There’s a lot of chatter on cycling specific webpages, bike shop banter, trailhead discussions and wandering daydreams about bikepacking but what exactly is it? Wikipedia has a few entries, but the tried-and-true Merriam Webster Dictionary hasn’t even recognized this term in its lexicon yet. We’ll peel back the layers on this bikepacking thing and share tips on how you can get started but know that this sport is simply another amazing way to get outside and move from point A to point B in a new way.

Author: Adam Bratton
Read Time: 4 mins

As of this Journal Entry, we’re just over halfway through the #FindYourSummit elevation challenge. It’s been invigorating to watch people from around the world participate in this monthlong elevation challenge in collaboration with Summit Coffee. Watching everyone stack up vert left and right brings brought back fond memories of a visit to one of our goal summits … Haleakalā. Bombing down 10,000+ ft from the top of a dormant volcano was certainly one of the most amazing cycling experiences of my life.

I’ll admit, every so often I get caught up in the deep, dark rabbit hole of YouTube. The majority of my glazed over viewing sessions are wildly unproductive but occasionally, a video strikes a chord. Beau Mile’s film entitled “A Mile An Hour” strummed that productive chord beautifully and I instantly set a goal to replicate the experience myself. What an amazing experience it turned out to be.

Here was my justification ... weekend getaway, marginal paddling experience, tagging along with some good buds, always up for a micro-adventure. 

That's how I joined Brandon Jones and Greg Nance of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation (CRF) on a 3-day self-supported expedition to kayak the entirety of the 75-mile Wateree River.