Episode 67 – Katrina Hase

Bikepacking the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

Want to know what it’s like to go bikepacking on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route? Well in this episode guest Katrina Hase shares her stories and experiences of doing just that.

In 2023 Katrina decided to take on the goal of riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route as a way of celebrating both her 50th birthday as well as 10 years of sobriety. She had discovered the sport of mountain biking later in life – joining in with her son who had taken it up and school, and it didn’t take too long before she was hooked. Those family rides quickly turned into her being totally immersed in the community, and Katrina especially loved the feeling of overcoming challenges, as her skill levels progressed.

It was the decision to buy a gravel bike that opened up the world of bikepacking to Katrina. She could put gear on it and go on a real adventure. She’d spend a few months waiting for the bike to be ready for pickup and dove headfirst into the bikepacking world, researching routes, watching bikepacking videos from other people sharing their experiences and very quickly learnt about the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. From there the goal was set – this was something she would need to take on for herself.

Before she knew it she was at the start line of the route in Banff, Canada, waving goodbye to her family, and the realisation that this bike and her skills where what she would need to rely on to get her all the way to Antelope Wells, on the Mexican border. A real adventure lay ahead of her and those first moments of fear quickly washed away as she started pedalling on the route.

This was a solo journey Journey for Katrina, but the highlights of the trip for Katrina were overwhelmingly the people she met and befriended along the way.  I really got the sense of the value of community which Katrina spoke about and those encounters at the Lama Ranch, Brush Mountain Lodge as well as the kindness of strangers were the real highlights. Having her friend Traci join her for some of this journey was also very impactful for Katrina as well.

To follow Katrina’s future adventures check her out on Youtube – @katrinahase and also Instagram – @birdsnbikesnballet

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The Seek Travel Ride podcast