Empathic Adventurers
Since the close of 2021 (The Year of The Bike!), I have been sitting next to the wood stove in my house, reading through all of my journals over the last year. Occasionally pausing to trudge through my yard, which is sparkling with a foot of snow on the ground. While reflecting on my Year…
Read Day One:(Bikepacking Diaireis 008) to catch up on our bicycle trip so far. After a sleepless night of cold rain, we woke up to loud wind rattling the tarp above us. It annoyed me to no end, all I wanted to do was sleep. I took the tarp down because the sun was shining…
“What’s the point of only going out for one night?” Ian grumbled as we sipped hot coffee from the comfort of our couch. “There might be lessons for us. Who knows!” I grinned, eager to get outside. “This could be the trip where I get my first flat tire and figure out how to fix…
The last thirteen miles of our trip were a gift from Bryce Canyon National Park. In the trees away from the road hid a beautifully paved two lane bike path. We exited the skinny shoulder of the road and left the passing cars behind. It was glorious and blissful to be immersed in a tunnel…
“I hate pedaling on pavement,” I muttered, throwing my bike down and sitting in what little shade the bushes offered. Ensue rant: This is dangerous and stupid. American roads were made by bastards. Why is there no shoulder? Heaven forbid a bicycle lane be installed. Cars don’t move over. People don’t slow down. People don’t…
“Pavement is a good place to get into a strong mental space,” Ian said. “I’ve worked through a lot of inner conflict on pavement.” Yeah yeah yeah, Yogi Yoda bike shit, sure. My reaction to the steady uphill, steep and grueling in the rising heat, exposed to passing cars, headwinds and the unforgiving sun was…
16 miles before breakfast and coffee. 90 degrees by 9am. Hangry and hot. Pavement pedaling into town. The hole in Ian’s pants is exposing his whole right cheek. Needs new pants. My ass hurts. Butt bruise is getting bigger every day. Need padded pants. Need food for fuel. Need to get off my bike and…
While bikepacking, there are many things to get pissed at. Like a puncture in my water bottle. The one with the sticker I liked. Never get attached to water bottles, they’re fickle. You buy, they break. They break when you need them most like when a desert stretch is coming up where water carrying capacity…
Day 2 What’s in a sunrise? Bleary eyed shivers. Determination and stupidity to unzip that sleeping bag. A quiet calm in the darkness and a sense of anticipation. Watching, waiting, and observing every shift of light. Hot water bubbling, coffee steaming. Waiting for it to cool and the sun to rise. Clouds no longer grey, the bottommost…
The desert is flooding. The Boundary Waters are on fire and closed for the first time in forty five years. Every single National Forest in California is closed. The Bootleg Fire in Oregon is bigger than New York City, casting a hazy smoke across the country reaching into Canada. Hurricane Ida crashed into the coast…
I bought a bike, and it is the most expensive object I have ever purchased. The bike however, is an investment into a new way of living. It is my ticket to a new form of exploration, allowing me to cover more ground than on foot and experience the landscape more than if I were…
Hello and welcome to my blog! Currently, I am working on publishing my first novel, a story about driving across the country and asking strangers, “What Do You Think The World Needs More Of?” This blog categorizes some of those experiences, as well as my adventures in the wilderness. For the last two years, I have been working for a wilderness therapy company in southwest Colorado and Utah. My free time is imbalanced with writing, backpacking, and riding my bicycle.
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Beth Henshaw 