Malkolm is cycling on! He is now cycling from Alaska to Washington DC, and then continuing on to the UN Climate Change conference in Cancun in December.
It all started with Bird Year, Malkolm and his parents' year-long, fossil-fuel-free journey in search of birds. Cycling a total of 13,133 miles (21,144 km), they identified 548 different bird species and raised more than $25,000 for bird conservation. Bird Year turned them into confirmed cyclists and taught them that climate change was more serious than they had thought.
In 2009, Malkolm biked from Whitehorse to Ottawa as a part of Pedal for the Planet: the project called for the Canadian Government to become a leader in the struggle to come to grips with climate change. The Harper Government did not even meet with the young cyclists.
Malkolm is now 18 and just finished high school. On August 24, he dipped his foot in the Pacific Ocean in Skagway, Alaska. Then headed up and over the White Pass to the Alaska Highway on his journey to Washington and on to Cancun.



Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Out of the fire, and into the ... ? (Malkolm)


I don't want to write another blog about heat and I'll try not to. But in this stifling Texas heat wave, it's everything. It fills every pore in your skin, it fills your stomach and it fills your mind. We do everything to avoid it; we're on the road before the sun is up, and we seek shade an air conditioning in mid day. But when I step out of this library from which I write, I'll be greeted by the familiar wall of heat.
We've re-traced our steps through Texas, following the same roads that we took through here in December. But soon we'll head into new country as we leave our old path to cycle down into Big Bend National Park. So the final few hundred miles of our trek are veiled in heat mirages, and around ever bend and over every hill there will be a new surprise. But I know that on the far end are the Chisos Mountains. They'll be like islands in a sea of desert and a refuge from the heat. A bit. Hopefully it will cool down at night and I hope my sleeping bag will no longer be dead weight.
We'll relax at altitude for a week, then brace ourselves for the journey back down to the desert and to the Rio Grande River, where we'll seek out the last few birds for our year.
We won't have internet access again, so this will be my last post, but we'll try to phone in updates to Christianne, our mission controller. Then she can update you on our progress.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Go Malkolm!!

Have fun in Big Bend - home of the Varied Bunting, Common Black Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Common Poorwill, Lucifer Hummingbird, Gray Vireo, Black-capped Vireo, Lucy's Warbler, and of course the Colima Warbler! Plus a bunch of really cool reptiles.

All the best on the final leg of your journey!

Your friends in the Yukon.

Chris W said...

Big Bend NP! Have fun there!
We want to here all about it when you can post next time!

Buford Nature said...

BBNP is high on my list to see. I hear there are numerous springs there. Wonder if you can soak in any? Aaahhhh, the idea of birding all day, then going to altitude for a soak in a hot spring...

Note that you are way over 500. Very good. I guess this means you aren't coming back to Florida?

Congrats, and take care.

Buford