Friends with Strangers

How many new and interesting people have you met and spoken with in the past week? We went alone into the woods on our Great Divide Adventure and the backcountry has proven to be one of the most social places on earth.

On Friday, as I flew down a mountain pass, I road next to a paramedic from England. I learned all about the British medical system and the place that paramedics play in it. Earlier in the day we chatted on the side of the road with a couple, also from England, going South to North. They were two of the funniest people that I’ve met. She’s completing her training to be a physician. Although they had a ukulele on one of the bikes, they admitted they really had no time to learn how to play it being exhausted each evening. Not long before that, we had visited with a nuclear technician from Belgium.

Throughout the first two weeks of our journey we have met people from Taiwan, Germany, Belgium, France, England and a couple people from the US. Whether traveling the same direction or in the opposite direction invariably every one stops to share stories and get to know one another.

This is a very strange phenomenon. Not just in general but for me personally. Anyone that knows me would think that the wilderness would just provide a better means of avoiding close contact. I’m quite content at staying in my own personal space and making sure others don’t invade it. However, on The Great Divide I seem to have developed a new ability, or need, for being social. And strangely, I find it to be one of the best parts of the trip.

I believe a big portion of this behavior stems from everyone being on the same Journey. Whether we are going north to south or south to north we are all on a big bike trip on the same roads. That sameness of purpose, immediately makes the variety of people on the trail similar. Being alike, we are more willing to connect.

Additionally, everyone is very vulnerable. No one is hidden behind the walls of a house or the metal of a car. We are all exposed physically in little more than shorts and t-shirts clinging to our bicycles. What little we have of belongings are stuffed in dust covered sacs attached to the bikes. There is no real way to hide. And there is also little that we can do to impress one another. Although some of the younger riders do try to one-up each other with their daily mileage. Regardless, being in that exposed and vulnerable position makes us even more open to interact.

Likely the strongest motivator to engage is our need to know about what’s up ahead. Is there a safe place to stay? Did you see any bears? Where can we get food? As the people going north meet those going south, we each need knowledge that the others have and have knowledge the others need. Both parties are uniquely in a position of both being able to help and needing help. It is surprisingly a wonderful experience to be in this situation.

Not being completely stupid, I recognize the parallels with life. Unfortunately in “normal” life we are so cocooned from one another that we rarely take time to see other’s needs or share our own needs. We zip past one another racing toward inconsequential destinations. We miss daily opportunities to meet amazing people and benefit from what they know and share, to their benefit, what we know. I am already regretting the end of the trip and returning to that way of life that allows me to to easily keep myself disconnected from others that are ultimately on the same journey.

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FYI this week I will begin posting a picture journal of each day’s journey.