MAKING MEMORIES

Kevin and I initially met in the Marines. We have been riding together for a few years, and riding BDRs the entire time. Our first attempt at a BDR was in Utah, where we were completely unprepared and significantly ignorant of our capabilities. It led to some interesting moments conquering Lockhart Basin where we developed our backcountry motto: “Less Gear and More Water.” We document our rides on our YouTube channel, “Be Gone for Good.”

- Chad Christensen

After Utah,we chose to tackle the Mid-Atlantic BDR to have a slightly easier, less-likely-to-kill-us trip through an area we already knew relatively well. Unfortunately, the day before launch, Kevin slid off the road and found himself nursing broken ribs.

Fast forward to our next trip. The adventure gods must have been smiling upon us as the folks at Backcountry Discovery Routes released the PA Wilds BDR-X that same year. It seemed like a match made in heaven as we were already committed to presenting at Overland Expo East. We could finish there and tack on a great little loop through Pennsylvania before heading home.

Our plan was a seven-day whirlwind that included camping, presenting, meeting people, videoing, and everything else we imagined an adventure encompassing. We decided to meet at Overland Expo East where, oddly enough, one of the classes we taught was “How I Pack My Adventure Bike,” something anyone who saw my motorcycle could tell you isn’t my strongest skill.

From there, we were off to the beginning of the BDR-X—for us in State College, Pennsylvania—with a stop along the way at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville. We try to incorporate history lessons or meaningful locations into our trips. As Marines who served through the War on Terrorism, the site of a 9/11 memorial was a solemn and deeply reflective moment. It was also a major factor in how we viewed the rest of the trip as we took time to acknowledge how lucky we were to ride this route.