O&S: Can you give us an overview of the trip?
Elizabeth: We biked from Lisbon, Portugal up to Vigo, Spain (about 330 miles). After arriving in Vigo, we met up with our friends and sisters to trade out our two wheels for one-- an all-terrain wheelchair. Together, we pushed our friend and hiked alongside our sisters the remaining 60 miles to Santiago de Compostela. This trip had a huge emphasis on connection with others and overcoming the fears that may hold us back!
O&S: Where did the trip idea originate?
Abigail: Four years ago, Elizabeth watched a documentary called "I'll Push You" that captures a Camino journey of two best friends and one of them pushing the other in a wheelchair the entire way. With the idea of doing this trail with all-terrain wheelchairs, we immediately knew that our friend, Kimmy, needed to come. Because we both tend towards being really full-send folks that really love adventure, we decided to make the most of our remote jobs and be spanish-bikepacking-digital-nomad gals.
O&S: There’s obviously a number of locations this trip could have taken place, what made you land on the El Camino?
Elizabeth: El Camino has a really unique atmosphere to it. People often come to process deep grief, understand their spirituality, or contemplatively orient themselves in their life. We felt oddly drawn to the "spirit of the Camino" (as the fellow pilgrims say). Additionally, the Camino gives a lot of the joy and pleasure of backcountry experiences alongside the commodities of warm showers and clean beds at night. This was an ideal combination for Kimmy, who loves adventure, but needs ADA accessible accommodations!
O&S: Adventures like this often seem to be a careful balance of adventure, pain, and enjoyment. Do you think that you perfected this balance, or will you be adjusting for future trips?
Elizabeth: Personally, I don't know that this balance is ever perfected - and I think that is part of the joy of continuing to find new adventures! This trip was so multi-layered, that it feels really hard to boil down the pain separate from the enjoyment. In many ways, the pain of so many miles pedaling is what made the enjoyment of good food and good company worth it.
Abigail: The beauty of an adventure like this is that one may perfectly plan to have the right amount of both, and yet there are always pieces of the puzzle that are out of your control. I believe deciding who you're bringing along is far more important than finding that balance of pain and enjoyment. As important as it is to find someone who is willing and able to keep up, the key to a great trip is a great teammate. E was that perfect balance as we navigated expectations versus outcomes and the love and support that we held for one another carried us safely to Spain. I would echo the same for our hiking portion of the trip. Our group of ladies are so strong, confident and absolutely hilarious. Adventure ceases to exist when everything is taken too seriously.
O&S: How important was it for you to make this more than just a bikepacking trip?
Abigail and Elizabeth: The "more than a bikepacking trip" was really what made it all worth it. It allowed us to expand our worlds, while expanding the realm of possibilities for others as well. This was the first time Kimmy ever left the country (and swam in the ocean!) We love to adventure, but we love to adventure with a purpose! Adventure can occur in ways that don't just enrich our lives, but bring new folds of beauty from the rest of the world as well. At the end of the day, adventure + connection + challenge + good people .... now that is what makes a trip!
