Galen Bratton, the older brother of Human Powered Movement founder Adam Bratton recently completed his first multi-day bikepacking trip of the 184 mile Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Trail.

Although many have ridden this popular and completely car-free route, from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC (or vice versa), the experience with his HS pals did more than just allow for a few days away from computer screens and onto two-wheels. It re-inspired the childlike wonder of riding bikes, it re-invigorated the need to move through nature, and it reinforced 40+ years of friendship.
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We tossed a few questions his way to get a feel for what last week’s pedal powered comradely session meant to him and his HS buds.

Originally from northern Detroit, and now proudly a North Carolinian, Rebecca Miller has certainly found consistency in her running routine over the past year. Not only has she been busy crafting cold treats at NoDa Brewing Co. as one of the Brewers, but she also just completed her 52nd 5K race in as many weekends as she snagged race shirts, medals, PRs, and endless memories along the way.

​We caught up with Rebecca to ask her a few questions about her experience, what she’s learned over the past 365 days, and what’s next!

Human Powered Movement didn’t even have a website when I wrote the original “What is Human Powered Movement?” journal exactly two years ago. The platform was a covid-born concept to bring encouragement, inspiration, and positivity to our pandemic-rattled lives. The universal appeal of being active and our mission of “facilitating greater human powered experiences in all of us” hasn’t changed since those early days, but the evolution of HPM certainly has.

Last week I completed a seven-day self-supported bikepacking trip from my current basecamp in Charlotte, NC to my childhood home in Montoursville, PA. In addition to some of the lesser traveled rural northbound roads, the 650+ mile route was set to cover 230+ miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, 100+ miles of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park and 40+ miles on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. All, of which, are of the most beautiful and sought out cycling routes on the east coast. The bike was packed, the logistics were set, the mindset was dialed in. It was the perfect time for Hurricane Ian to come through and completely derail my plans.