Exciting Job Changes!

I guess I can finally announce this change in blog land, since my desk is being moved tomorrow! I've accepted a new position at my company- Global Environmental Manager! I'll be in charge of all of Expeditors' sustainability strategy and policy, which is super crazy exciting! I'll also get to work with customers to track their carbon footprint, come up with strategies to optimize our logistics network to reduce it, and work with partners to reduce our overall impact on the environment.

Not going to lie- for the first time in my professional life, I'm really excited to wake up and go to work every day. Feels like I'm finally making a difference with my job, which is what I set out to do with my womens studies degree 8 years ago.

Fuck yeah. I might go out and ride bikes and bring home 2 IPAs and a bag of chips, but I also help 8 Fortune 500 company's reduce their carbon footprint. Who cares if I don't have my shit together personally?

This week I also got to ride down a 100 foot slip and slide, wrestle in a pool of jello, and ride with 2000 other people. Life is good right now.

View fullsize

Shattering the Glass Ceiling

The only thing I ever wanted to be when I was a kid was the President of the United States. Seriously. 

I wrote letters to G.W. Bush when he was in office, detailing my plans to be the first woman President, wrote about it in school essays, and was never shy about my aspirations. I got involved in politics from an early age too, voicing my opinion to the City Council, writing letters to the editor of the local newspaper, and by and large being an involved young citizen.

Somewhere along the way things changed and I lost most of that fire, but, I have to say, it's pretty darn magical to watch the DNC this week, as Hillary finally breaks through that glass ceiling and takes the reigns of the Democratic Party. If you haven't seen this (albeit super cheesy) video of her symbolically breaking the glass ceiling, give it a watch:

Something she says towards the end really irks me though. She says "and if you're a little girl out there watching, you could be next."

No- Hillary! You have to be 35 to run for President.  I don't want to wait until the little girls watching you grow up to be our next woman President. How about the 30 year old women watching you, or the 40 year olds, or the 50 year olds? 

Let's make change happen now! 

Swift Campout with The Bikery

40 strangers, self selected to pedal together, set up camp for one night, and not have their lives taped. This is the true story of the Swift Campout with The Bikery.

Alright, that was a little bit of an overly dramatic introduction to what was a very low drama trip, but what can I say? The Real World is taping it's 32nd season less than a mile from my house, so it's been on my mind a bit lately.

All joking aside, The Bikery, an all-volunteer run bike kitchen that I volunteer at as their Outreach and Communications lead had a roaringly successful first bike camping trip with 40 people joining us! The idea to host a bike camping trip started last fall with the leadership team, as we're all avid bike campers, but none of us have ever camped together before. A huge part of our organization's goal is to lead by example and teach others, so leading a camping trip is right in line with what we love to do.

Lucky for us, our friends at Swift Industries organize a worldwide bicycle camp out over solstice weekend, so we jumped on that effort as a perfect time to do the Bikery trip. 

I got super lucky and was able to book the group site at Scenic Beach State Park. This site holds up to 40 people and the park is an 18 mile ride from the ferry- just about perfect for all skill levels! The group site at Scenic Beach is pretty secluded from the rest of the park, with its own shelter, pit toilet, and lots of tent space, tree space (perfect for hammocks!), and beach access. Seriously, it couldn't have been more perfect for our group.

To tell the truth, leading up to the trip, I was super nervous about leading the ride. 40 people, riding fully loaded bikes, many of whom I don't know, riding on fairly busy roads- this trip was ripe for potential issues. I'm also not the fastest rider by any stretch of the imagination- especially on my touring bike. "Leading" the ride would be a generous term (and in fact, I ended up being one of the last ones to show up to the camp site as I stopped to help a rider with a flat tire.)

To lessen the chance of something going wrong, I tried to imagine everything that could go wrong, and took the following precautions:

• Sent out the route beforehand so if folks came late, fell behind, etc., they knew where to go
• Had other Bikery leads spaced throughout the ride as sweepers to ensure people weren't falling off the back of the ride
• Had everybody do a pre-ride safety check on their bike (air, quick release, brakes, bolts, etc.)
• Re-grouped periodically and announced any upcoming turns

This seemed to work pretty well and the only mechanical issues we had the entire trip was one issue with a rack before we even left the shop, some disc brake replacement at camp and a tire blowout. Hooray for being prepared!

Triple tire boot, FTW!

The trip itself was magical. We arrived at camp by 4pm, which gave us nearly six hours of daylight to explore, play games, and ride bikes. Four of our crew set up camp, put their kits back on and went back out to find gravel. They ended up on top of Green Mountain, the highest point in Kitsap County. Most of the rest of the camp out explored the beach, napped in hammocks, and even joined in on a large game of Capture the Flag. I can't tell you the last time I saw a group of 20 twenty and thirty-somethings running around playing Capture the Flag, but it was pretty amazing.

Scenic Beach living up to its name

At one point, a truck pulled up the group site with 3 boxes of firewood and 6 homemade, warm pie. Apparently, one of our group had stopped by Sharon "The Pie Lady" on his way in and arranged for a drop off of pie and firewood. Lucky us! 

As the afternoon turned into evening, the group gathered in the shelter and an array of stoves, cutting boards, and even a wok appeared from bike bags. I have no idea where Amanda stored that wok on her bicycle, but more power to her!

No camping trip is complete without s'mores and oh boy, did we have s'mores. Central Co-Op donated $50 for us to buy snacks and with that we bought a ton of chocolate and graham crackers. One of our campers also happened to find a treasure trove of chocolate in a local dumpster. So.Much.Chocolate.

Sunday morning we woke up to bright sunshine and enjoyed lots of coffee, thanks to Stumptown (another of the #swiftcampout sponsors.) Lots of people rolled out of camp pretty early to catch the early ferry to make it back in time for Seattle Pride. For the rest of us, we took it slow, packing up camp in the sunshine and savoring those morning camp vibes.

Rolling back towards the Bremerton Ferry, I had lots of time to think about the trip and how thankful I was to get to share my love for bike camping with so many people. We went from being 40 strangers to fast friends, all from a shared interest in bicycles and the outdoors. For many of those who joined us, it was their first time ever camping via bicycle. By providing a supported environment, we hopefully opened the door for these people to continue to explore and camp via bike. 

I remember when I first sold my car, the idea of going camping again seemed so daunting. How would I ever do it? Now,  the thought of car camping seems really daunting- reservations, paying parking fees, waiting in ferry lines...so many things to think about! On a bicycle, there's so much freedom that you just don't get in a car. Yes, it takes longer and you have to fuel up a lot more often (but it's WAY tastier fuel!), but in my opinion, the reward when you make it to the campsite on your own power is so much sweeter.

Olympic Adventure Route with Komorebi Cycling Team

I was a summer camp kid, attending the same camp every year from 1st grade until 10th grade (except for those two awful years in 3rd & 4th grade, but we don’t talk about that.) The two weeks I spent every summer, year after year at Camp El Tesoro in Granbury, Texas without a doubt shaped me into the woman I am today.

During those long, hot summers under the Texas sun, I learned the ins and outs of communal living, joys of simple fun, and to enjoy the crackle of logs on a campfire that my hands helped build. At summer camp, I also built my confidence, strength, and personality. All of the superficial insecurities that were hammered into me throughout the school year, either through mainstream media, locker room talk, or gossip disappeared at camp.

View fullsize

My older sister Mindy and I, first day of camp, early 1990's

At camp it didn’t matter what brands you wore- functionality was all the rage.  Even into our teenage years, we played with vigor; challenging ourselves on the ropes course, wrapping our arms around each other to sing silly songs after dinner, and shaving our legs together on the cabin porch under the hot sun.

Despite the magic that I knew camp held, I was always apprehensive before leaving…

Would I get along with the girls in my cabin? Would they be nice? Would they like me?Would I be the fattest girl in my cabin? What if they all know each other and I’m the only one who doesn’t know everybody? What if I start my period during camp?

Even though I’m now 15 years older and wiser, these same fears and apprehensions came rushing back to me when I received an invite to join Komorebi Cycling Team on a 3 day bike packing adventure in the Olympic National Park last month. I’ve been a longtime fan of Komorebi, an Oregon based group of women who go on really rad bikepacking adventures.  I can’t even remember how I found them, but I started following their Instagram and trip journals last year.

When Jocelyn contacted me to join as a guest rider for their trip, I jumped at the opportunity, pushing aside the anxiety, fear, and self-doubt. So, two weeks ago, I, along with 3 other guest riders, joined 4 women of Komorebi for what was for me, my most challenging bike adventure to date.

View fullsize

Jocelyn, Me, Meghan, Kim, Jude, Anna, Kristin, and Caitlin (l to r) (Photo courtesy of Anna Brones)

Three days of bike riding, 73 miles, 7300’ of elevation gain, 5 miles of backpacking, hot springs, and a whole lot of fun. Here’s a recap of the trip.

Route and Planning

The plan for the trip was 4 days together, 3 days of riding, and 3 nights under the stars. Roughly outlined as follows:

1st night- Thursday: Group rendezvous at Seal Rock Campground. Most of the women were driving up from Portland, while two of us were driving from Seattle/Tacoma area, so Seal Rock Campground, along Highway 101 was a good middle spot to start from on Thursday night.

Friday: Drive up to the start of the Olympic Adventure Route and park our cars at the Park & Ride at the junction of Hwy 112 and Hwy 101, just next to Laird’s Corner Market. (On Google Maps, this is marked as Wagner’s Grocery, but the sign says Laird’s.) They were INCREDIBLY friendly to us- helping fill up water bottles, use the restroom, and just overall happy to have us.

View fullsize

Packing bikes is both a science and an art I'd come to find out.

Portland apparently has an awesome shop called The Mountain Shop where you can rent all sorts of gear that you need to bikepack, including super rad bikes and the full Revelate bike bag setups. Two of the other guest riders rented Salsa bikes from this shop, and nearly every other woman rented a Sweetroll Handlebar bag for their rig. I stuck with my classic basket and bag, figuring I’d be fine for the mileage we had planned (spoiler alert: it was a poor choice.)

Friday’s mileage was planned to be 31 miles, nearly all off road on the Olympic Adventure Route, with planned camping at Fairholme campground.

Saturday: Day 2’s route had me all excited as we were heading to an area I’d been itching to ride for a while. 30 miles of road riding into the Olympic National Park Elwha River Valley and up to the Olympic Hot Springs. A flood last winter washed out part of the road, leaving the last 8 miles of climbing car free. The plan was to hide our bikes at the end of the road and walk the last 2.5 miles into the back country to access the Olympic Hot Springs and campground.

Sunday: In seemingly perfect planning, day3 would be our easiest, starting with a 2.5 mile walk back to the bikes and then an easy 12 mile road ride back to the car.

Food & Gear: With 8 women bikepacking for 3 days, it was really important to ensure that we didn’t all take a stove, tent, and water purifier.  A little coordination was in order to cut down on duplicated necessities. With a few quick emails, gear was split.

Food for bikepacking is seriously one of my biggest hangups, and I often end up eating freeze dried meals, as I’m just frankly not very creative when it comes to camp cooking. Lucky for us, Anna Brones joined us on this trip, who coordinated and cooked all of the food for all of us on this trip. Anna is an author, chef, photographer, gardener, and biking wonder-woman- she’s a true renaissance woman who just published her 2nd book- Hello Bicycle.

I’m seriously spoiled for all bike trips from here on out and can’t wait to try some of the recipes Anna prepped for us, as they honestly seemed pretty easy. We dined on hearty oatmeal each morning with dried fruit, homemade pesto and chickpea sandwiches on homemade bread, pad thai, and red lentil stew. I don’t even eat this good when I’m at home! She also made snack bags for each of us with homemade energy balls, but I unfortunately didn’t get to enjoy these as I forgot to tell her about my allergies to almonds, but according to everybody else, they were awesome.

This was my first time actually bike packing, and I tried out some new-to-me gear. I borrowed a Revelate Terrapin bag from a friend, with an Outdoor Research dry bag as a saddle bag. I’ve also recently invested in a Straggle-Check Frame bag, custom made for my size bike. It’s really cute- totally fits like a glove. And as I already alluded to, kept my Wald basket on the front of my bike and my go-to Revelate Mountain Feedbag.

The rest of my gear list:

REI Passage 1 (1 person tent)

REI Joule Sleeping Bag

Klymit Static V Sleeping Pad

Merino Wool Top & Bottom

Puffy jacket

Merino Wool Jersey

Flannel shirt

1 pair riding bibs

2 t-shirts

2 pairs light wool socks (for riding)

1 pair thick wool socks (sleeping)

2 pair underwear (sleeping)

3 gel packs

4 Clif bars

1 bag dried mangos

1 flask whisky

1 spare tube, 1 patch kit, sewing kit, multitool, frame pump

Head lamp & spare batteries

Katadyne 6L Gravity filter (I brought it for the group to use while in the wilderness at the hot springs)

Toiletries

Eating stuff (bowl, mug, spork), pocket knife

View fullsize

Here's my ready-to-go bike. You can see I moved the water bottle cages to the front fork and mounted them with electrical tape. 3 weeks later, they're still there. A+

The Actual Ride & Weekend Experience

The actual bike riding on the Olympic Adventure Route kicked my ass. I thought I knew what single track meant and what it was like to ride it. I had no idea.

View fullsize

Kim getting rad (photo courtesy of Anna Brones)

The trail is beautifully maintained, 24 miles of stunning single track without any technical elements, unrideable roots or rocks, or sections that require dismounting. BUT, on my bike, with the weight in the front with my current level of skill and fitness, I struggled. I *think* if I would’ve been on a proper mountain bike, the ride would’ve been easier, but I still would’ve struggled. There was quite a bit of climbing and descending, and more than once, I found myself wishing for the same setup of the rest of the women on the trip, especially flat bars.

View fullsize

Jocelyn shows impressive technique

I owe a huge depth of gratitude to the women of Komorebi , and other guest riders- Jude, Anna, and Meghan for their graciousness, patience, and encouragement as I struggled through the ODT. I was by far the slowest rider, but they patiently waited for me, allowing me to gain skills as the day went on, offering tips to make things easier (seriously- thanks Jude for letting some air out of my tires! Why didn’t we do that earlier?!), and laughing with me as fell 5 times. Thankfully, none of the falls were serious, but I’m still nursing some bruises almost two weeks later. Who knew that blackberry brambles make a good, yet scratchy, cushion for crashing?

I've also never been THIS dirty. Our plan to ride to Fairholme got scratched as the allure of the closer Log Cabin Lodge along Lake Crescent stole our attention. They also happened to have free hot showers, beer on tap, and open camp sites. Did I mention we stayed there? 

View fullsize

Dirt tan

Saturday and Sunday’s rides were all on paved (or forest service gravel) roads, so it was much easier to keep up with the group through these sections.  The ride into the Olympic National Park and Elwah River Valley were much less noteworthy than Friday’s Olympic Adventure Route, if only for less crashes, but nonetheless just as beautiful.

After the parking lot, the road is closed to cars, thanks to a flood this past winter. It’s an 8 mile ride to the Olympic Hot Springs Trailhead, all uphill. With an average grade of 4%, the climb was pretty easy and we took it slow, savoring the outlook at the Elwah Dam and stopping for a baby deer in the road. Fairly quickly, we reached the parking lot where we converted our bikepacking gear into backpacking gear, stashed our bikes in the woods, and began the 2.5 mile hike to the hot springs.

View fullsize

Bikepacking gear doubles as backpacking gear pretty easily it turns out

The hike up to the hot springs is also quite easy, although it is also uphill. At this point, it had been pouring rain for the previous 2 hours, so we were all thoroughly soaked to the bones, hoping that our dry bags were keeping our tents and sleeping bags dry, and eagerly anticipating the hot springs at the end of the trail. When we reached the camp ground, we quickly set up, and  were shortly off to the promise of hot water another quarter mile down the trail.

Sure enough, just down the trail, a series of 6 or 7 hot springs awaited us. It’s just as magical as you can imagine. We quickly stripped down and hopped in, eager to relieve our sore muscles in the hot water. It was pure bliss.

View fullsize

Meghan finds bliss in the hot springs

This was only my second time in a hot spring, and the first in a totally unregulated, natural one. At one point, I found myself in disbelief – was I really soaking in a hot spring with 7 other, totally badass, bike riding women, drinking wine? This was awesome.

We finally got hungry and headed back to camp for another delicious dinner made by Anna. Quickly thereafter most of us went to sleep, as without a fire to warm us up, we were wet and cold. Even though I was exhausted, sleep didn’t come easily that night as I was freezing, but luckily, the sun rose early and warmed things up. We ventured back to the hot springs again after breakfast for one more dip.

The final bike ride down from the hot springs was one of the best descents I’ve ever had in my life. Not worrying about cars is phenomenal! I have no idea what speed I reached, but I’m sure it was fast. I would seriously climb that hill again just to fly back down it!

View fullsize

Reflections on the trip

Now that I’ve been home for almost two weeks and have had some time to think and heal my body, I’m filled with gratitude to Jocelyn, Kim, Kristin, and Caitlin from Komorebi for allowing me to join them on this trip. I’m also hugely thankful to Jude, Meghan, and Anna for joining me as guest riders. Having your presence helped me feel less like the “new girl” and like were in this together. Your willingness to be vulnerable, authentic, and show your true selves all weekend was inspiring.

The difference of riding with all women, as opposed to a mixed gender group is hard to explain. Small things, like checking in with each other throughout the day to make sure we were all doing ok, both physically and emotionally. I’ve NEVER experienced that with mixed-gender groups. Open and honest chats about our bodies, challenges with our partners, and drinking wine in the bathroom together as we waited for a blessed hot shower is something that doesn’t always happen.

Over fireside conversations we made a conscious decision as a group to stop apologizing and to practice gratitude. This seemingly small act influenced so many conversations throughout the weekend, as instead of saying  “Sorry I’m slow” when I reached the group who was waiting for me, I would instead say “Thanks for waiting for me!”

Even though these women live in Portland (and Anna near Tacoma), I feel like I gained 7 new friends in a whirlwind of a weekend. I’m super excited to know them and can’t wait to hopefully see them next time I’m in Portland!

View fullsize