Cross-country bike trek ends in Bar Harbor

ELLSWORTH – Often the reward for completion of any challenge is relaxation or a little indulgence in something that does not involve stress or hardship.

For two recent Unity College graduates, however, the reward for completing their studies was not relaxation or comfort. It was a 4,200-mile bicycle trip across the United States.

Kristen Hewitt, 23, of Penobscot and Andy Brower, 21, of Petoskey, Mich., on Monday completed a cross-country bicycle trek from Washington state to Bar Harbor, dipping their wheels in the Atlantic Ocean upon their arrival.

They said Thursday that the two-month trip from Anacortes, Wash., to Maine included rain, heat, arduous uphill climbs through mountain passes, and encounters with people they’ll remember the rest of their lives.

Brower said the trip was inspired by Unity’s athletic director, who about 15 years ago biked across the country with his wife. Brower said he started thinking about doing the same thing after seeing a slide show about that trip at the college.

“I came to Kristen and I said, ‘We should do this,'” Brower said.

“And I said no,” Hewitt said in quick response.

Hewitt eventually was convinced, however, and after their graduation last December, they bought bicycles and gear and spent three months planning their trek.

They got a ride out West with Brower’s parents and, on June 25, started pedaling east after dipping their bike tires in the Pacific.

The duo said that, despite their intentions, they didn’t really train for the task that lay ahead. They previously had biked as far as 25 miles without equipment and supplies, they said, but quickly found themselves biking uphill into the Cascade Mountain Range, each with 60 pounds of gear strapped onto their 20-pound bicycles.

After they made it through the first 5,000-foot elevation pass, they knew they could make it to Maine, they said.

“It was more nerves than anything,” Hewitt said. “You can do anything if you set your mind to it.”

They tried to avoid spending money along the way by meeting people who would let them camp on their property, and often established quick friendships with their hosts.

In Toledo, Ohio, they ended up borrowing a host’s car so they could spend the day at a nearby amusement park. In Montana they herded cows with four-wheelers after a woman invited them to her farm for breakfast.

“The way people trusted us was really inspiring,” Brower said.

Some parts of the trip were less enjoyable, they said, such as when they had to pedal in the rain or in 100-degree heat through treeless landscapes.

In Washington state, Hewitt’s bike was slightly damaged when she was struck by a slow-moving truck.

They received a welcome reception on Monday, however, when their families surprised them on Route 3 in Bar Harbor and decorated their bicycles for the final few miles of the trip.

Now that their trip is over, they are looking for jobs and hoping to pay off some of their bills. Whether more bike trips are in their future remains to be seen.

“I’m trying to talk her into doing another one down the line,” Brower said.

“We’ll see,” Hewitt said with a grin.