the what he felt he wanted people to take from his family’s adventure. “Slow down a little in life. You know, after COVID, a lot of people were bracing for the end. And I realized at that point, I could either do that or I could live to the end. And I wanna spread that with people.”
