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 completely by a good friend.
However after 411 days and 18,247 miles, McCullough has lastly met his objective of biking to 51 nationwide parks, and he’s seemingly the primary individual to tug off the feat. He hasn’t tried to register his accomplishments with Guinness World Information, though McCullough truly set a waffle tower file in 2018 (no joke). For this extra critical endeavor, he “simply needed to attempt 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 the facility of his legs.
“You don’t need to determine as a bike owner to do one thing like this,” he advised GearJunkie this week. “You simply have to begin small.”
McCullough has already begun leveraging his epic journey into a brand new challenge: An interactive map dedicated to amassing hiker/biker campsites throughout the nation. For McCullough, who has labored for out of doors advocacy teams, making house for different cyclists is equally vital as fulfilling his personal dirtbag desires.
“So many individuals are attempting to get into these sports activities for the primary time,” he stated. “We will help folks study this stuff with out a 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 great to be independently rich and by no means must do a days’ work,” one commenter wrote on the Instagram submit under celebrating McCullough’s journey.
“Yup, it’s at all times the story,” one other person responded.
Besides, in fact, when it’s not. McCullough lived in a van for years whereas working varied jobs in Colorado, together with a stint with the Denver Bicycle Foyer. He saved each greenback doable, ultimately reaching the roughly $20,000 he’d want for the 14-month journey. Except for a small fundraising membership to assist with unexpected bills, McCullough funded the overwhelming majority of it himself, he stated.
Nonetheless, McCullough can 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 buddies 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 alter a tire in the midst of nowhere. A motorbike mechanic drove a number of hours simply to ship assist.
“This wasn’t a challenge that I did in a vacuum on my own,” he stated. “It takes a village to do one thing this massive.”
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 an alternative of making an attempt to put money into an costly ultralight setup, McCullough largely used tenting gear he already owned — the remainder he purchased on Craigslist. By largely “stealth tenting” in a tent, McCullough may usually keep away from campground charges, which will be particularly dear in nationwide parks.
“I’m very towards gear for the sake of drugs,” he stated.
That being stated, he discovered the onerous method 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 sneakers, which “felt extreme,” he quickly realized “they’re truly tremendous comfy and sensible.”
As for biking information, he has developed sturdy opinions on what issues (altering a tire) and what doesn’t (your gear ratio).
“Folks ask me what gears I’m operating and what my ratio is. I don’t know. I usually overlook what number of speeds my bike has,” he stated. “That stuff isn’t vital to me.”
Tenting Logistics
McCullough’s journey was stuffed with the type of experiences many people dream about. Biking by Colorado in January was each difficult and enjoyable, leading to many social media posts about how he managed the snow and chilly. He cherished the majestic views of Northern California’s Sierra Nevada and the “low-stress rides” by 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 secure place to sleep — not local weather change — posed the best problem. He found that discovering a campsite for long-distance cyclists stays logistically tough. Many state park websites don’t make it straightforward 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 secure spot to sleep. “These campsites are so buried and onerous to seek out,” he stated.
Mapping It Out for Posterity
Now McCullough has a brand new mission: Making bikepacking extra accessible by providing a map of obtainable campsites.
Thus far, 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 onerous to schedule once 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 house owners who provided him a spot to sleep alongside the best way.
Finally, he needs different cyclists so as to add their very own websites, hoping to construct a group that makes it simpler to plan a tour. He’d additionally love to supply scholarships for aspiring cyclists and embody details about group occasions.
“There’s so many angles for this as an advocacy program that I’m so enthusiastic about,” he stated.
Fascinated about 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.