At the start of my sophomore year I made the mistake of buying a ridiculously heavy Mongoose brand bike from a pawn shop. That bike spent most of the year sitting in my dorm room, and I knew it had to go. Fortunately I was able to sell it for a small profit and go buy the quality of bike my genes prefer.

Enter May 8, 2009.

Walking to Goldstream Sports from UAF took… 10 minutes. 20 minutes. 30 minutes. 40 minutes. 50 minutes. 1 hour.

Biking back to UAF took… 10 minutes. 15 minutes. “Hey, I’m back!”

From then on out I’ve felt nothing but love for Trekker, my loyal companion of the last 7 years. All right, sometimes I wish he’d lose a little weight or have a feature to turn a headwind into a tailwind, but I wouldn’t change much about him.

This bike has given me my mobility during my stints in Fairbanks for years. When I moved off-campus my junior year, I biked only until the snow started because I knew I could walk the quick 20 minutes to campus with Teri. Worrying about winterizing my bike just didn’t seem worthwhile. I knew I’d likely end up walking alone my senior year, so I decided to bike until I crashed and then re-evaluate. With my first crash occurring on a patch of black ice on the first day of spring, even a few tears couldn’t keep me from continuing to bike. Why end a good thing?

In my mind, Trekker is my trademark when I’m in town. The miles I’ve put on the bike while running errands are too numerous for me to imagine. My bike was my car for my summer working on the Riverboat and at Trailbreaker Kennel.

Biking isn’t all about day-to-day transportation, though; there most certainly are adventures to be had. I once tackled the Old Nenana – Parks Highway loop, a route that was referred to as a “buttkicker” and nearly made me turn around before I told the road, “No! You can’t make me go back.” While much of the ride was a very slow climb, the miles of sustained 30+ mph as I rode back down the Parks with wind-produced tears of happiness made it all worthwhile.

My route through Goldstream Valley and out to Silver Gulch Brewery in Fox lets me appreciate the more wooded areas (and the northernmost brewery in the US) before testing my climbing skills again. Once I gain the top of the ridge, nothing can stop a smile from spreading across my face. Cruising at 40+ mph on my mountain bike as I descend back into the Tanana Valley may not be the most advisable, but ohhhhhh man is it ever a rush!

Although I love my bike more than some people love their cars, I am a terrible person. On the eve of our 7th anniversary, I gave Trekker a hug and put him back in storage for the summer. Fortunately he’s a good guy and will be waiting for me when I’m done playing in the Aleutians.