In Preparation

(Or, How I Learned to Stop Resisting and Listen to Greasy Men Tell Me What To Do)

With just three weeks until THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO (Date of departure: May 14 from Calgary, May 15 from Vancouver) the preparation for this exciting journey is daunting. My travel partner Alexander and I have a rough pre-trip schedule laid out, obviously involving a lot of biking and camping. We have a few things still to acquire, gear-wise, but the biggest task I am faced with is turning my body into a trail-ready weapon of mass transportation.

I have never done something like this before. Of course, my family went camping and skiing in the Rocky Mountains when I was younger, and I have been on at least three major international voyages, one with only a backpack and a rail pass, but all of these experiences have been postively cushy in comparison to one month of bicycling 80-100km daily and camping nightly in the wild. My eagerness is tempered with the rattlings of fear that are prompted by thoughts of injuries or breakdowns in near-isolation, at night, with wolves and truck drivers scheming against us. The best way, I have found, to banish these fears is to
1) Research touring like I'm writing a thesis,
2) Gather materials and make lists like a fussy mother, and
3) Work my body harder than I ever have.

In keeping with these three directives, I have found some fantastic websites and books (links below), created a master packing list and, just recently, begun a training routine. This will be the first major project I carry out on my own, according to a personal ambition, with no higher organizational help (except their Highnesses Mum and Dad) and no crippling compromises. Already, I have accomplished more than on other projects, in that this trip is guaranteed to happen! How thrilling it is!

USEFUL AND ENTERTAINING SITES:

Our Route Guide (I have pored over this for weeks. The detail is incredible!)
The Oregon Trail Guide
Touring Tips from a wise biker kook
The Velorution
Analytic Cycling