With solar panels for cell phone charging and stops at Wi-Fi hotspots to update their blog, Jack Chambers and Nick Roach are well aware they aren’t exactly Lewis and Clark.

“We’re eating at McDonald’s and using the internet. Can you imagine what it would have been like for Lewis and Clark?” Roach said jokingly.

Chambers laughed as he agreed. Though, it’s not exactly fair to compare Chambers and Roach to America’s most famous explorers — after all, Lewis and Clark weren’t doing it for fun and never raised a dime for Crohn’s Disease.

Chambers and Roach made their way through the Silver Valley Monday in way that would have made original settlers to the area proud — riding astride their lead horses with pack horses loaded with supplies following along.

The two cousins and recent Gonzaga graduates were about 460 miles into their nearly 1,300-mile journey from Gardiner, Mont., to Bellingham, Wash. Monday. It’s a trip that takes the two through four states — Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon — on frontage roads and ATV trails over the course of around three months.

But it’s not just about having a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Chambers and Roach, 24 and 23 years old, are riding for a cause. “Cowboys vs Crohn’s” — as the two have dubbed their cause — has already raised over $25,000 for Crohn’s Disease, and Chambers said they hope to raise $100,000 by the end of the journey.

The plan was conceived two years ago, back in July of 2011. Chambers and Roach, Gonzago students at the time, decided they wanted do something a little extreme after college. Though, they weren’t quite sure what yet.

“We wanted to have a story to tell our kids one day,” Roach said.

The cousins both spent their summers working on horseback at ranch called Hell’s A-Roarin’ Outfitters in Gardiner, Mont, so they already knew a thing or two about riding and packing horses. A trip on a saddle seemed like a natural adventure for two so steeped in the ways of ranching.

Quickly after coming up with idea, Chambers and Roach decided they’d try to use their trip as an opportunity to give back.

“It just made sense to raise money for a cause,” Chambers said.

Choosing Crohn’s Disease was obvious for the two. It’s a disease that’s common in their family, and Chambers himself was diagnosed with when he was just 11 years old.

“It’s more common than most people think,” Chamber said. “It’s a growing problem.”

So after planning the route of the trip — Nashville was briefly considered as a destination — and raising some money to get started over the last year, the two saddled up and loaded the packs onto their horses.

Some friends recommended the two should have a tag vehicle to help them along the way, but Chambers and Roach decided they wanted to do it for real.

“It wouldn’t be as legit if we had a tag vehicle,” Roach said.

They left Gardiner July 10 and made their way across Montana, spending nights under the Big Sky and days on frontage roads, ATV trails and old railroad beds.

The two men and six horse traveled across Montana, passing through Butte, Missoula, St. Regis and other small towns along the way, and made their way into Idaho Sunday.

After 25 days on horseback, the two were in high spirits as they traversed the Silver Valley Monday. Chamber said the rain last week was challenging, but it’s been an enjoyable trip so far.

“It definitely has its ups and downs, but overall, it’s been awesome,” Roach said.

Chambers echoed Roach’s sentiments and added that doing the trip with his best friends since childhood — and cousin — makes it an easier trip and more enjoyable.

In three weeks, the two have only spent five nights sleeping inside. They usually make camp along a river or stream, but people have offered places to stay along the way — Chambers said they’ve spent a couple of nights at veterinarian clinics. Chambers and Roach made camp at the Cataldo Mission Monday night and are making their way over the Fourth of July Pass and into Coeur d’Alene today. As they can’t exactly take their horses onto the interstate, Roach said the Forest Service provided them with maps of back roads and ATV trails for the trip over the pass.

Just one-third of the way through with their adventure, Chambers and Roach will be heading to Spokane after Coeur d’Alene, and then, they’ll head south into Oregon. They plan to ride to Portland before heading back to Washington and finishing in Chamber’s hometown of Bellingham.

All along the way, they’ll be raising awareness and money for Crohn’s disease.

And when they can find a Wi-Fi hotspot, Chambers and Roach will be updating the blog on their website, cowboysvscrohns.com, with an insight into their journey.

Chambers said those wishing to learn more about Crohn’s Disease or donate to their cause — or those just wanting an update on their trip — should visit their website.