Better to be innocent instead of freaked out?

[Crankin]

I think you can attribute her zeal and general lack of understanding to youth... and maybe lack of really understanding the geography of Canada.
I like to overplan every bit of a cycling route, whether it's a day ride or a multi day one. It's not that I don't stop and smell the roses (I do), but I feel uncomfortable with the unknown when riding, so I try to do a lot of preparation up front. I always end up enjoying most of what I've planned, but there have been a few times on supported tours where I think, "I would not have taken people through this intersection, road," etc. This attitude has bode well for being a group ride leader, as I obsessively think about safety and all of this when planning local routes. I know this is different than a tour, and I would not, ever go off and ride across any country (even a small one) on my own, but generally I think there are people who do stuff like this all of the time, and others who don't.

[OakLeaf]

I think the only thing she MIGHT not have down is access to food and water once she starts getting further west. If she's mentally okay with being away from home for such a long period of time, there really isn't anything physically different about that, than about being out for a week or two. After the first four days your body's in shape for the mileage, particularly at her age. But she may not be prepared for areas where it could be 50 miles or more between convenient stores.


I was even more clueless, and about the same age, when I set out on my first solo tour. But I was never anywhere that I couldn't buy food or pay for a campsite that supplied water.

[shootingstar]

There were sections where my partner was forced to cycle for 220 km. in 1 summer hot day in a mountainous region in British Columbia because there were no camping spots, no services. Then some days only cycling 70 kms. vs. other days @ 160 km. So 100 km. per day is just a ballpark...gear down on certain days but be strong enough in very rural wilderness areas to cycle long and hard for a long distance, partially for your own safety and lack of safe/acceptable camping area.

We are forgetting something.... North America is one of the few areas that has a lot more large, roaming and sometimes dangerous wildlife. A lot of Europe no longer has big bears, elk, cougars, etc. roaming around unfettered and wild big/ocean fishing. That's why some LOVE our wilderness. That's the tourist attraction for them. For us, it is the tourist attraction, but we may be more attuned to their danger and unpredicted sitings.

My partner's relatives from Germany (they live in a suburb of Dusseldorf) spent time in British Columbia for 3 wks., primarily Vancouver and Vancouver Island. They wanted to get away from a lot of people, they loved the wilderness. This was just 2 wks. ago they left Canada.

When I was in Switzerland, I wondered why the mountain grass looked lawn mowed. Dearie reminded me that there are cows, sheep that have grazed for hundreds of years....

To me, the forests in Germany....well, look genteel.