While pedalling from Inuvik to Seattle in 2005, Mike fell head-over-
heels in love with the rugged terrain of what some consider to be
the "true northwest". However, aside from dipping his toes into the
remote ghost-town of Hyder, Mike has never visited Alaska. So in
accordance with a point A to point B rationale, Mike decided to see as
much of the 49th state as possible in one month. On July 2nd, he'll
be flying into Anchorage, AK. Shortly thereafter he'll start
pedalling north in search of some really cold water. The roads are
paved up to Fairbanks, but the haul road (aka the Dalton Hwy) is not.
Mike's really looking forward to experiencing the second (and only,
outside of the Dempster) road in North America to stretch into the
Arctic Circle.
WHY THE PBTFUS?
When attention began to gather around Mike’s first big solo trip, he recognized it as an opportunity to help raise some awareness and funding for a good cause. After researching hundreds of non-profits around the nation, Mike finally found the PBTFUS.
The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States is a non-profit organization based out of Asheville, NC. Their primary goal is to support the search for the cause and cure for childhood brain tumors through research. While the average charity in the U.S. spends over 50% of all money raised on overhead, the PBTFUS puts about 87% of their proceeds towards their research.
THE PEDALLING FOOL
Mike McCann is an avid cyclist, currently living in Seattle, WA. He moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1999, after spending some time teaching in Central America. Mike currently teaches homeless/at- risk/street-involved youth for Interagency Academy (a branch of Seattle Public Schools). He is a very active member of the Surfrider Foundation's Seattle Chapter, as well as the coordinator of their Snowrider Project.
Mike is pedalling the same bicycle that has survived all of his
journeys: a 1999 Schwinn Mesa (a mountain bike weighing around 30lbs),
that he purchased used for $64. All of his gear is towed behind him in
a B.O.B. trailer, which weighs around 50lbs fully loaded (without
water). Mike has "devolved" to the point of bringing a tent and
sleeping bag…a far cry from the hammock or blanket and tarp travels of
a few years back. He typically does not carry a stove or water filter.
Most cycle clothing has been abandoned for comfort’s sake…lycra shorts
and clip-in pedals have given way to board shorts and flip-flops.
ARCHIVES
WASHINGTON TO WASHINGTON
Over the summer of 2002, Mike pedalled his bike from Golden Gardens State Park on the Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington, to Sandy Point State Park on Chesapeake Bay in Maryland (visit old site). The trip took 56 days from start to finish, and covered 4,181 miles. Most of these miles were logged off of paved roads, primarily on dirt roads and trails. Mike made his way to Moab, UT where he linked up with the American Discovery Trail (the nation's only footpath to connect the east and west coasts). He stayed within the ADT's corridor until he reached salt water.
BC TO BAJA
Over the summer of 2003, Mike pedalled his bike from Whistler, BC to El Rosario, Baja, Mexico. The trip took 43 days and covered roughly 2,500 miles. With a near-constant tailwind easing him down paved roads, Mike was able to relax, visit plenty of friends and family, and even squeeze in a good bit of surfing. (visit old postings and msg board).
You can contact Mike via email at: mike@mikelikebike.com
THE GREAT DIVIDE
Over the summer of 2004, Mike pedaled his bike from Banff, Alberta, Canada to the New Mexico/Mexico border on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route…the longest off-pavement mountain bike route in the world. The GDMBR is the closest bikeable path to the actual Continental Divide, crisscrossing this nation-separating ridge over 30 times. The “trail” is basically dirt road and mountain-pass riding every day. Mike’s epic journey of 3,214 miles included over 200,000 vertical feet of climbing, and took 46 days from start to finish. (visit old postings and msg board)
INUVIK TO SEATTLE
Over the summer of 2005, Mike pedalled his bike from Inuvik, NT, Canada, to his home is Seattle, WA. The trip to 41 days and covered 2,573 miles. The adventure started in the tundra, 2 degrees north of the Arctic Circle on the historic Dempster Highway. He then met up with the North Klondike Hwy, the Alcan, and then the infamous (and oh so spectacular) Stewart Cassiar Hwy. And at the very end of the journey he was even lucky enough to hike a loop in the Olympic's with some of his oldest and dearest friends.
