Words and Photos by Marco Johnson
I grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of Northern NY, 70 miles south of Quebec, Canada. My early heroes were the French Voyageur fur trappers. My front yard was the Raquette River, and just beyond the riverbanks, the Adirondack Mountains. Hiking and canoeing in this country were my introduction to the wilderness. A world, both locally and globally, in which I’d immerse myself, personally and professionally, over the next six-plus decades.
Though I began my wilderness journey in a canoe and later shifted to sea kayaks, I gravitated towards endeavors favoring my legs: hiking, skiing, climbing, and mountaineering. After several years of working professionally in the Adirondacks, I migrated west and feel incredibly lucky and privileged to have spent 40 years working around the world for NOLS.
Over these years, my legs have provided me with a vocation and an avocation, and I have taken full advantage. As I’ve grown older, I feel the work and play in my body more and more, especially my knees. After several trips to the orthopedic surgeon, they kindly, though firmly, recommended I consider other means of exploration, namely cycling.
I’d ridden a bicycle growing up, though I had never really taken to the idea of riding as a serious activity. After five knee surgeries, a knee replacement, and hitting my 60s (and with the suggestions of my orthopedic in my ears), I finally acquiesced. So here I am, an avid cyclist who loves bikepacking as much as I did mountaineering and backcountry skiing and who is fully committed to the bike formula of N+1. My partner/wife Anne just rolls her eyes and laughs; she knows that if I’m in, I’m all in.
The saddle of a bike provides an extraordinary vantage point from which to appreciate and take in the world. True, at least in the United States, bikepacking routes don’t traverse capital “W” wilderness. Yet, this aside, I’ve been as awed, inspired, and overwhelmed by my bikepacking routes as I have been when hiking, skiing, or mountaineering in legislated wilderness.
Some of the most rewarding and fascinating returns cycling offers are interactions with other humans. When hiking, skiing, or mountaineering, I hoped not to see other people; I wanted a true “wilderness experience.” When driving in a car, I’m cocooned within a metal envelope, cutting myself off from potential interactions.
Even in more remote areas, the bicycle typically facilitates interacting with others. The trails and roads I travel as a bikepacker are used by others, and these trails and roads connect locations where people live. Bikes are just less intimidating. I’m literally more open to interactions with those I meet along the way. How much easier it is for someone to ask me, “Who are you?”, “Where are you coming from?”, “Where are you going?” and “Why are you doing this!!??”
So, here I am, sixty-five years old, still wanting to challenge myself, to experience new places and people, and continue to learn as much as possible. On August 1st, I’m setting off on the European Divide, a 4,725-mile gravel bikepacking route from Arctic Norway to Cape Saint Vincent in Portugal. Stay tuned for an overview of the kit I’ll bring and thoughts on strategy for completing the route.
Marco Johnson is the Senior NOLS Instructor, having taken his NOLS Field Instructor Course in 1985. You can read more about his experiences with outdoor pursuits and how things have changed HERE.
