This is how it all started…

Hello, my name is Chris Larner and this is my blog about bikepacking. After years of interest, reading and watching videos about the Tour Divide and the Trans-Am self-supported bike adventures, in July of 2019 I decided to set out on my own adventure along the North Central Rail-Trail in northern Michigan. To say I was bitten by the bikepacking bug on my first adventure is an understatement. Loading the bike with the necessary camping essentials and hitting the long trail of freedom has become a great hobby and also an opportunity to self-reflect, challenge my abilities, and develop a peace of mind that is difficult to achieve in this chaotic world of family and work.

For the past 20 years I have worked in education and have coached multiple sports for both boys and girls. This, along with a family of my wife and three kids, I have been very busy with work, coaching, and attending family functions and games. As a result, cycling became therapeutic for me as a way to relax and quiet the body, soul and mind.

As a survivor of multiple cardiac arrests and the result of a challenging time physically in my early 40’s, I decided to dive into bikepacking to not only help with the physical exercise, but build the mental fortitude necessary to address the emotional side that comes with surviving such a difficult event in my life. This blog is designed to help the average individuals who have had personal struggles in their lives use bikepacking a way to cope. It also will be designed to help those new to bikepacking and address the stuff I learned and how I can help with my own experience. I hope you enjoy my stories and feel free to drop me a line in the comments.