The True Definition of Adventure: Kinda.

Words and images by Simon Garant

After biking the 571 miles of the Three Ranges in Cowboy Country Route, a gravel/all-road route through Montana and Wyoming featuring heroic climbs, Simon Garant shares a part of his adventure in the Pryor Mountains. 

It's getting dark and wet. I have been pushing my bike and my 50 pounds of gear for the last 6 hours over 18 miles and 6000 feet in the Pryor Mountains, Montana. I would dispute the panel at the entrance of the trail saying: “4x4 recommended.” “4x4 needed” seems more accurate. 

I left knowing very little about Montana. As soon as I started pedaling, I realized it was exactly what I was expecting. Extensive dirt roads, wide-ranging spaces, heatwaves and rain, breathtaking climbs; the ideal setting for an epic adventure. 

A couple years have passed since I first introduced myself to bikepacking. At that time, I flew to Seattle on the first snowy day of the year with a brand-new bike and gear. I had never even used a clip-in pedal before. The 1800 miles ahead of me to the Mexican border were sure to reserve a challenging journey soloing along the coast. Now, more experienced, I feel safe hiking my bike up this old road, far away from any living human, but I do wonder what I'm doing here in the middle of the night, still searching for the Pen's cabin. I thought it would be a bikepacking trip, meaning pedaling from beginning to end. Maybe that's why I have the strange impression this trip in cowboy country just turned into an adventure. 

I recall adventure cameraman Keith Partridge's definition of adventure in an interview my team and I did during the Adventure Filmmakers' Workshop at the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival in 2013. "The true definition of adventure is embarking on a journey that has an uncertain outcome. Well, isn't that what creativity is all about? Creativity exists to take you somewhere that you never thought you could actually go to.” 

Still pushing my bike. I can't be unhappy to be here, but shoot, it's not easy! It's beyond tough. I wonder if I should have taken so much time for breakfast in that sketchy restaurant this morning, rather than eating my usual oatmeal to stay on schedule? Should I have restrained my ambition for today's itinerary and ended the day before sunset? Do we need to suffer to call it an adventure? Would it make it less interesting if, in the story, the main character didn't face any struggle, loneliness, or back pain? As a storyteller, I do think the main character needs to face challenges, but in the present situation, as the protagonist, I might beg to differ.

It's been at least 2 hours since I've seen one of the rare wild horses roaming and still living in these mountains. Now, I can't see anything, at all. In fact, looking at my GPS I realize that I passed the cabin I was looking for. There is no way I'm going to push back. The next and only cabin is a mile away on the trail, so I keep moving forward. Yes, I could stop and set up my tent, but if you knew me, you would know that when I set a goal, I tend to respect it. Tonight, I was sleeping in that cabin! And please, don't ask me why I didn't take the time to grab my headlamp at the bottom of my bag. I'll find the place soon enough, even though I've been looking for it for hours. Note to self: on the next trip, always keep the headlamp at the top of the bag. 

The same year we interviewed Keith, two Norwegian teenagers won the Grand Prize at the Festival. “North of the sun” is their story of building a cabin with garbage found on the beach with the goal of spending the next 9 months surfing in the dark winter of Lofoten. The everydayness of their story made me realize that there is not one unique definition of adventure. You don't need to travel miles and miles for your trip to qualify as a "true" adventure. The way you decide to experience it and tell it is what makes it an adventure. Still today, their story speaks to me. 

Yet for this Montana trip, I decided to travel many miles. On my bike, on my feet and now on my butt, as I'm sliding down what seems to be a muddy hill (remember, my headlamp is in my bag). My path finishes at the door of this family-owned cabin. Amazingly, I found it! They call it the Krueger cabin. I would call it the "thousands of dead flies’ cabin" and I'm sleeping here tonight! All I have to do is brush the hundreds of flies off the bed and I'll be flying off to my dreams. 

I'm always looking for a story to tell. Pushing my pedals brings me to a place where my creative mind moves as fast as my wheels. Because everything can become a story, everything can become an adventure. As Sharon Wood, the first Canadian woman to climb Mount Everest said: “Believe and begin.” 

It is now the morning of the eighth day, eating my oatmeal sprinkled with dried flies' wings. I know I'll be sleeping in Billings tonight. 100 miles of gravel roads separate me from my goal, including 20 walking down the Pryor Mountains. Halfway, I'll stop at the car wash, to rehydrate the dry mud stuck in every crevice of my bike while smiling.

Play outside. Come back with stories. Adventures are only real when shared.

Find out more about Simon:
Instagram: @simongarant
Website: simongarant.com
Vimeo: vimeo.com/sgpreroll