Simply Propelled: Adventures of the Clark Family
Share
Our goal is to complete extended self-propelled wilderness camping trips with our two young children. We love spending time together as a family outdoors, and we are at the forefront of the trend to get kids into the wilderness on big adventures. As a family we have travelled 6000 km by canoe in the Arctic, and another 6000 km by bike in South America. We’ve slept under the stars over 500 nights during these journeys and look forward to another adventure.
This 11,200 km route follows the Continental Divide of North America as well as the Baja Divide. It will take us nine months to cycle the whole distance between the Arctic and the south tip of the Baja Peninsula. Most of the route will be on gravel roads in the wilderness near the divide.
This trip is unique in approach and involves considerable commitment, organization and preparation because we are going as a family with children 8 and 10 years of age. This will be our most challenging trip yet and may be the most ambitious bikepacking trip undertaken as a family, being mostly gravel tracks through geographically remote wilderness. The riding will be technically difficult and we need to carry all our water in Mexico and New Mexico.
Simply Propelled: An Introduction from Dan Clark on Vimeo.
Our Next Journey
Leg 1: South from the Arctic
Where: 3400 km from the Arctic Ocean to Banff
When: July & Aug. 2017
Details: Half gravel and half pavement with long distances between services in the far north.
Leg 2: North through Mexico
Where: 3600 km through Mexico’s Baja Peninsula along the Baja Divide route. This rugged bikepacking route has never been traversed by a family and is very remote.
When: Feb. thru Apr. 2018
Details: 95% unpaved with little water, this may be the most technically difficult part of the entire route.
Leg 3: Great Divide Mountain Bike Route USA
Where: 4200 km on GDMBR, New Mexico to Banff
When: May thru Aug. 2018
Details: Gravel roads and tracks with 150,000 ft of climbing on the spine of the divide. This will be a challenging conclusion on the world’s longest mapped mountain bike route! The conclusion of the trip (where Leg 1 from the Arctic and Leg 3 from Mexico and the US meet) will be near Jasper, AB at the geohydrological apex of North America in late Aug. 2018.
A Couple Other Posts Regarding This Jouney You May Enjoy
Five Family Bikepacking Strategies
10-Year-Old Koby Speaks At FEAT Kids Canada (to an audience of 700!)
Wish us well on our journey!