There are still 60 days before I start cycling again but I am already loosing sleep over what will happen next. So... how did I end up here and why am I riding Canada to Mexico again?

January 13, 2015 Utah

When I got to Utah, in a particularly cold January I learned about the Blackburn Ranger program. Where 6 applicants get selected and are given new bikes & gear to cycle from Canada to Mexico. Ever since I aborted my Great Divide Mountain Bike Route attempt due to snow, I always wanted to come back.

So I filled out the application. But there was a catch: doing the Bike Route (GDMBR) would be too easy. Why not do the hiking trail? (It has been done only once so far, in 2014 by Scott and Eszter)

March 14, 2015 The Pacific Coast Highway.

I get the news: Blackburn wants me on their team. As I sign the contract, I think to myself: I'll never get to Argentina. It's been a year so far and I've done Alaska to Mexico Border. Now I'll do part of it again... not that it's a bad thing.

April 13, 2015 California

One of the best parts of being on the team is meeting the other Rangers and the people behind this whole program. Not to mention a 3-day trip near San Francisco.

April 26, 2015 Kalispel Montana

Aside from some pretty rough roads, I've only ridden singletrack a handful of times. This whole thing is an experiment to see if bikepacking is something I'd enjoy and keep doing. I also got a chance to do some planing...

1. April 28-May 4: Ride the Canadian section of GDMBR (if the bike gets here on time). Great way to get my feet wet (literally! There will be quite a bit of snow on the passes). Only drawback is that I won't have the lighter gear kit, also bears are waking up!

(not shown on map)

2. May 5-June 20(ish): Tree Planting in British Columbia. If things work out well I'll make enough money to get me down to Panama without having to eat too much Ramen noodles. Planting 1-2K trees per day in any kind of weather would also be a good way to prepare for the ride ahead.

3. June 20-July 3(ish): I'll get to re-do a section of my first off-road ride in the Fraser Canyon then follow the tracks of Jeff Kurys, who inspired me to get off the highways and ride the dirt-roads in the first place. When not following his tracks my way of finding a route is doing Point A to B in google maps, then dragging the line to see if it can route me through the mountains.

Includes: Fraser Canyon, Kettle Valley Rail Trail, Lots of lakes/mountains/dirt. Marked BLUE on the map above

4. July 3-6: Since the Continental Divide Trail is not legal for bikes until Lincoln, MT, I'll do the GDMBR for that section. There is no plan to visit the CDT marker in Waterton - as that would be a big detour and involve a lot more riding on pavement.

Marked RED on the map above

5. July 7-???: Continental Divide Trail. I'll be basically following Scott & Eszter's 2014 route. A good chunk of hike-a-bike as opposed to GDMBR but that will put me in some amazing places.

Marked GREEN on the map above

GEAR, NAVIGATION, ETC.

GEAR With the new Niner bike, I'll be using Blackburn, Bell, Giro, WTB and SRAM gear. Also including a lighter setup. (Kit page is still being updated). The old bike is in storage.

NAVIGATION After being fairly unsuccessful in loading the maps on an older GPS unit, I'll rough it up with paper maps, compass & a tablet. If it gets too bad I may grab a garmin.

FILMING I'll be doing some filming for yet another episode of "SEE THE WORLD" series (the first 3 episodes are here). Although I've decided not to upgrade any of the cameras - it's hard to justify spending more than a months's budget on a GoPro 4 :(.

DETOURS If time allows, Colorado Trail, White Rim in Moab and who knows what else.

AFTER CDT Mexico and Central America. Hopefully kayak from Panama to Colombia (Darien Gap).

or maybe I'll get fed up with the heat and go do the Iditarod in Alaska... Brr...