He’s a rough-looking hombre, but that can be expected from a horselogger.

He insists his name is Lee the Horselogger, no last name, and when asked why he’s trekking across America in a wagon pulled by four horses, he answers simply:
“Because.”

Lee, 50, made a mid-May stop on the Mountain, camping behind the Whistle
Stop for a couple days, resting his horses – four Suffolk Punches named Tom,
Max, Fey and Dink – and collecting his restive spirits.

“I grew up in a one-room cabin in Flathead, Montana, and I’ve never paid an
electric bill,” Lee said, his unapologetic eyes dancing in tandem with his
upbringing. “Each day you get up and see what’s up.”

That’s as close to a “why he’s doing this” as he’ll give up.

“There’s a different reason every different day.”

He’s been on the road for five years – he first hitched up Aug. 9, 2006 – and
his route has already taken him to Boston and back. His future plans are to
take the team and wagon back to Portland, Maine, then swing west again and
eventually land in Alaska.

“I figure I’ll settle down in Alaska, maybe,” he said.

Tom is an 18-year-old Suffolk Punch gelding, and is Lee’s lead horse.

“When I need horsepower, Tom’s the one,” Lee said. “He always wants to pull.

He is strong enough to pull the wagon all by himself, and would do so if I
allowed it – which I don’t.”

The team is rounded out by Max, a 16-year-old stallion, Dink, a 10-year-old
gelding, and Fey, an 8-year-old mare.

A strict diet is adhered to for the horses: hay, whole grains and beet pulp with
occasional supplements such as corn oil and salt.

When faced with steep climbs, Lee is forced to obtain assistance from a tow
vehicle while the Suffolks trail behind. So far, help has always been available.
The horselogger has appeared on CNN, Fox, and numerous late-night talk
shows, but has recently given up the glitter.

“It didn’t feel right,” he said. “Them making money off me, and me not.”

It wasn’t an accident that Lee, his wagon, and horses seemed right at home
at the Whistle Stop. The Mountain looked like his kind of place.