Adventure cycling and REI's Smitty and his excellent adventure

June 20, 7:26 PMChicago Adventure Travel ExaminerTed Nelson

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Chicago Adventure Travel Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

   Photo courtesy of Claire Hurwitz, outreach specialist Lincoln Park REI Chicago

REI employee Smitty leaves this Monday on an epic adventure cycling trip taking the northern tier route from Chicago to Bar Harbor, Maine.  He will then veer south to Washington, D.C.  At D.C. Smitty will then return to Chicago via a train.  The trip is approximately 2,400 miles and will take around six weeks to complete.

The Adventure Cycling Association is America’s largest nonprofit member-supported bicycle organization. They have developed over 38,000 miles of road and mountain bike routes. The main purpose of the Adventure Cycling Organization is to map routes for adventurers to follow. They carefully choose the most bicycle friendly rural routes and low traffic bike routes through America’s most scenic and historically significant areas according to their website. It also provides information specifically for adventure cyclists in mind including camping information, sources of food and water, and even bicycle stores along the way.  It started in 1976 with the Transamerica Bicycle Trail and has now grown significantly with routes that crisscross the nation.

One nice feature of the organization is that it has a companions wanted section on their website, so it can help match adventurers that seek a partner. Although Smitty thinks this is a good idea, it is not really for him as he prefers to travel solo. Smitty is quite experienced in the art of adventure cycling as not only has he completed the Lewis and Clark trail among many other U.S. trips, but he has also adventure cycled in Russia, Scotland, and China.
Smitty is retired from working for Caterpillar and joined the REI staff six months ago. He said he liked the idea of getting discounted gear while working at the store. After working there for only six months the store granted him a six week furlough enabling him to take this trip. I guess this is why REI has been chosen by Fortune as one of the top 100 companies to work for twelve years in a row.

REI is proud of their employees that travel. They have a wall featuring photos of their employees in adventure action. Prominently displayed on this wall is Smitty’s trip. They have a map with his route highlighted and a picture of Smitty on his bike, so you can drop by the REI store in Lincoln Park and check out his trip.

Although the route is set for Smitty, he does not prepare a detailed day-to-day itinerary for the trip. He likes to improvise as winging it makes for more of an adventure. He plans to go at a pace of sixty-five miles a day while also spending about $65.00 a day. He likes to camp out when he can, but on a trip like this you have to splurge every now and then and hit a hotel. When he camps out he will hit a camping spot if one is conveniently available, but this is rare, so most of the time he will camp where he can. Good places to camp along the way include churches, schools, and even cemeteries.

I plan on following up with Smitty when he returns to see how the trip went, so check back in six weeks or stop by the REI store and get a Smitty update. If you are looking to start your own adventure cycling trip then visit REI or check out the Adventure Cycling Association's website.