ASHLAND — Adam Kime didn’t celebrate when he and his 16-year-old son, Everett, reached Mile Marker Zero in Washington, D.C., after biking nearly 325 miles.
Instead, Adam got off his bike and hugged Everett.
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you,” Adam said.
Six days of riding from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., became much more than a requirement for Everett’s Trail Life Freedom Award.
Somewhere between fallen trees, wildfire smoke, July heat and long conversations on the trail, a father watched his son become the kind of young man every parent hopes to raise.
The father and son spent months planning the 324.63-mile ride. They passed through The Great Allegheny Passage and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath over six days in July. Everett’s mom, Laura, his sister, Tegan and their dog, Gatsby, followed in a vehicle and met them at each campsite.
Adam had another reason for making the trip, he wanted to spend time with his son.
“My motivation for this particular trip was just to witness the kind of man that my son is becoming,” he said.
The bike trip fulfilled one of several “Freedom Experiences” Everett must complete before earning the Trail Life Freedom Award — Trail Life’s highest, most prestigious award. The award also requires leadership projects, community service and spiritual development.
Trail Life helps boys and young men develop leadership skills through hands-on outdoor experiences.
Obstacles along the trail
The ride wasn’t without challenges. The first day they experienced heat, wildfire smoke around Pittsburgh and fallen trees that forced Adam and Everett to lift their loaded bicycles over obstacles.
“For me, the first day was the hardest,” Adam said. “It takes a couple days to develop the mental stamina to be on your bike that long.”
Everett also watched one of his pannier bags fall down a steep ravine.
After searching unsuccessfully for several minutes, they tied a paracord around Everett’s waist so he could climb down and retrieve it.
“At one point Everett looked at me and said, ‘We make a good team,'” Adam said. “As a dad, I tried to anticipate possible problems, and Everett did a great job of saying, ‘We can solve those problems. Let’s keep pedaling.'”
Neither remembers the obstacles as much as they remember the conversations between them.
“I got to know my dad on a more personal and different level than I had seen him before,” Everett said. “I was really excited to get on my bike and talk with him every day that we rode.”
The miles tested their legs, but the father-son duo learned how to balance each other on the trail.
Adam provided patience and perspective. Everett brought the energy to keep moving.
“I was the brake pedal, and he was the gas,” Adam said.
A ride worth the distance
The challenges of the trip only strengthened Everett to keep exploring.
“I told my dad on the drive home that I’d do it all over again,” Everett said.
The Kimes family spent only about 20 minutes in Washington, D.C. after reaching Mile Marker Zero. They had just enough time to take in the accomplishment and beat the parking meter before starting the drive home.
Adam and Everett thank their family, Laura, Tegan and Gatsby for serving as their support crew, along with their Trail Life troop, OH-2456. They also thanked Tony Bunt of Ashland Bike Company who helped prepare them with bikes and advice before the journey.
Everett said the trip showed him that challenges are part of any journey, but they don’t have to stop you.
“You need to enjoy the experience too,” Everett said. “If you spend the whole time worrying about problems, you’ll get done and realize that you didn’t actually enjoy it at all.”
