I'm going to bike across America! And the mental health journey that got me there.
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 11 окт 2024
- In June, I will be biking across America. I doing it to tell myself a story. I have a lot of massive dreams and I am using this to trip show myself something new. The journey of doing one massive goal was difficult to get to. Over time, I started to understand a few things that helped me get here.
If you want to help support, come join the Patreon community. Let's figure out how to achieve our wildest dreams together.: / recapturinglife
Insta: / recapturinglife_
Tiktok: / fueledbyluvvv
Going through the videos and comments now. Nice work. Stay strong, rest up when you need it. And caught some of your live feed of your ride in Korea.
@@e.con5712 I appreciate it! I aim to do my best with making RUclips work. I will continue to keep creating and trying. And yes on this Korea trip I will take my time. It'll be an adventure for sure.
Avid cyclist and bike tourer here. Been doing it for 15 or more years. I stumbled on your video of the C&O / GAP trail and immediately loved it. It reminds me of my own first tour with (a 108lb touring setup) and why I fell in love with travel by bike.
Its a story I think shared by not just cyclists but hikers and other whom choose to travel other then by car. I have even met hours & wagon tourers out west. I didn't know such a thing existed!
Your spirit reminds me of Anish. She set the FKT (Fastest known times) on the AT (Appalachian Trail) and Continental Divide Trail if my memory is correct. A Triple crowner she has done the big three all in the same calender year. She has two or three books that are frankly awesome and highly recommemded. If I could explain it in a single quote. "Become the lioness you were meant to be." It sounds like a game of thrones quote and maybe ot is that too but she built/became a legend (at least in my opinion) one step at a time. She became ferocious. Its not about where you start its that you do start and its where you go along the way, who you meet and what you become.
Wether you realize it or not you are ferocious. inherently so. The hardest step is the first step not just touring but standing up in front of an audience. I should know. I share your stage fright. I have gotten more comfortable over the years but its always there. The importsnt thing is once you get those wheels turning things evolve quickly. A new bike. A new tent. New friends. A few more miles here. A few there. It builds momentum.
BTW, The oddest thing about biking solo is how quickly you meet people and make friends. Its the bravery it takes to choose to be vulnerable. You are not surrounded by a metal box with windows a gas pedal and AC. Its scary at first but by being vulnerable you are approachable. I used to say a loaded touring bike is the best ice breaker. As a 6'4" dude I have to laugh because I realize people avoid me and the bike gave them permission to approach me and I them. Yes its a wonderful mode of transportation to see great and womderful scenery along the C&O/GAP. But wonderful as the places are its the people you meet biking that are the most wonderful thing about travel by bike. Its a completely life affirming, faith in humanity establishing thing.
I love following the anual thru hikers on youtube every spring. The tourers whom have experienced all my favorite bike trails. This is how I stumbled on your video of the C&O. There is a whole podcast circuit like a talk show circuit not just of thru hikers talking to other thru hikers but also bike tourers and bikepackers. Its a community. If I may suggest jump on Spotify and search for podcast episodes using keywords like "thru-hike" or "bikepack interview" or "bicycle tour interview". Same on youtube. I guess what I am getting at is wether you realize it or not you are part of a family of people whom love adventure and travel by human power. In thru hiking they call it a "tramily" or trail family. Its not as obvious in bike touring but the kinship is definitely there. I feel it every time I roll into a town all sweaty and dirty on my touring bike and someone sees me and breaks into a smile at the site of me and of course I them.. People with the adventurous bone needn't have even met before to recognize their own. Like I said a fully loaded touring bike is the ultimate ice breaker.
Biking across whole states "shrank the world" for me. It made it geographically feel not as big and scary. It gave me more confidemce, but most importantly it introduced me to so many wonderful people. The world is not all asphalt, concret, steel and stinky petrol.
The GAP/C&O is a favorite. Have done all or large parts of it many times. Btw, love and work along the ACA's North Tier bike route along a key piece of cross country bike oath also known as the North Coast Inland Trail in Northern Ohio between Toledo and Cleveland Ohio. If I am correct in deducing you did this trip a couple years ago you would have passed right through here. Its a wonderful stretch of trail.
Best of luck!
I love this and I appreciate it so much! Thru hiking documentaries and long distance running documentaries really got me interested in human powered travel. Then I started finding more and more biking adventure videos. I really wanted to know how it felt. My family doesn't understand and they didn't want me to do it anymore. And feeling like I was alone and crazy for liking traveling by bike kept me from traveling for a while. Honestly the doubts really took a toll on my Alaska bike trip where the stress seemed to make everything go wrong.
But you're right, watching and editing this footage reminded me of all the beauty that bike travel brought me. As I kept pedalling on I got to know myself and so many amazing people. While on trail and through social media. Many stories I didn't even film because I was experiencing the moment. A loaded touring bike is indeed a beautiful ice breaker. Last year I felt very lost but finally booking my ticket for my next adventure lit a fire in me. I have been so excited. I know what bike touring has done for me.
And no I didn't end up that far north in Ohio. Out of the three Cs, I only made it to Columbus. There was a lot of flooding and I cut through heading straight towards Indiana stopping in Yellow Springs to meet with the Rails to Trails Organization.
Nevertheless I appreciate this, and I will look up some of those podcasts!
👌
👍🏽