In 2003, Beth boarded a plane with her bicycle in pieces in a box to be checked as baggage, with two amazing ladies to embark on her adventure of a lifetime, riding her bike across Alaska. It all started when her teachers in her second year of her master’s program in spiritual psychology at the University of Santa Monica told the over 200 students that we will be doing a year-long project. We could do anything we wanted but it had to be BIG. Some people planned their wedding, some wrote a book, some started their dream of having a business. Beth wanted to do something so out of her box and really make a huge impact in her life. She loved to ride her bike and she loved Alaska so she pulled out a map of the state and started looking at routes she could take on this adventure. She saw a route from Prudhoe Bay, where the Alaskan pipeline started down to Valdez. Could she do it? Was this a possibility? The idea was hatched and a plan was formed.
At USM, we were required to have a goal and to list the steps of how Beth was going to accomplish it. The trip was the goal but the steps to getting there were two-fold. First, Beth had to plan the logistics of the trip such as who would be able to join her with the trip, renting a camper, learning how to take her bike apart and put it back together, etc.
The second part of the plan was the getting-in-shape part. This was where Beth knew the growth in her life would be astounding. Beth loved to ride her mountain bike. But every time she rode with her friends, she was always last. She would finally catch up with the group she was with as they were resting. The self-talk Beth had while she was struggling to keep up was very negative and really, no fun. So being able to work on getting in better shape and eventually being in just as good of shape or even better than her cohorts showed her that anything is possible.
So the plan was in place and Beth began her year-long preparation for her adventure of a lifetime. When she trained, she would increase the miles a little bit each week so it didn’t seem too daunting or too hard. Slowly she became stronger and stronger. And by the end of the year, she was out biking her friends, no problem. The logistics were falling into place as well.
Why would Beth want to ride her bike across Alaska? First, she loves Alaska. She’d been there many times and she believes it is the most amazing place in the USA, next to Colorado.
She also loves riding her bike. She becomes a 12-year-old kid when she rides her bike. It is her happy place when she is pedaling. So there it was, Beth’s second-year project, riding her bike across Alaska.
Beth, Ellen and Martha started their journey in Prudhoe Bay, which is where the Alaskan Pipeline starts. It was desolate, quonset hut-like and cold. They meandered down the Haul Road, which is what the Alaskans called the “highway” we took from Prudhoe Bay. It was all gravel but flat. We saw grizzlies, black bears, musk oxen, a wolf and many other critters including the state bird, the mosquito(not really). We ended up in Valdez, three-weeks and hundreds of miles later.
Beth says “I cannot tell you how much this trip changed me in so many ways. I gained self-confidence, I received the gift of knowing I can do whatever I put my mind to and I saw Alaska up close and personal.”
She knows now she wants to help people have this kind of experience in their lives, a life changing moment where it projects you into a life of learning and growth.
