Hey Readers, Chaz stopped by the student government office today, so I thought we’d write a blog post together. (This is Joanna… and Chaz). We were just digging through the many boxes that have been arriving at Houghton’s post office. There are tents, panniers (bike saddlebags), sleeping bags, sleeping mats, and Camelbaks. And even a free packet of dehydrated food!! (Thanks REI, also “best by January 2047” is quite an astounding expiration date).
It was just two weeks ago when Chaz and I sat down at his kitchen table and placed the orders for this equipment. We’ve been researching and budgeting for this for a long time, and now it is (mostly) here. Sorting through the equipment, figuring out how it works, and how we can best care for it has made us realize that this trip is real. We’ve known this in our minds, but actually handling the sleeping bags that will be our nightly home for the summer, is an exciting step forward. The trip is only a few weeks away!
The checklist only has a few things left on it. All the major equipment is here. Our bikes are being tuned up at Bike and Sol, under the genius supervision of Mr. Fox. The only things left to do, are to work out airline baggage requirements, make a nutrition plan for the trip, and pack our clothes! The giddy anticipation of it almost being go-time is beginning (at least for me, Chaz is super chill).
Right now, we’re planning on how best to take care of our equipment. We are going to have a test-ride weekend to make sure all of the gear is good to go, and make sure that we know how to use it best. What is important to us, is to take care of our supplies, because our supplies are going to take care of us!
Throughout this whole blogging process, we’ve wanted to let you all know what it is like to prepare and plan and train for an adventure like this. We don’t want to put up a polished portrayal of success, but rather the entire process. And right now, that process is wrapping up. We’ve put in a lot of time, energy, and research - and now, we are almost ready to go.
- Joanna and Chaz
This is so cool guys! I have been recently (2 year) exceeding in my interests in cycling! I really wish there was a club on Houghton's campus for this sort of thing. I am glad to see that you guys are passionate about this and I look forward to hearing all about how it turns out! :D
ReplyDeleteHey Aaron! From an SGA perspective.. totally start a cycling club! From the bike term perspective.. we'll be biking through Houghton this summer, you should totally do the NY portion of our route with us in July, or even PA if you're interested.
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