A Trip South: From Alaska to Argentina by Bike A Trip South
go to original January 18, 2013

In June of 2012, a group of Juneau-grown friends embarked on the experience of a lifetime. Before we get too old and ripe, each of us has a desire to become more intimately connected to the world in which we live by experiencing it first hand, one day at a time. This trip is a chance to be swallowed by the customs and cultural traditions of each area that we travel through.

After graduating from our respective universities, we kayaked from our hometown of Juneau, Alaska through the inside passage to Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The trip has continued as we jumped onto bicycles and are currently following the road system along the Pacific coast through Central and South America to Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina.

A primary focus of this trip is not the end date and time but rather the journey itself. For this reason we have only set loose guesses as to how long different sections will take to complete. We are planning for the unexpected. Whether that means falling in love with a specific region or culture that demands more time or a realization of new possibilities which may turn our straight line route into a jigsaw’s path. Whatever the outcome, we have decided that this is our chance, and one that we must take.

Why?

Global warming. Overpopulation. Civil war. Economic depression. The list of conflicts that our species is facing in this modern age could go on for days. One may feel at times that everything is going wrong, that the world is upside-down and inside-out, that we are trending more and more towards devastation. Yet we strive to remember that there is so much beauty in the world to appreciate. Still, the question remains: how did we get here? And how can we make progress in a better direction?

Our proposed expedition, from Alaska to Argentina, will seek to further understand these problems. We feel that the root cause of most modern problems lies in the separation of local ownership and responsibility over communal properties. When distant forces control the actions of local people, elements of adaptability are lost. This prevents the people from being able to effectively manage their situation in times of change.

As the times are clearly always in a state of change these days, more and more humans are experiencing the ill effects of macro-management. An alternative way of living is to reinvest in the familiar, to work towards independent organization of communities. We believe that the people we meet along our journey will have answers to these conflicts, and will be able to show us techniques of local living that may be applicable to a wider audience of citizens. We hypothesize that the communities that exhibit these qualities will not only be more sustainable, but will also contain individuals that are actually happier than the average person.

Follow the journey on their blog

Related: A Trip South: The Mexico Perception, by Chris Hinkley for the Juneau Empire

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