Today I met Julie. She is a Montreal native who is cycling to L’Anse Aux Meadows, which you will remember is at the northern most tip of Newfoundland. Then she plans to ship her bike home from there and hike to Maine. If you think that is amazing, and it is, wait.
Julie’s first long range cycling tour took her from Seattle to Montreal in 4 months, zigzagging as far south as LA and as far north as Jasper. Her employment with a Seattle-based corporation came to a decided end when she realized there were things she wanted to accomplish and places she needed to see. Julie packed her bike at 1 a.m. on the day of her departure and never looked back.
This time around, things are a little different. She has a plan: to cycle to St. Anthony and lay claim to the title of being the first person to hike the newly developed Appalachian Trail from, you guessed it, Newfoundland to Maine. Her trek has a formal component: to log the journey for the purpose of writing a guide book. She has a sponsor (or two): a Quebec based clothing company plus a freeze-dried food company. She is well-prepared: her bike weighs a mere 90 lbs. compared to 150 lbs last time around. She sets limits: Julie rides about 150 km a day starting at sunrise and packing it in at about 2 p.m. We asked her about close calls and she indicated that she would rather be slow than sorry.
I try not to let my amazement overwhelm her, but it takes effort and I wonder how such an id
ea came to this remarkable young woman and what it was that gave her the courage to take the first step. What seems impossible to me is quite possible and even probable to her. What a wonder!
Julie, thank you for inspiring us and so many others. We pray you will know only prevailing tail winds and, of course, safe passage.
