Spiritual Cyclist Faces Fear; Goes the Distance.

Aden Dohn, 24, cycled into Albuquerque, New Mexico this week, after riding over 3,000 miles to get here. Departing from his hometown of Missoula, Montana in mid-September, Aden and his friend Connor Seidenschwarz, 22, pedaled alongside the Pacific Coast Highway for three life-changing months. As one might imagine, their unconventional tour led to several adventurous encounters as they coasted from Portland to San Francisco to Los Angeles to San Diego. Wherever they went they lived among friendly strangers, stranger friends, and flocked with fellow cyclists.

Completing their west coast circuit in December, Connor returned home to prepare for spring semester, leaving Aden to navigate an east-bound journey alone. After a few weeks of quiet contemplation at a Buddhist monastery, Aden pressed forward, crossing over mountains and pedaling across the Arizona desert. Two winter months of silent cycling brought Aden into the shadows of the Sandia Mountains, where I hosted him while he stayed and discussed the details of his expedition and the motivations behind it.

Inspired by the teachings of Buddha, Aden undertook this journey because it appealed to his spiritual nature. “I wanted to confront a fear of the unknown,” Aden said. “Being a stranger everywhere I went, I didn’t know where I was going to sleep, how I was going to eat, or how I would get by in the world without much money. I stopped worrying about these things and, look, I’m still surviving.”

Traveling the road seemed to be the perfect opportunity for him to define his personal beliefs, disconnect from desire, and to study the direct relationship between all things. “I’ve had to learn about the idea that is my ‘self’ and set that aside in order to observe the true nature of reality. Cycling has become an unconventional expression of my no-self and that’s what keeps me going. It allows me to practice my presence,” he said.

For the most part, Aden has stayed with friends, friends of friends, and extended family. In some cases, altruistic strangers have offered to host him and churches have given him shelter. He found other dependable lodgings by using online resources such as couchsurfing.org and warmshowers.org. There are nights when Aden has preferred to lay out his bed-roll beneath the stars, sleeping in parks or at camping grounds.

“I’ve become more aware of the kindness in people. Compassion for one another is what makes the world worthwhile but, it’s so easy to forget that people want to do good and they’re willing to help. In this modern age, what’s stranger than kindness? People have been there to catch and encourage me as I go and I am grateful for that.”

Aden is a self-described “Free-gan,” a Vegan that bends the rules and eats foods that are given to him, barring meat of course. While traveling with Connor, they carried a portable stove and were able to cook warm meals, but since then Aden has mainly subsisted on dry foods high in carbs: oats, peanut-butter, flax seed, crackers, raw fruits and veggies. Sometimes he’s gone behind grocery stores to investigate what gets thrown out. “I’ve found trash bags filled with day-old donuts and bruised fruit,” Aden said. “So much good food gets wasted, but what’s worse is when they use compactors to discourage scavengers.”

When he left Missoula, Aden had not given much thought to the approaching winter ahead and was surprised that the weather could be so cold this far south. He’s adapted to the seasonal elements by efficient layering and keeping the body in motion, though at time he’s had to abandon the road and retreat into warm public places such as libraries and department stores.

As the air warms to spring, Aden fathoms the road ahead. “I have a longing to return to Missoula,” he muses. This has been an incredible journey, so far, and no drifter ever really wants to stop traveling. They want to see just how far they can go. But the calling comes for most drifters to return home and apply the lessons they learned on the road to their personal lives. Being able to take the energy flow behind such a sustained effort like this and direct towards a positive goal is imperative to leading a successful life. Through feats like these do we find the strength and learn how to faithfully live our passions.