The Journey Begins

I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my connecting flight to Philly that will continue to Bangor. I can't believe the trip is already here. I have been so busy recently that this trip has kind of snuck up on me.

I am excited, nervous, and asking myself what have I got myself into. As I kissed my wife Kaitlin goodbye at 4am this morning I had to convince myself that leaving my beautiful wife, warm bed, and comfortable life for long days in the saddle, all alone, riding through the rain and the cold, only to sleep in a tent on the side of the every night, was a good idea. The moment quickly passed.

For myself it seems that the first three days of any new adventure are by far the hardest. It's the physical adjustment to sitting on a hard saddle for 8hrs a day pedaling a 40lb bike with another 40lbs of gear and the mental toughness of being being alone or sleeping on the ground every night; but when it comes down to it, it's the fear of the unknown. For me that is a three day process, callouses form, muscles get stronger, and your mind switches gears from your daily routine at home to a painfully simple mission, wake up and pedal. When you begin to think of it like this it's really not all that hard.

Flight 1512 to Philly is now boarding.
I will check in when I get to Bangor