Through the Doldrums

Elapsed time: 60 d 04 h 24 m; Distance travelled 11915.00 km (7403.64 mi)

It’s day 60 and Central America is in the rearview mirror as Ashleigh is well into the second half of her record-breaking ride! 

She’s crossed five international borders since our last check in, having covered Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. She rolled through these countries quickly, but Central America’s geography ensured that the thirteen days she spent there were full of excitement.

Guatemala kicked off this leg of the ride with heat, humidity, and hills. Punchy climbs led her through seemingly endless Chiquita banana fields and by a lot of tempting hammock hangs. Filtering by what she estimated to be five kilometres (three miles) of traffic lined up behind an overturned transport truck, she entered Honduras via the shortest of its three land borders. 

Honduras’ mountain-bound geography offered a distinct cultural shift from Guatemala. Something that stood out starkly was the presence of armed security guards at every gas station. She kept the days relatively short through Honduras, opting to get off the road before dark and not passing up on safe accommodations, as wild camping was not an option - “around here, you don’t wild camp - you don’t stay out at night” she says in her audio diary.

The middle section of any journey can often feel like a lull as the excitement of starting gives way to the reality of continuing; major milestones, like getting to the final continent of the journey, are quite literally miles away, and progress can be hard to recognize as the end goal doesn’t seem to grow closer. In the same audio diary recording, Ashleigh describes an off-putting encounter with a man catcalling her, and feeling unsafe for the first time in her journey. As she talks through the experience, she starts to reflect on everything that she’s missing back home, including her first wedding anniversary with Dérik. 

“I’m looking forward to getting out of here, moving on, because it feels like…”

There’s a palpable pause and a heavy silence before the emotion breaks in her voice. She lets her feelings free for a moment, and then as quickly as the emotions came out, she’s talking herself back into the resolved state of mind that’s gotten her this far.

“But it’s okay because we’ll celebrate at the end and yeah, it’s just massive highs and massive lows, and this is a low point. So, I’ll be okay. It’ll work itself out - just gotta keep rolling. I guess it’s hard to stop and kind of get comfortable somewhere and then need to leave again… I can’t [stop this], I won’t. But it’s just f-ing hard, you know?”

The increasing darkness and need for safety aren’t the only factors that eroded away at her rideable time each day. As Ashleigh rode through Central America, she was also riding through the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The ITCZ is a shifting band around the equator where air masses meet, and the resulting atmospheric instability creates the wet weather of the rainy season. Her pedalling patterns were marked by the region’s characteristic afternoon storms, and she was frequently taking shelter at gas stations as she waited for the worst of the rain to pass.

The ITCZ is moving south as the Southern Hemisphere warms, but Ashleigh is moving faster; yesterday she reached her Central America exit point in Panama City. While the Isthmus of Panama landmass does connect Panama to Colombia, the area, known as the Darién Gap, is completely devoid of roads and interrupts the Pan-American Highway. To get through this gap, Ashleigh boxed up her bike and took a flight from Panama City, Panama to Cartagena, Colombia. 

Arriving in South America represents a huge shift in morale. Landing in Colombia, she not only has a chance at reprieve from the wettest of the weather, she’s also due to cross the equator soon and the days will begin to get longer. “Let’s count down from 10 100 km instead of up, OK?”.

And through South America she goes!

-Aryn

Supported by: 

Augustine House Society; Arkel Bike Bags; Fluent Frameworks; Long Alley Bicycles; Anytime Fitness Halifax; Acadia Sport Therapy; Showerspass; Night of Adventure; Ridleys' Cycle; Fauna Components

Every person who's donated through the Go Fund Me page! 

A strong support system: friends, family, and the outdoor community in Halifax.