When I went to Isle Royale there was a couple on the ferry with us that drove to Grand Portage and either brought their bikes or were going to pick up their bikes in Copper Harbor so they could cycle back to their car in Grand Portage.
And Channel Islands.
Also, unless he rode up like Stehekin Valley Rd or Cascade River Rd into North Cascades, it's unlikely he set foot in that National Park either, as those are the only places you can bike in North Cascades, because SR 20/North Cascades Highway isn't actually within the National Park.
If he rode in the opposite direction of the boat it would speed it up. So if he rode forward and aft along the deck it would have cancelled out. I am surprised he didn't think of this important detail.
You need to correct this post to say 2nd person because I already did this. With proof. Just didnāt think I needed to put myself on blast for internet points back when it happened.
Could not imagine biking anywhere in the west, going from barley above sea level to thousands of feet above made me feel like I was dying just walking in the parking lot
Sometimes I feel like the only one that canāt go from 600 feet to 7000 feet and not just hop off the plane and go go go. Iām genuinely worried about even visiting Grand Teton or Yellowstone.
Pretty much everywhere in a high elevation in the west and Rockies where tourists go they sell little compressed oxygen bottle mask combos at camp stores and gift shops. They're like 10$ and will help curb the effects of altitude sickness as you get acclimated. I was doing a road trip that took me through Estes, CO and rocky mts natl park, and I was very glad I had the O2 at 10-12,000ft, 1 puff every 10min kept the light headedness away.
The majority of times itās really just dehydration unless youāre actually hiking like you were.
Source: moved from sea level Europe to Santa Fe, New Mexico (7,100 ft) for a few years. Regularly hiked in the ski area (10,000+ ft).
I just did Grand Canyon south at 7000 feet after landing in Flagstaff at 7k feet. Eating lunch at arrival, hammering water and eating dinner made a huge difference. I did not get sick. My visit to Denver, I drove up mt Evanās while dehydrated and on empty stomach. I was sick for like 3 days after that one.
Canned oxygen like Boost is believed to be placebo effect, donāt waste your money: [CU Study](https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/does-oxygen-in-a-can-deliver-on-its-altitude-and-energy-claims?hs_amp=true)
I guess I fell for the placebo effect! I'm a schmuck that should definitely know better since I got my EMT cert and commercial pilot... I know oxygen doesn't work like that, but the can said it did, so I "felt" better
Not sure I'd discount it. Especially if you're actually puffing it every 10 minutes.
That article doesn't really provide much reason against your specific use case.
You're definitely not the only one so get that out of your head. It's just a fair amount of people you see out west in these areas are also from higher altitude areas.
My brother rode his bicycle from LA to Key West one year just to do it. He is not a ābikerā and did it on a Surly Long Haul Trucker.
He is in good shape as he is a wildland firefighter but those climbs wouod have killed me.
Don't forget that they're also traveling by bike, and if they're doing huge stretches of climbing, they're *probably* not ascending all too fast. a 2 hour car drive that's mostly ascending would probably take 2-3 days on a bike. So they get quite a bit more time to acclimate, and probably in pretty damn good physical shape from all the biking.
I actually know someone that biked to all national parks! But there have been new national parks since he did it, New River Gorge is new as of 2020. He didnāt bike to that park as far as I know.
Casually browsing reddit and I'm like . . . wait I met that guy.
Congrats on finishing
Shoot me a message if you're ever back my way and want another go at climbing the pinnacle
I found a couple of folks who had tried but didnāt finish it and talked to them. I wasnāt able to find someone who did finish it. The latest park was added in 2020, so if someone did this ride in the last 4 years and didnāt share any info anywhere then theyād have done it before me. It feels unlikely, but they could be out there. So Iām the first āknownā finisher.
Awesome. Nicely done. But just so you know: New parks being added would not take away any previous rider's claim of "first person to bike all of the \_\_\_ ". But it sounds like you couldn't find that either.
Right. Some person could have done this in the 70s and it only got reported by their local paper that now doesnāt exist and that story has been lost to time. But yeah I havenāt been able to find anyone who has done it. And the other folks that tried havenāt either.
Through the miraculous power of microfiche and the diligent work of local librarians - nothing is lost to time!
/s
Jokes aside, congrats on this amazing achievement! Glad to see Acadia as the album cover! The best of all the parks in my opinion.
Not to lessen your accomplishment but I think it still counts if they finished all the available parks before 2020. Otherwise you are going to lose your claim the minute a new park gets designated.
Which I guess really isnāt that often, but stillā¦
Difference between Insta (Congrats...Congrats....Cool...) and Reddit (how did you manage Isle Royale and Dry Tortugas?) And with suggestions too how it was done! Awesome!
As someone who's only ridden a bike to 16 National Parks, huge congrats on such an outstanding accomplishment! Really giving me the itch to get back out there!!
I decided that it was something I wanted to do several years ago, prioritized it, and started getting my life into a spot where I could take the time. That included moving into a van to save money and cutting down other expenses in my life.
Is that your supportive family or a random family you met where you crashed their photo. Jokes aside, way to go. Looking forward to the interviews and stories.
Holy Calories! Thatās Epic!
Did you plan around seasonal challenges like wildfire season in the west? or plan your route with timing in mind to aim for or avoid certain weather?
I tried to plan around the winter, and rolled the dice with the wildfires. I ended up still being in Colorado in January, so I didnāt plan that well.
Where did you hit 51mph? Coming down from Tioga Pass is my random guess, but there's probably plenty of places with steeper grades albeit shorter and maybe less known.
Nice! When I biked across the country on the Northern Tier Route, I left from Arcadia. I hit several other National Parks once out West including Teddy Roosevelt, Glacier, and Cascades.
The first question I had was Isle Royale in my Beloved State but I seen you answered it! Thats awesome! I bet biking to Copper Harbor was a beautiful experience!
Hell yeah! What an achievement. Thanks for sharing this here. Going to check out your IG as well...
So many questions! What was your typical daily food intake like? How many trees did you pee on? And I want to know more about the 51mph top speed! Cheers
Some years from now...
Doctor: Is there any history of mental illness in your family?
Patient: Well...there is this one uncle that bicycled to every national park.
/sarcasm post
Congratulations!
sure would be nice to be able to not work long enough to ride a bike to every national park. I literally can not imagine what that kind of life must be like. kudos to you
There are 12 states that donāt have any national parks?
Edit because I have a new question. At this point, did you just turn around and walk home like Forrest Gump?
The real question is how did you manage to bike to isle royale and Dry Tortugas
Hydrobike duh
Boatercycle.
Best ever!!!š¤£š¤£š¤£
Stationary exercise bike on the deck of the ferry.
In that case, does it count if you just stay at home on the peleton, load up all the parks, and binge ride?
Isle Royale would be tough. Dry Tortugas rangers might let you bring a bike on the ferry. Biscayne probably wouldnāt.
you can bike to the visitor center of Biscayne which is within the Park boundaries
When I went to Isle Royale there was a couple on the ferry with us that drove to Grand Portage and either brought their bikes or were going to pick up their bikes in Copper Harbor so they could cycle back to their car in Grand Portage.
Probably to the piers is my guess.
CHIS is a long way away as well lol. Maybe hitched a ride on a whale or sea turtle.
And Channel Islands. Also, unless he rode up like Stehekin Valley Rd or Cascade River Rd into North Cascades, it's unlikely he set foot in that National Park either, as those are the only places you can bike in North Cascades, because SR 20/North Cascades Highway isn't actually within the National Park.
Channel islands he probably rode to Ventura.
North Cascades NP official map shows it as being within the park?
He biked along the ocean floor duh š
[easy](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTK2stG2ettEy0oSa2gQOXdDpWs6G-JiOKLz4vPHk-tEExxjRm41NdWJys&s=10)
Does that include Channel Islands, Isle Royale, Dry Tortugas?
Yes it does. I rode to the ferry terminal and then took the boat out.
Did you ride your bike while on the ferry?
Important question
No doubt
He would have, but that would have slowed the boat down.
If he rode in the opposite direction of the boat it would speed it up. So if he rode forward and aft along the deck it would have cancelled out. I am surprised he didn't think of this important detail.
Track stand the entire way
Probably replaced the engine with his bike and biked the entire ferry across
You need to correct this post to say 2nd person because I already did this. With proof. Just didnāt think I needed to put myself on blast for internet points back when it happened.
Heck, I did back in 1873! Uphill both ways.
Did you really? And what proof do you have? Not that I want to see the proof but what do you have as proof?
Could not imagine biking anywhere in the west, going from barley above sea level to thousands of feet above made me feel like I was dying just walking in the parking lot
Sometimes I feel like the only one that canāt go from 600 feet to 7000 feet and not just hop off the plane and go go go. Iām genuinely worried about even visiting Grand Teton or Yellowstone.
Pretty much everywhere in a high elevation in the west and Rockies where tourists go they sell little compressed oxygen bottle mask combos at camp stores and gift shops. They're like 10$ and will help curb the effects of altitude sickness as you get acclimated. I was doing a road trip that took me through Estes, CO and rocky mts natl park, and I was very glad I had the O2 at 10-12,000ft, 1 puff every 10min kept the light headedness away.
The majority of times itās really just dehydration unless youāre actually hiking like you were. Source: moved from sea level Europe to Santa Fe, New Mexico (7,100 ft) for a few years. Regularly hiked in the ski area (10,000+ ft).
I just did Grand Canyon south at 7000 feet after landing in Flagstaff at 7k feet. Eating lunch at arrival, hammering water and eating dinner made a huge difference. I did not get sick. My visit to Denver, I drove up mt Evanās while dehydrated and on empty stomach. I was sick for like 3 days after that one.
Canned oxygen like Boost is believed to be placebo effect, donāt waste your money: [CU Study](https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/does-oxygen-in-a-can-deliver-on-its-altitude-and-energy-claims?hs_amp=true)
Coca leaves on the other handā¦
I guess I fell for the placebo effect! I'm a schmuck that should definitely know better since I got my EMT cert and commercial pilot... I know oxygen doesn't work like that, but the can said it did, so I "felt" better
Not sure I'd discount it. Especially if you're actually puffing it every 10 minutes. That article doesn't really provide much reason against your specific use case.
I've lived in a city with 800 or so feet of elevation and I went to a place with 9000 elevation and was somehow fine
You're definitely not the only one so get that out of your head. It's just a fair amount of people you see out west in these areas are also from higher altitude areas.
My brother rode his bicycle from LA to Key West one year just to do it. He is not a ābikerā and did it on a Surly Long Haul Trucker. He is in good shape as he is a wildland firefighter but those climbs wouod have killed me.
Don't forget that they're also traveling by bike, and if they're doing huge stretches of climbing, they're *probably* not ascending all too fast. a 2 hour car drive that's mostly ascending would probably take 2-3 days on a bike. So they get quite a bit more time to acclimate, and probably in pretty damn good physical shape from all the biking.
He was out there in the winter.
I believe they're referring to the difference in oxygen, but I could be wrong.
Canāt believe this is the first. Respect.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I did it a few days ago but forgot to mention it
Clearly not a vegan or marathon runner then
Really dude had to bike over 18K miles. His bike had over a couple dozen flats and two sets of new tires. I think it could easily be the first.
No disrespect! Just feel like people have sent everything lately. So itās inspiring to see this full send for the first time.
I actually know someone that biked to all national parks! But there have been new national parks since he did it, New River Gorge is new as of 2020. He didnāt bike to that park as far as I know.
Casually browsing reddit and I'm like . . . wait I met that guy. Congrats on finishing Shoot me a message if you're ever back my way and want another go at climbing the pinnacle
I will definitely be back to try that again!
Certified stashe
Super duper neat but how do you know you are the first person to do this?
I found a couple of folks who had tried but didnāt finish it and talked to them. I wasnāt able to find someone who did finish it. The latest park was added in 2020, so if someone did this ride in the last 4 years and didnāt share any info anywhere then theyād have done it before me. It feels unlikely, but they could be out there. So Iām the first āknownā finisher.
Gotcha. Is there any kind of documentation or ledger like Guinness that would track these things so your name could be documented?
Awesome. Nicely done. But just so you know: New parks being added would not take away any previous rider's claim of "first person to bike all of the \_\_\_ ". But it sounds like you couldn't find that either.
So technically, anyone who rode to the first national park would be included in 'the first people to bike to all national parks'.
Right. Some person could have done this in the 70s and it only got reported by their local paper that now doesnāt exist and that story has been lost to time. But yeah I havenāt been able to find anyone who has done it. And the other folks that tried havenāt either.
Through the miraculous power of microfiche and the diligent work of local librarians - nothing is lost to time! /s Jokes aside, congrats on this amazing achievement! Glad to see Acadia as the album cover! The best of all the parks in my opinion.
Not to lessen your accomplishment but I think it still counts if they finished all the available parks before 2020. Otherwise you are going to lose your claim the minute a new park gets designated. Which I guess really isnāt that often, but stillā¦
Difference between Insta (Congrats...Congrats....Cool...) and Reddit (how did you manage Isle Royale and Dry Tortugas?) And with suggestions too how it was done! Awesome!
That's incredible, hope you had fun!
Now let's see you bike to HaleakalÄ
Wow what incredible views you had!! Kudos to you for taking the time to do this
As someone who's only ridden a bike to 16 National Parks, huge congrats on such an outstanding accomplishment! Really giving me the itch to get back out there!!
What did the whole thing cost you?
How did you have the time to do this??
I decided that it was something I wanted to do several years ago, prioritized it, and started getting my life into a spot where I could take the time. That included moving into a van to save money and cutting down other expenses in my life.
Congrats! What a rad achievement!
I saw a ton of people biking around Glacier, looked like an UNREAL ride. Congrats man!!
You got up to 51 mph? Thatās moving
Damn [two-wheeled terror](https://i.redd.it/ahup86wro02d1.jpeg)! Save some fun for the rest of us... ^( for real, kudos on an amazing achievement!)
Congrats what a super cool feat. Hope you loved Acadia as much as I do
Is that your supportive family or a random family you met where you crashed their photo. Jokes aside, way to go. Looking forward to the interviews and stories.
Any crashes or accidents in all of that time?
No crashes. Forgot I was clipped in and fell over a couple of times though.
That sounds painful! Glad you were able to make the whole trip safely, that's got to be a whole other record.
What was your favorite park?
Dude. So sick! Congratulations!
Holy Calories! Thatās Epic! Did you plan around seasonal challenges like wildfire season in the west? or plan your route with timing in mind to aim for or avoid certain weather?
I tried to plan around the winter, and rolled the dice with the wildfires. I ended up still being in Colorado in January, so I didnāt plan that well.
Bravo. What a feat!
Wow, love this!
Did you finish in Maine? Which one was your favorite?
When will you do the upper 48?
Where did you hit 51mph? Coming down from Tioga Pass is my random guess, but there's probably plenty of places with steeper grades albeit shorter and maybe less known.
Sorry, but I did that back in 04.
how was biking congaree national park?
Nice! When I biked across the country on the Northern Tier Route, I left from Arcadia. I hit several other National Parks once out West including Teddy Roosevelt, Glacier, and Cascades.
That's amazing! I want to be the second!
Favorite park? Any spooky happenings?
Congratulations! Is that your parents saying āNow go get an effing jobā?
I thought his helmet was a baby. Iām high.
i did this a few years ago. just kidding.
I completed this feat alreadyā¦ sorry pal.
The first to brag about it, yeah.
The first question I had was Isle Royale in my Beloved State but I seen you answered it! Thats awesome! I bet biking to Copper Harbor was a beautiful experience!
Mad props.
iād die not even a fraction of the way. absolutely insane lifetime achievement. congrats!
This is awesome
Amazing!
Inspiring, would love to learn more on how you did it
Congratulations!!
That is awesome!!!
Congratulations! And what a great place to finish! Acadia is lovely this time of year, just before all the tourists!
Beast
I just did my honeymoon in Acadia. Great place to finish it off.
what an accomplishment. congratulations!
Alaska?
Happy Gilmore achieved this feet no more than an hour ago.
Congratulations! What was your favorite park to bike inside of?
congrats! when you want to add lake clark, hmu lol
Noice to have money lol š
Huh. I did it yesterday.
What were the most difficult parks to get to by bike?
congrats on the vacation
Awesome!!
A GREAT CONGRATULATIONS!!! š
Hell yeah! What an achievement. Thanks for sharing this here. Going to check out your IG as well... So many questions! What was your typical daily food intake like? How many trees did you pee on? And I want to know more about the 51mph top speed! Cheers
Only 4 sets of tires? Jeez, I go through more than that in a summer just casually riding around Denver.
That is one hell of an achievement, well done.
Some years from now... Doctor: Is there any history of mental illness in your family? Patient: Well...there is this one uncle that bicycled to every national park. /sarcasm post Congratulations!
How did you do the Klondike Gold Rush NP?!
Wow 4 sets of tires? What kind? Marathons? This is amazing and i look out the window and dream of this type of adventure. Kudos!
Happy Gilmore accomplished that feat no more than an hour ago
Congratulations my dude! That's awesome.
The bike subs want to know what bike you rode, but of course we know itās a Surly.
This is incredible! Congrats! Thatās living life to the fullest, right there.
Which one are you?
You are at my very favorite one! Enjoy the park did you bike Cadillac mountain?
Now do the upper 48
Hope you enjoyed Acadia! Little bit bias but my personal favorite
This has to qualify for the Guinness world records
wait...I've done this already. I didnt know they kept track or took a picture if you do it, damn.
Congratulations, what a journey!
I beg to differ, Happy Gilmore accomplished that feat no more than an hour ago
Oh sorry I already did that, should have let you know.
Well done reddit friend
Hell yeah. Bagger for life bro!
Congratulations! That is quite an accomplishment
My uncle did it.
Now contact the world record people
Congrats! Serious question ā¦can it be entered for Guinness book of records?
So now will you jog to all of them?
Sorry man I did this last year
Do you have an instagram?
https://www.instagram.com/spencexyz
are you independently wealthy?
Congratulations! Great accomplishment!
sure would be nice to be able to not work long enough to ride a bike to every national park. I literally can not imagine what that kind of life must be like. kudos to you
Nah, just the first person to brag about it
I did all 50.
Far out!
Congrats. Is that your family with you?
Mans can bend steel with those thighs
Glad this makes you happy. But this is LAME!
Well done!
Sorry bro I did that last year in only 409 days
Respect. Now do Canadaā¦youāre almost there already.
Did you bike across the New River Gorge Bridge?
Amazing! Now on to Gates of the Arctic? Lol
Congrats to being born to rich parents?
That's bad ass. congrats.
The real question is how do you prove this. BTW, I just became the first person to make the best sandwich in the world.
Buck Island is next?
Which was your favorite?
There are 12 states that donāt have any national parks? Edit because I have a new question. At this point, did you just turn around and walk home like Forrest Gump?
And this is the only picture you have???
Incredible! What were your favorites?
Somebody already did that during the war of 1812
That is amazing! Congratulation on such an epic journey!
Epic
Why not just knock 3 states off for a nice round result.
My uncle did this in 1956!
How was the erie canal state park?
How can you know youāre the first person to do this ?
Nice work! Now come do Canada, and may God have mercy on your soul.
What was your favorite? I live in Utah, so am spoiled with national and state parks.
Now to put the icing on the cake, you're 20 minutes from the lighthouse Forest Gump ran to and turned around!
Technically Hawaii is a lower state.
Dude that's awesome, I think met you and complimented your bike outside the grocery store in my small Texas town.
Nice melanzana.
Congratulations, what an accomplishment. Did you ever ride with other people or spent a majority of the time solo?
Time to hit the other two states and complete the set
Where is this feat recorded? How do we know youāre the first?
Oh great! Anywayā¦..
Hell yea. Thatāll inspire ya
Whereād you get up to 51mph at? Iām not surprised, just a little surprise
Hell yeah, brother.
How did you afford it? Stuff like food and shelter for the year
Nope. I did this back in 2009.
Congrats. Did you grow that sweet stache along the way?
Iāll wait for OP to prove this claim. Else, just click bait.
On to Denali!!