This
week we’ll address the question, How
do I get started?
I
would like to share a little story.
This is a bit of history.
Bear with me, it’s relevant.
Think
back to the era when the American continent was being explored. Do you remember that a lot of those
stories were about disasters?
Expeditions that never came back.
Starvations and privations.
People wandering around in the wilderness for half of forever before
being rescued. Does any of that
ring a bell?
Well, here’s an alternate story. In 1670 the Hudson’s Bay Company was chartered. This company still exists, in a greatly
modified form, today. They
explored most of what is now Canada, and did it very successfully. They opened trading routes, established
frontier outposts, and did all of this with a great deal of success.
One
of the key factors in that success was the “Hudson’s Bay Start.” It went a bit like this. When an expedition was being planned
and mounted, all the provisions would be gathered, along with all the canoes
and all the people. Everything
would be loaded up, and then the group would set off. But they would not go far! The first camp was merely a “pull out,” frequently still in
sight of the fort. Then the
expedition would have a meeting.
Were they overloaded? Were
they carrying things that were not needed? Was something missing that was needed. Did
everyone understand their duties? In
this way, if serious deficiencies were noted, the expedition could turn back
and correct the problems before becoming irrevocably committed.
Back
when I started doing tour type riding, I could have used that advice. Instead, I got in over my head more
than once. I thought I was doing good planning and preparation. I took off with overloaded,
under-prepared bikes, determined to do a journey that was too long and too hard
for my condition and equipment.
This makes for good stories, but bad experiences.
The
moral of the story is simple. Don’t
tackle the big stuff at the beginning.
Do your learning (and make your mistakes) close to home! You’ll learn to improvise and adapt,
but it’s a lot easier to learn the
big lessons and still be able to bail out.
To be
continued…
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