IPFS
CONNECTING THE DOTS
Frosty Wooldridge
More About: Entertainment: Outdoor RecreationPart 20: Bicycling the Continental Divide—Mexico to Canada—Grizzly attack
“Ancient Greece featured
Aristotle and Socrates. It enthroned its mightiest warrior in Achilles who
overthrew Troy with a Trojan horse. The Parthenon boasts the grandest
architecture of the Greeks from 776 B.C. But nothing beats the mystical Oracle
of Delphi. Hidden above the Mediterranean Sea on a glorious mountain top, it
features an Olympic stadium with stands for 10,000 spectators. It includes the
Temple of Apollo, the god who defeated Python. That battle created the Olympic
Games. Greek and Roman rulers visited the Oracle to discover their futures. But
for two bicyclists, it provided a moment on stage where ancient thespians acted
out the Iliad and Odyssey. The cyclist in the bright jersey spoke to ancient
ghosts of audiences long past. Aristotle said, "Excellence is never an
accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and
intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives—choice,
not chance, determines your destiny."” FHW, Golden, CO
The Oracle of Delphi © 2012 Frosty Wooldridge, Frosty
Wooldridge standing in the middle of the Oracle of Delphi
giving a speech to the "ghosts" of the people that once sat in those
stands from 776 B.C. His friend Gary and he pedaled from the Arctic Circle,
Norway to Athens, Greece, and along the Mediterranean Sea in order to reach the
Oracle. They climbed up into the ancient Greek mountains.
They stood in wonder
at the many statues, pillars, sports fields and the Temple of Apollo. To stand
in that spot where kings once stood brought an amazing feeling of energy from
the past. Travel! It gets in your bones. Click here to order Spirit of Adventure Greeting Cards
When Gerry and Dave pedaled westward, I felt my heart grow
sad. At the gate entrance of Madison Junction campground, I paid my bill for
the “Hike-biker” section. No laughter tonight around the campfire.
I pitched my tent in silence. I aired-up my mattress and fluffed up my
sleeping bag in silence. I set up my cooking gear and snugged-up my
miner’s lamp around my head in silence. Darkness crept in silently.
I cooked my dinner in silence. I wrote my notes in silence. Loneliness
made its way into my soul.
“Loneliness is the human condition.
Cultivate it. The way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow. Never
expect to outgrow loneliness. Never hope to find people who will understand
you, someone to fill that space. An intelligent, sensitive person is the
exception, the very great exception. If you expect to find people who will
understand you, you will grow murderous with disappointment. The best you'll
ever do is to understand yourself, know what it is that you want, and not let
the cattle stand in your way.” ― Janet Fitch, White Oleander
Thankfully, I like the kind of person I
am. I’ve made my parents proud. As I said at the beginning of this
adventure, I broadcast “positive relationship energy” wherever I go. I’ve heard
that, if you radiate friendly vibrations, friends naturally gravitate toward
you. If you give love, you will receive love in return. Better to
share with Gerry and Dave for a week than not at all. They became another
thread in the tapestry of my life. I feel rich, funny and more blessed by
having spent such a grand time with two Irishman. I count my blessings.
(Condor waiting patiently while I took
shots of this steaming pond early in the morning.)
Next day, I pulled down my tent and pedaled onto the
highway by 6:30 a.m. I rolled along the Gibbon River to pass by a
steaming pond on the opposite side of the road. Very quiet. No
traffic. I sensed nature’s rhythms pulsing through the early morning
hour. Soon, I viewed 60 feet of descent and the white water of Gibbon
Falls. It resembled a bride’s veil. Still no traffic.
(Steaming pond with Condor in the distance by the guard
railing.)
Back on the road, I stopped on a bridge with the Gibbon
River crossing underneath me. I took a few shots of the rising sun sparkling on
the waters. So peaceful. I wrote:
When your loneliness travels with you,
Along life’s highways and by-ways.
Stop at a river crossing or two,
And Mother Nature will bring you peace always.
From racing, raging and cascading rapids,
The waters carry energy and light.
To deep forest green and quiet,
They make everything seem all right.
(Resting on the bridge, writing a poem and taking in
Nature’s quiet in the early morning hour.)
Once again, I made the adventure my companion. I delighted
in sheer beauty all around me. I felt my spirit renewing again at my
wondrous journey.
I pedaled with vigor into the clear, crisp morning air,
through deep forests and along the Gibbon River about 30 yards away on the west
side of the highway. Above the river, a red tail hawk followed the current
southward, probably on his breakfast patrol. A big fat buffalo munched grass
on the east side of the river. Still no traffic. On my left, on the
far side of the river, I noticed a cow elk bending down to take a
drink. I love seeing elegant elk, moose and deer. They soothe
my soul.
(Big, fat buffalo male grazing along the river.)
Without warning, I barely caught the big, harry figure
of…oh my God, a grizzly bear…as he crept along the deep grass on the far side
of the river until he got within 30 feet of the elk…from out of the grass
cover, he charged the elk…she saw him and stood up, startled, and started to
bolt backwards away from the river…but within seconds, the 700 pound grizzly
ran right into the cow elk and grabbed it by the shoulders with his four inch
claws…in a moment, he chewed into the bottom of the elk’s neck and twisted his
huge anvil head…almost like poetry in motion, his enormous body rode the elk
down to the ground…where he held her until she could no longer struggle…she
stopped …fell limp…life feeds on life and death feeds life.
“Holy shit,” I exclaimed as I stopped Condor in stunned
amazement.
While I probably should have been scared to death, it
happened so fast that I just stopped and stared. I stood across the river
and 40 yards away from the bear. The grizzly could care less about me.
His breakfast laid in a bloody mess in front of him. I ripped out my
camera to take pictures. He began feeding on the carcass. He ripped
open the belly and took out his favorite parts. His bloody muzzle turned
bright red.
I stood behind a tree, but still astride Condor just in
case I had to ride like the wind. I even pointed Condor downstream to give me
more speed, quickly, should the grizzly notice me and figure me for
dessert. Of course, at 185 pounds, I didn’t mean much to his main course
of 1,000 pounds of elk meat.
“My God am I blessed with this moment,” I muttered to
myself.
(Grizzly after he killed the cow elk and fed upon it. He
took a swim in the river. You can see the red carcass just off to his left.)
Within a half hour, a dozen cars stopped to see why I kept
snapping pictures. Soon, a whole slew of cars emptied and folks with 1000 mm
lenses snapped pictures off fancy tripods. Shortly, three bald eagles
landed by the carcass. The bear walked off a distance and snoozed.
The eagles closed in for early morning snacks. Then, Mr. Grizzly
woke up in 10 minutes and returned to feeding. Amazingly, he jumped into
the river to swat at fish or something. His actions appeared comical from
where I stood.
(Grizzly sitting by his morning meal, taking a rest from
eating.)
Within the next hour, more tourists arrived. I figured I’d
seen the best show of the day and turned Condor northward to seek my fortune
around the next bend in the road. I’ve experienced some amazing moments
on Condor, and, this one rides up there with the top 10 of my life. As I
said in my quote about bicycle touring, “The long distance bicyclist
carries an insatiable desire to interact with possibilities that may emerge
around the next bend in the road. The bicyclist lives in that moment and then
pedals forward to the next moment, always advancing, never in retreat.”
As John Muir said, “How many hearts with warm red blood in
them are beating under cover of the woods, and how many teeth and eyes are
shining? A multitude of animal people, intimately related to us, but
whose lives we know almost nothing, are as busy about their own affairs as we
are about ours.”
To that quote, I say, “Holy catfish, what a hell of a start
to this day! It doesn’t get any better than this.”
(Grizzly about to take a bath after eating a good portion
of his breakfast.)
##
Frosty Wooldridge has bicycled across six continents - from the
Arctic to the South Pole - as well as eight times across the USA, coast to
coast and border to border. In 2005, he bicycled from the Arctic Circle, Norway
to Athens, Greece. In 2010, he cycled 3,400 miles coast to coast across
America. In 2012, he bicycled the northern tier coast to coast across
America. In 2013, he bicycled 2,500 miles from Mexico to Canada on the
Continental Divide, 150,000 vertical feet of climbing and 19 crossing of
passes, 10 of the Continental Divide.
He presents “The Coming Population
Crisis facing America: what to do about it.” www.frostywooldridge.com . His latest
book is: How to Live a Life of Adventure: The Art of Exploring the World by
Frosty Wooldridge, copies at 1 888 280 7715/ Motivational program: How to Live a Life of Adventure:
The Art of Exploring the World by Frosty Wooldridge, click: www.HowToLiveALifeOfAdventure.com
Live well, laugh often, celebrate daily
and enjoy the ride,
Frosty Wooldridge
Golden, Colorado
6 Continent world bicycle traveler
Order these unique cards
today: http://www.howtolivealifeofadventure.com/