Wrapping Up 2022... a little late
Been a while but look where we find ourselves! [V2 had to re-publish to emails]
Bonjour! Hi! Hello! Do you remember me? I hope so. I know I haven’t written you in a long time, so I apologize. I’ve been meaning to pour some of my recent experiences into bottle and send it across the ocean of the internet to let you know that I am:
safe, with a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and maybe too much food in my belly
doing very well and looking forward to 2023
and indeed still biking (No, thankfully not living on my bicycle, but bicycling almost every day!)
In terms of wrapping up the last adventure, I still have to write up my travels from Colorado to the Grand Teton National Park- I got to see and experience some amazing things and would love to reminisce and share more stories from this summer. Even if you are all sick of my babbling, I look forward to reading these logs back in many years!
A lot has happened since I last caught you up, so feel free to chunk away at this, or binge it on your favorite couch.
So where are you now?
Living? In Victoria, BC, the capital of British Columbia, on Vancouver Island just off of the west coast of Canada. At the moment? I’m at home in New York, visiting my parents and friends for a few weeks. Funny enough, this is my first time heading east since I started bicycling towards the west in May. It was my first time back in Toronto in probably a year, and Kingston and New York in nine months. I’ve gotten to see and catch up with some of my best friends and people I haven’t seen since leaving university last year!
Well, out with it, what are you doing all the way over there on the west coast? What’s this I hear about an island?
Oh, you know, just trying to find purpose. Belonging. Joy. Kindling my passions. Meeting some of the greatest people I’ve ever met. Finding a whole new host of activities and routines that inspire me to be a better person, take bigger risks, and grow in a way unique to me. But mostly working! Lots of working. Finishing a cross-country vacation and having about $300 to your name is not what anyone would call a financially independent or healthy situation. I spent my fall serving at a cozy restaurant and working at Mountain Equipment Company, both in downtown Victoria. As for the bicycling, I commute to both with rare exceptions like torrential rain or recently, 30+ centimeters of snow (almost a foot, for my American correspondents). And even sometimes, bicycling in said snow and rain.
And you heard correct! I am on an island (it’s pretty big though), and I feel lucky to be so. Growing up landlocked (some lakes and lots of freshwater, thankfully) and very far from the ocean, it’s truly amazing to be so close to the ocean regularly. Whether it’s sailing or surfing in the changing tides, hiking up high or down low to the coast, the ocean connects this island and it’s inhabitants to general purpose and sense of well-being.
The people are all really amazing here. When I posted about finding a place to rent in November, I had someone tell me I could stay with them for free if I needed to, on account of them having “Stevens” family somewhere on the east coast. Brings me right back to the kindness of so many strangers I enjoyed this summer. Gratitude is something I feel often- grateful for all that I’ve experienced, for all I find in front of me, and all that I have the opportunity to do. What do you get for the guy who has everything? A way for him to give it all back.
Are you going to write a book?
No, not yet hahaha. But I do have a bunch of videos I need to edit into a story of this summer. Nobody actually asks me if I’m going to write a book, I just needed to put my commitment to finishing this video in writing. If you want to see some beautiful footage and what life was like on the road, you should check out Brad Zerivitz’s video or Vlady Was Here, both two amazing people I had the privilege or riding with.
Any fun adventures from the fall? Don’t tell me you stopped doing crazy things!
Nope, still crazy. I feel particularly blessed in the people I met, spent time with, and now treasure as close friends. My time on the island started off with a huge adventure. I spent the first night on the couch at one of my best friends, Theo’s, while we prepared for our three-day thru-hike of the Juan de Fuca Trail on the west coast of the island. Theo, his girlfriend Sara, Theo’s sister, Hannah, her boyfriend, Jackson, their dog, Tally, and their friend, Owen, and I all drove to the drop off a car (and eventually fit into Theo’s to shuttle to the starting point. Madness).
This was an unreal time with some very cool people. Everyone brought the best attitude and complemented each other all wonderfully. I feel special to have been along for the ride. I think it’s truly one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever been on and some of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen, this summer included. I have some funny notes in my journal from our time on the trail.
Upon realizing his [Owen’s] one burner platform car camping stove was too big, i told theo i’d bring mine [backpacking stove], but we still needed to pick up fuel. Spoiler, I forgot my campstove.
Now, questionably, we fit:
six people
six (very full) backpacking bags
and one dog
In the Mazda 3 for the 45 minute shuttle ride to the Botanical Beach trailhead. Chaos ensued but in the best way. All squeezed, four people in the back, one pack on the lap, five shoved in the trunk, and owen and the dog in the passenger seat. It was quite comical and an all-time car ride. Maybe uncomfortable, but what doesn’t kill you is for the adventure!!
For reference, the ditch party consisted of laying on the ground next to the parking lot eating what granola bars and trail mix we had leftover until Theo and Hannah came back with the cars. While this hike was wonderful, it was also extremely hard. It felt similar to my bike trip- type 2 fun for sure. We did the whole trail in two and half days, Friday to Sunday and boy was it tough. Like we’re talking early mornings and non-stop, fast hiking for the whole day with one lunch stop and maybe a few snack stops. Poor Owen had a Molson Canadian brand backpacking bag (none of us had any idea that Molson had entered the backpack market) that unfortunately was about 4 sizes too big and both shoulder straps lost all padding halfway through the first day. Owen tried to make many bets with everyone where the loser would trade backpacks with him. No one wanted to take those bets. Owen carried that beast like a champ and by the end of the day I’ve never seen anyone so happy to take off their backpack for the last time. It was almost like a gear review from hell. I can see the Youtube video- “Backpacking the Juan de Fuca with a Value Village Backpack!” Owen, you’ve got my respect forever I think anyone would pick you if they needed a rock-solid adventure companion.
Theo and Sara I still get up to all sorts of fun, from dinners and afternoon board games to movies and post-shift beers, surfing, and more hiking to come, I’m lucky to have someone from the east coast who I’ve been friends with for so long keep me in good company and doing great things.
Back in Victoria, I hit the lottery- actually better than the lottery- with the house I moved into for the month of October. I met a whole family of wild characters and partners in adventure and people I can’t wait to see soon. Liam, Marcus, Hannah, Riley, Brad, Guillame and Augustin welcomed me into their lives with open arms. I can’t even describe how much they made me feel welcome, part of the community, and included in their wild lives. They adopted me into their family and I love each of them so much for it. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them and so much they’ve done for me. Hana recommended me for my job at the Mountain Equipment Company, Marcus and Liam bring me sailing, Riley takes us all surfing, Hana lets me borrow her surfboard(s), Brad and Guillame are always down to cook dinner, surf, or sail, Augustin for teaching me and diving down the rabbit hole of rock climbing, and Liam for straight up letting me be his brother, hiking and bicycling with me, getting up to all sorts of trouble on a regular basis, and making me his personal Super Smash project. I think he needed a nemesis. I still can’t even beat him if I try. Liam and I are basically the unemployed friends.
To all my coworkers who are my favorite people to see, and the reason I can feel so happy and fulfilled each day, so much thanks. People who welcomed me as a friend, allowed me to pester them and ask them questions and put up with me across all moods and shenanigans.
To the sailors in Victoria who treat me so well, Hannah, Kate, Fraser, Dylan, Adele, Madeleine and many more! Can’t wait to get out on more boats with you all soon.
Fall wasn’t without hardships. I had to move a lot because I was still looking for a perfect place to live, and trying to figure out my long-term plan and if it was even feasible to stay in Victoria for a while. I felt pretty transient, moving from place to place with few possessions except my clothes and bicycle(s) (I bought Liam’s commuting bike because I was nervous about bringing my touring bicycle downtown and it getting stolen). I learned how hard commuting by bicycle is, and have a huge amount of respect for people who do it much more seriously than I. Rain is cold, and wet. Mornings are cold, maybe wet. Snow is cold, and wet. More rain. Cold. Wet.
However, I wouldn’t trade my commuting for anything. Truly, some of the best parts of my day are bombing around the backstreets to work, bypassing traffic, spinning my legs, going down hills, seeing sunrises, sunsets, and beautiful weather. I feel like I’m the only person in the whole city when I bike home at midnight and no one is on the road. I get to turn my lights on and see deer crossing the road and standing on the sidewalks staring at me with the same curious look I give them.
As nervous as I was about getting my bicycle stolen, one night I left it in a silly spot and upon leaving work at 11pm, I found that someone, indeed, had taken my front wheel.
Thankfully, Hannah, Madeleine, and Adele made sure I got home safe and sound after treating me to a beer and some great live music. It’s never as bad as it seems, even if I act a grumpy mess.
Jeez kid, you’re all over the place. Is there anything you don’t do?
Yeah, eat enough vegetables. That’s my New Years resolution. Eat more veggies! Also, stretching. I need to stretch more. I’m hoping to go injury-free-twenty-twenty-three. That has a good ring to it. Hey! You can join me! We should probably all stretch more.
Any last parting thoughts for 2022?
Oh! Spending Christmas with one of my best friend, Cam, and his family was something I’ll never forget. Getting to move in and spend two weeks with them while I was in-between housing, and then they invited me back to spend the holiday so I wouldn’t be alone. Truly special, a day and memories I will cherish forever. I hope to bring that much joy to others around me and give the gift of holiday and company whenever any else needs it in a way that I did then. Your living is what you get, your life is what you give. Iain, Sarah, Duncan, Caroline, Corin, Cam, and Fedah all gave me so much. Thank you for the food, laughs, warm hugs, and one of my favorite Christmases.
Also, huge shoutout to Riley and Addie for being a great surf crew for the last few days of 2022. I’m lucky to have friends like you and if those are the vibes we can create on such short notice, I’m excited for everything else we’ll put our minds to.
Anyways, I can’t keep stealing all your time. You've got a 2023 to get after! Carpe annum, as Riley would have us all say. It’s a big year with lots to do and a whole lot of time.
Bonus pictures (because you scrolled all the way down here, look at you rockstar!)
I like the 2022 wrap-up Ben. LOVE the pics of snow on the bikes. Hard Core! And it’s great you got in a visit to Kingston/Toronto and family. Always good to return home.
I am in Costa Rica, in #2 of 3 trips. Weird weather; with heavy rain (this IS the dry season…) and monster waves (well, monster to me). But the weather has settled down now and I am upping my wave count. That is, until the monster waves return on Wednesday.
I am investigating summer ’23 trips and will let you know when flights are booked. Maybe see you in Victoria Island, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, or central NY?
PS: the SoCal surf videos were insane. Yes, that was Seal Beach, breaking right on the shore. I recall seeing surfers catch waves then jump off the wave and run up the beach (to avoid the inevitable wave pounding).
Haha love it! This all looks amazing. Wow those hike pictures are absolutely freaking insane. Surfing and climbing look sooo sick too. The story with the backpack gives me reminders of when we went camping and *someone's* bike tire was flat so I traded them their pillow to swap bikes haha. Sad I missed you too :( . Keep on blogging, excited to hear the updates even if out of date (who cares when the stories are from!).