Both Frogma's blog and Paddling.net have been carrying items recently about Renata's Chlumski's incredible voyage around the mainland US states. Truely this woman is on yet another amazing adventure. A few years ago she met her late friend Goran Kropp in Kathmandu, after he had peddled his bike from Sweden to Mt Everest. She worked as his base camp crew as he summited after which they then returned home across Russia on their bicycles.
I suppose she has a support team helping in this present endeavour to enable her to carry on month after month on her present odyssey. It seems most big expeditions these days require support teams of some sort or another. Insurance companies demand it, families insist on it and even governments require some guarantee they won't be called in for a rescue operation.
Does this take away from the accomplishment? In a way it does. There is nothing quite like knowing you are paddling off the edge of the world into adventure and will only return months later with found treasures surprising the world with what you've done. Those days are gone, perhaps sadly for would-be future explorers. Still these voyages stir the hearts of many and no one can take away the feeling of accomplishment for the finisher.
I suspect that Renata will be biking as she passes through my area, but I hope to get out to cheer her on. It will be a cheer for all those out there pushing their limits discovering who they really are and what life is all about.
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