When Spencer McCullough determined to spend over a yr biking to each nationwide park within the contiguous U.S., he didn’t have a lot expertise. The 28-year-old had solely gone bikepacking as soon as earlier than — a 3-day journey deliberate fully by a pal.
However after 411 days and 18,247 miles, McCullough has lastly met his objective of biking to 51 nationwide parks, and he’s doubtless the primary individual to tug off the feat. He hasn’t tried to register his accomplishments with Guinness World Data, despite the fact that McCullough truly set a waffle tower document in 2018 (no joke). For this extra critical endeavor, he “simply wished to strive it,” he stated.
So, in March 2023, he set out from Florida’s Biscayne Bay Nationwide Park. Over a yr later, he arrived in Acadia Nationwide Park on Could 22, having visited each nationwide park within the decrease 48 purely by way of the facility of his legs.
“You don’t should determine as a bike owner to do one thing like this,” he advised GearJunkie this week. “You simply have to start out small.”
McCullough has already begun leveraging his epic journey into a brand new venture: An interactive map dedicated to gathering hiker/biker campsites throughout the nation. For McCullough, who has labored for outside advocacy teams, making house for different cyclists is equally essential as fulfilling his personal dirtbag desires.
“So many individuals try to get into these sports activities for the primary time,” he stated. “We will help folks be taught these items with no steep studying curve.”
‘It Takes a Village’
It’s not unusual for athletes like McCullough to have their privileges checked as quickly as their accomplishments are posted on social media.
“Should be fantastic to be independently rich and by no means must do a days’ work,” one commenter wrote on the Instagram publish under celebrating McCullough’s journey.
“Yup, it’s all the time the story,” one other person responded.
Besides, in fact, when it’s not. McCullough lived in a van for years whereas working numerous jobs in Colorado, together with a stint with the Denver Bicycle Foyer. He saved each greenback potential, finally reaching the roughly $20,000 he’d want for the 14-month journey. Apart from a small fundraising membership to assist with unexpected bills, McCullough funded the overwhelming majority of it himself, he stated.
Nevertheless, McCullough can also be the primary to level out that he couldn’t have pulled this off with out assist.
His neighbor stored his van in her Denver driveway for 14 months of his journey. He stayed with associates who provided him an precise mattress on a number of events. Then there was the time in rural Texas when the bike’s entrance axle snapped in half whereas McCullough tried to vary a tire in the course of nowhere. A motorbike mechanic drove a number of hours simply to ship assist.
“This wasn’t a venture that I did in a vacuum on my own,” he stated. “It takes a village to do one thing this large.”
Studying Whereas Biking
As for gear, McCullough didn’t have a boatload of sponsors to assist him. He purchased a used Surly Straggler off Craigslist for $800. As a substitute of attempting to put money into an costly ultralight setup, McCullough principally used tenting gear he already owned — the remainder he purchased on Craigslist. By principally “stealth tenting” in a tent, McCullough may typically keep away from campground charges, which could be particularly dear in nationwide parks.
“I’m very towards gear for the sake of substances,” he stated.
That being stated, he discovered the exhausting approach what gear issues. He acquired gloves every week into the journey after growing biking palsy in a single hand. (He realized this when he couldn’t shut his hand sufficient to chop his fingernails.) After initially dismissing the concept of biking footwear, which “felt extreme,” he quickly realized “they’re truly tremendous comfy and sensible.”
As for biking information, he has developed robust opinions on what issues (altering a tire) and what doesn’t (your gear ratio).
“Individuals ask me what gears I’m working and what my ratio is. I don’t know. I typically overlook what number of speeds my bike has,” he stated. “That stuff isn’t essential to me.”
Tenting Logistics
McCullough’s journey was full of the sort of experiences many people dream about. Biking by way of Colorado in January was each difficult and enjoyable, leading to many social media posts about how he managed the snow and chilly. He beloved the majestic views of Northern California’s Sierra Nevada and the “low-stress rides” by way of Sequoia Nationwide Park.
He was additionally fortunate to complete. McCullough consulted with different cyclists who’ve tried and failed to attach all of the parks, together with one who made it to over 30 parks earlier than the West Coast wildfires threw a figurative wrench into the spokes.
However merely discovering a protected place to sleep — not local weather change — posed the best problem. He found that discovering a campsite for long-distance cyclists stays logistically troublesome. Many state park websites don’t make it simple to find out what websites can be found.
Different elements of the nation lack any official websites in any respect, requiring extra creativity to discover a protected spot to sleep. “These campsites are so buried and exhausting to search out,” he stated.
Mapping It Out for Posterity
Now McCullough has a brand new mission: Making bikepacking extra accessible by providing a map of accessible campsites.
To this point, he has developed it with two standards: cyclist-specific pricing, which means locations with cheaper costs for cyclists than motorists, and no requirement for reservations, that are exhausting to schedule if you’re coping with the climate.
In the intervening time, it solely has campsites on the West Coast and East Coast, however McCullough plans to spend the remainder of the yr including extra. He needs to incorporate not solely paid places however informal agreements as nicely, like small enterprise homeowners who provided him a spot to sleep alongside the way in which.
Finally, he needs different cyclists so as to add their very own websites, hoping to construct a neighborhood that makes it simpler to plan a tour. He’d additionally love to supply scholarships for aspiring cyclists and embody details about neighborhood occasions.
“There’s so many angles for this as an advocacy program that I’m so enthusiastic about,” he stated.
Focused on serving to out? Go to the web site and fill out a kind so as to add a campsite, or join updates on the map’s progress.
