15,000 miles and counting!
Since November 2015, the Her Odyssey explorers, Bethany ‘Fidgit’ Hughes and Lauren ‘Neon’ Reed, have traversed 15,000 of the 20,000 mile proposed human powered journey to connect the Americas, learning the story of the land and its inhabitants. Thus far the endeavor has entailed travel by thru-hiking, kayaking, rafting, and bikepacking.
The two remaining segments of the journey, proposed to be completed in 2022, are as follows:
Central America: Aguascalientes, Mexico-Lake Nicaragua
Travel Method: Bikepacking
Dates: January-March 2022
Distance: ~3,000 miles
A segment of Central America reamins incomplete due to global circumstances and safety concerns. In January 2022, the team will rejoin their bikes in Aguascalientes and resume where we left off in March 2020. Ideally, we will reconnect our 6,000 nothern miles to the southern 9,000 miles. This ambition will be pursued with due consideration to social, political, meteorlogical, and ecological events as they unfold.
Our tactic for this segment is to have options. Neon has planned the route by collecting tracks and beta from our friends and contemporaries, Brad of BikeHikeSafari (who writes some of the most helpful gear reviews on the internet!), Mark and Hana’s Hilux, some of the many thousand of miles of tire tracks left by Onna and her Neon, and a few others. This allows us to adapt and divert if situations arise, as well as open up invitations to visit some of the many historical sites throughout the region.
This area is rich in history and culture. A diverse region where both the Aztec and Mayan developed multifarious empires. We are in conversation with a few groups working on the ground about contributing to projects underway to support indigenous women in the region.
Canada: Jasper, AB-Tuktoyaktuk, NT
Travel Method: Expedition Canoe
Dates: May-September 2022
Distance: ~2,000 miles
The final leg of the journey will follow the Arctic Drainage from Jasper north to the Beaufort Sea. We intend to begin this roughly 2,000 mile section once the ice breaks up on the Athabasca River around Jasper, likely in early May 2022.
In planning, we have benefited from a wealth of experience and advice from several Canadian voyageurs who are advising on route, rapids, logistics, as well as assistance in securing a canoe from a Scout troop and are beginning the process of gathering other key pieces of kit. An invaluable resource for navigation has been Dan of GoTrekkers Maps, pointing us to both maps and guidebooks.
This route links the Athabasca River to Lake Athabasca, to the Slave River, which drains into the masive Great Slave Lake (if there is wind, this will be the crux), where the Mackenzie River begins. This 2,000+ mile historical route is an important recorded avenue of transport and access for over 250 years, though has been in use much longer. Much like the Great Divide Trail which followed First Nation routes and from whom we can learn much of different ways to engage with the lives we encounter. For example, learning more about the names and applications detailed in this article about Solving the Conifer Conundrum by our friend Jenny Feick, PhD.
There are a number of ways to keep up with the journey as we move into our final year of the endeavor!
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