Some life lessons from a 10,000 km bicycle trip.
In July 2001, I started a long bike ride. I started in Inuvik, Northwest Territories and planned to ride to Los Angeles, California in 6 months. Things did not work out that way... Here's a few things I learned:
When I started at the "End", I had:
clean bike and bags,
minor sponsorship (discounted gear: tent, sleeping bag, jacket),
some donors,
$900 (after buying plane tickets north),
0 bike touring experience, and
4 weeks 'training' (0 km on gravel). 😬
My goal: avg. 70-100 km per day, take a few days off, ride 10,000 km in 6 months. [“No prob...” I said]
Planned route:
Dempster Hwy- Inuvik to Dawson City, YT. Approx 800 km of gravel.
Top of the World highway- Dawson City, YT to Tok, AK. Approx. 300 km of gravel/seal coating.
circle through AK: Tok, Fairbanks, Anchorage, Tok.
South to LA. (Stay ahead of frost and snow).
Up to departure, I was pounding pavement looking for sponsors, donors, whatever I could to make it happen.
I had decided to do the trip in late May, and planned to be on the road by mid-June 2001. I delayed a bit.
Naive. Stubborn. Idealistic...
A newspaper in Vancouver told me: "if we had a nickel for every time someone was walking, running, riding, or whatever... we'd never have to publish another paper."
"Alright then...", I shrugged and continued...
Figured: "screw it, i'll figure it out on the road... or not."
Life lessons:
Sometimes just start.
Don't give a shit about others' opinions. Make up your own mind. [this has stuck for over 20 yrs]
_ _ _
About a year earlier, I'd suffered severe burnout. Running some small businesses, sitting on several boards, engaged in many projects.
One day, body and brain gave out.
I dropped everything and spent 7 weeks in Belize recovering. Found a hammock. Read books and swam in the ocean.
Returning: I tried to pick up same speed. I never got back to that pace.
Life lesson: Burnout is nasty business. Avoid it.
_ _ _
I'd decided on the trip, sitting on a hill in Big Sur, CA. I was at an International enviro conference. Contradictions of how many and how far ppl had travelled, ate at me.
A delegate explained at dinner one night: "I can justify all the flying I do when I think about how many people in the world don't fly..."
Many org's in the enviro world spend a lot of time bickering with each other and competing for corporate $$. It's a paradox and wears ppl down.
I wondered if there were different paths...
Seemed a 10,000 km bike path might assist... do some thinking, meet folks, learn.
_ _
On Sept. 9, 2001- I decided to stop. I was back in Tok, AK. Had covered approx 2,500 km. Only about 7500 to go...
It was -12 C that morning.
The night previous, a pack of wolves had passed near my camp.
Two days later, I was back in Dawson City, YT. It was 9/11.
That was Leg 1. I began prep for Leg 2, hunkering down for a Yukon winter.
Sometimes, in life:
Roll with the path and terrain
Start at the End; End at the Start.
Be open, and wait for tailwinds.