In this episode Adrian Braaksma describes:
White water rafting with young kids in the Yukon
Avalanche monitoring and guiding
Easing kids into adventure so as not to put the kids off at an early age
Making everything fun and ease the pressure (turn a 5 day walk into 7)
Make it more about the journey, not the destination
Bob Trailer
Chariot
Cars giving them a wide-berth due to the buggy
Two week tester
Culling gear
The essentials
You don’t need a lot
Food is the bulk of the gear
Peanut butter, nuts and raisins
Dry clothing at the end of the day
Hardening to the conditions and living outdoors
Hills and backroads
Getting excited about helping each other
The worst day
Looking after a remote lodge
Starting the North Island at the end of the winter
Learning on the road
Learning the geography first-hand
Connecting with each community
Things you miss
Keeping in touch with friends
Relating to adults
Avoiding burn-out (no downtime)
Like doing a 10 day trip one after another
Pre-plan as much as you can and modify with weather and COVID
Take three tents so you could have time-out
Campsites, cabins and random free-camping
8-10 punctures in one day
20in tyres have many more revolutions than bigger tyres
Lost a couple of steering heads and cranks
Cycle shorts (fat nappies) a must
The gear (20L dry bag) Older kids carried 26L paniers
Carrying up to 20L+ of water on some days
Needing a water filter
90% of route was gravel road or trail
Taking the long route to stay on trails
NZ is a big place and a small place all at once
How would you do it different
Putting bikes on planes
Alaska, Nepal and seeing sloths in South America
Missions closer to home
So many options in the world
Seeing glaciers carving
Stand out features
Best activities
Hot water beach in Coromandel
Getting a lift on a jet boat
Planning for a trip like this
Better to buy a cheaper, bigger tent so that it lasts
Ulcers and muscle cramps due to porridge noodles and wraps (where’s your veggies and meat)
Multivitamins as fruit and veg not always available
Dream food
A couple of weeks to adjust back
The bikes lasting
Camping in a sand storm
Essentials (disc brakes due to buckles, good gearing)
Regular bike maintenance
Homeschooling by correspondence (almost 3 banana boxes)
Laptop mainly for homeschooling
Getting reception
InReach satellite-text device
Snow storms and wind storms blowing bikes over tents
Riding in the dark
When a river runs through your tent
Teddy out the pram moments being amplified by being tired
Next trips
The same amount of packing required for 5 days as 10
5 sets of gear to tidy up
The benefits of stringing trips together
The kids in charge of their own gear and food
Building the kids’ confidence
Bikepacking 4000km with a family of 5 across New Zealand