Choose the Bear Tour

In May of 2026, I left on a 72-day cycling and storytelling trip across Michigan to advocate for women’s safety and autonomy.

I zigzagged slowly across the state, camped each night in my tent, and cooked over a fire. Every few days, I stopped and interviewed frontline workers about gender-based violence, domestic abuse, and financial abuse. I am forever grateful to the survivors and advocates who shared their stories with so much courage and compassion.

The Choose the Bear Tour was envisioned and supported by orsa credit union: a for-impact, Michigan-based credit union that invests in “women and those who love them.”

You can read all my blogs and interview transcripts from the journey here.

Priya Mann covered the journey for Chanel 4.

Route

I began on May 12 at the Houghton airport on the Keweenaw Peninsula. From there, I criss-crossed the Upper Peninsula to Sault Ste. Marie, then headed south to Petoskey. I made stops in Gaylord, Alpena, and Lansing, before the journey finale in Detroit.

The trip ended on July 23 at the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic And Sexual Violence Conference back in Lansing.

Route Planning

Before leaving, I researched routes across Michigan and downloaded these ones to Ride with GPS:

Bikepacking Roots Northwoods Route

Iron Belle Trail

Michigan Off-Road Expedition

I also used Ride with GPS to create a range of alternate routes. Once I was on the road, I spliced the routes together day by day. I also made up new routes along the way.

The final route was a mix of pavement, gravel, rail trails, and doubletrack.

Trip Logistics

This was a dynamic journey where I had to balance biking, camping, route logistics, weather, interviews, research, workflow, and my own physical and emotional wellbeing while immersed in difficult content.

I managed this by planning enormous time cushions between each stop. This journey was not about mileage—it was a slow commute between different points. I focused on authentic engagement with the subject matter, and gave myself time and space to think and process.

In full transparency: the logistics of travel were very easy, but the content was not. This was an extremely difficult journey.

Camping, Food, Water

I used my legacy Gaia GPS account to search for state campgrounds and public lands. In the Upper Peninsula and most of northern Michigan, it was very easy to find free dispersed camping on public lands.

I filtered water from rivers or filled up at gas stations. I purchased food in small towns and gas stations along the ride.

*Camping on public lands in northern Michigan. My whole body is protected from insects by rain gear and a head net.*

Landscapes and Environment

The Choose the Bear Tour took me through Michigan’s beautiful forests, towns, and along glittering shorelines. In May, there were patches of snow on the ground and nighttime temperatures dipped into the twenties By the end of the ride, temperatures were in the high nineties and the pavement was bubbling.

The biggest environmental challenges were sand, flooding, and bugs. Some sections of the M.O.R.E route were too sandy to ride. There were a few places where I had to wade through flooded sections. Once, the water was too deep and I re-routed.

During most of June, mosquitos and black flies formed thick clouds. I learned to keep my body covered from head to toe and wore a head net.

Work

I worked from my tent, libraries, or coffee shops along the way. This was my first time carrying a computer on a bike trip! Even though I camped most nights, I spent time in towns to keep the computer charged.

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*Cooking over my trusty twig stove in Michigan. I love the quiet magic of cooking on fire.*

Choose the Bear Tour Gear List

BIKE AND ACCESSORIES:

Kona Sutra LTDThank you Kona for donating this bike! It is being re-gifted to a Michigan-based survivor.

Old Man Mountain Divide Rack My favorite rack! It can carry anything!

FIFTY-FIFTY Mountain Bike Pedals, Non-Slip MTB Nylon Composite, 9/16" Bicycle Pedals

Terry Butterfly Century Saddle Terry makes women-specific bike saddles.

2 Widefoot Mega Fork Racks First time using these and I Ioved them.

2 voile 15 inch straps for Mega Fork Racks

Smith Persist Mips Bike Helmet

Design Out Front Bike Mount

BIKE BAGS:

Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic Panniers

Custom Bedrock Frame Bag This brand is now called Venture Handmade.

Sea to Summit Dry Sil Bags to Line Frame Bag

Revelate Designs Mag Tank 2000

Revelate Designs Harness My favorite harness—works great with the Egress.

Revelate Designs Egress Pocket

Osprey Ultralight 20L Dry Stuff Pack

CAMPING/SLEEPING:

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Bikepack Tent A great ultralight tent.

Thermarest NeoAir XLite NXT Sleeping Pad

Big Agnes Daisy Mae 0 Degree Sleeping Bag

BioLIte 750 Headlamp This headlamp has a front and rear light, so it doubles as my back bike light when it gets dark. This headlamp is susceptible to breaking (mine is duct taped together but still works.)

Bear Spray

COOKING, FOOD, WATER:

Solo Stove Lite My favorite tiny twig stove!

Solo Stove 900 Pot

2 lighters (I always carry a spare!)

Titanium Long Handled Spoon

Montbell Alpine .5 Liter Thermos I never go anywhere without this thermos.

2 Nalgene HDPE Wide Mouth Lightweight Water Bottles, 1.5 liter

Platypus Quickdraw 1 liter filter, connector cap, and bag

Ursack Major Bear Resistant Sack, XL 15 Liter Capacity

1 Small Carabiner (for tying ursack)

Small folding knife

CLOTHING:

(This is the full list, including cold-weather items I mailed home in June.)

FEET:

Bedrock Cairn Adventure SandalsMost similar version is now called Cairn Evo. I use these for camping and warm-weather riding.

Five Ten Trailcross LT Mountain Bike Shoes As a person with a wide toebox, these shoes were a delightful success. Very comfy and never squished my toes!

Merino Riding Socks (2)

Wool Sleeping Socks

HANDS:

Cycling Gloves

Showers Pass Crosspoint Waterproof Gloves I’ve been using these for years and Iove them as a water-resistant midweight glove. In my experience they are not truly waterproof, so I also carry another waterproof layer.

Waterproof Insulated Gloves

HEAD:

1 Wild Rye Pungo Cap

1 Wool Hat

1 Insect Head Net

1 Sunglasses

1 Neck Warmer

RAIN GEAR:

1 Showers Pass Refuge Jacket

1 Showers Pass Transit Rain Pants

4 Grocery Bag Liners (extra waterproofing for hands or feet)

TOPS AND BOTTOMS:

1 Terry Bike Shorts Wayfarer 7 Inch Inseam

1 Curious Creatures Women's Vulvarine Chamois 7 Inch Inseam

1 Choose The Bear Tour Jersey

1 Spandex Riding Tights

1 Short Sleeve Riding Shirt

1 Outdoor Research Echo Sun Hoodie My favorite lightweight sun hoodie.

1 VOORMI Long Sleeve Merino Blend Baselayer

1 Jack Wolfskin Midweight Hooded Fleece

1 Midweight Down Jacket

1 Down Pants

2 Bras and Underwear

1 Lightweight Fleece Pajama Pants

1 Camp Shorts

1 Town Shorts

1 loose Camp/Town/Riding Pants

1 Choose The Bear camp/town t-shirt (I hemmed mine for a cropped fit.)

1 Choose The Bear long sleeve camp/town lightweight hoodie (I hemmed mine for a cropped fit.)

COMMUNICATIONS:

IPhone 15

Supershielz Screen Protector

Peak Design Case

MInt Mobile Chip (Tmobile)

Visible Chip (Verizon)

MacBook Air 13 Inch Laptop

Hard Laptop Sleeve Case This actually worked great!

Bluetooth Headphones

E-reader

3 in 1 Universal USB Adapter

USB Type C to USB Type A adapter

Sennheiser Pro Audio Condenser Microphone, XS Lav USB-C A handy portable mic that I used for podcasts.

1 165W 6-Port Hub Wall Charger This was a work-focused trip with lots of electronics, so I needed this large wall charger. The long cord was key for use at random outlets.

Assorted High Speed Charging Cables

2 INIU Portable 45W Fast Charging Power Bank, 10000mAh

Phone Mount Adapter For Tripod

CAMERA AND ACCESSORIES:

Fuji X100V

Padded Camera Case

Extra SD Cards

Kodak 42" Portable Tripod

INSTA 360 ACTION CAMERA AND ACCESSORIES:

Insta 360 x4 with Lens Guard and Soft Travel Case

Extra Micro SD Card

Insta 360 Bike Tail Mount Kit