SILVER CITY, NM - On its epic route from Mexico to Canada, the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) runs through the town of Silver City and up into the Gila National Forest. Locals and visitors alike use it year-round for outdoor recreation and fun. But as the Montana-based nonprofit Heroes and Horses boldly proclaims, the seven riders who arrive this week in Silver City are not on vacation. Combat veterans, they are now on a mission of a different sort: a 500-mile horse pack trip deep in the Gila wilderness.

Heroes and Horses, founded by Navy Seal veteran Micah Fink, uses a three-phase approach to train participants in horse handling and wilderness safety before they embark on their journey. The goal is to alleviate Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but also to provide a general sense of empowerment and "replace devastating memories with positive onesGÇ¥ (heroesandhorses.org).

The seven men are travelling with eighteen equines, including fifteen freshly-broken wild mustangs. They started their journey Saturday, April 8 in Quemado and are traveling south on the CDT. After 300 miles, they will complete the remaining 200 miles on the neighboring Arizona National Scenic Trail.

Doug Dexter, chair of the Gila chapter of Backcountry Horsemen, has been working with the organization to welcome the riders to Silver City. They are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, April 18, and will be honored at a dinner at the Buckhorn Saloon in Pinos Altos.

For more information, contact Doug Dexter, (575) 313-6305 or dexterdoug@hotmail.com.