I have been bicycle touring for 37 years, 9 months a year. In 2006 after working at the Denali River Cabins for three months, I left Denali NP and bike south to Homer Spit AK, then back to Seward and took a ferry to Valdez, then cycled back to Anchorage. Went 1000+ miles on a Trek Mtn Bike. Only thing I lost was a spare tire, it was gone the following morning, unsure what took it, I was alone along a side dirt road. Trip cost me $200 including all food, had no flats or any repairs needed. I started bicycle touring in Sept 1982, I have never driven a automobile of any kind, learned to bicycle at age 12 in 1968. I am 63 now and still bike tour every fall, winter and spring. I used to work summers, but retired at age 62 in Jan 2018. Now I just travel on my bike year round, going all over the USA. Am in Flagstaff AZ now.
Very well done (still doing, hopefully?) Gary! 2020 was supposed to be the start of me doing big cycle tours from home in England to Russia and everywhere in between. And back. But cv19 cancelled that, hopefully start next year in 2022. All the best Gary and thanks Foresty F for excellent videos 👍
This is hilarious. In addition to really nice camera footage, there are gems such as "Only 25km... how bad could it be?" and "Glorious suburbia. Looks like a heaping pile of shit. doesn't it? " I also like where he goes to the trouble of filming himself collapsing after the long walk with bike. Great stuff.
Seriously (time index 18:27) I can see my home among the " heaping pile of shit" that forestry forest disparages!!!! The neighborhood is safe and upper middle class. What's he complaining about?
@@samuelroberts7954 The suburb that you live in is usually fine. The suburb that other people live in and you have to drive through is much less nice. ;)
I finally understood something: been watching a lot of mtb videos and most of them about shredding down the mountain, the wildest music, the scariest line, the highest speed. All this had me coming back again to Forestry Forests videos, where it's more about peace on a bike in a landscape then the newest chain ring. It's often the solitude and self sufficiency vs a party run on Aline Whistler. Really appreciate the "journeys" you are going on. TheY're not runs, they are Journeys
shastakeys hey , i know its a 9 months late response . but you exactly nailed it in your comment. its all about the solitude , self independence and the journey itself. now for your username...i climbed mount Shasta in 2018 Solo just for that sole purpose . i summited late in the afternoon just to be alone . and spent an extra night on the mountain for the same sole purpose...
@@stalin1909 yup...the area around Shasta is great. Here now almost 25 years. Yes, there are more people like everywhere in the world but this is still one of the least inhabited counties in California and with a little more effort you can still have solitude here. Oh, btw I never climbed the mountain. Been in Hidden Valley up to maybe 10300 and in Avalanche Gulch up to Lake Helen but mostly go up there in the Winter time. In the summer I prefer locations with lakes which are plentiful here...
Amazing! This guy has the perfect demeanor. Slow and steady while taking in the beauty.Really admire this guy. I would be rushing from point to point. Which is not the point! Thank you for sharing this and showing a different way to travel.
I've been watching your van life videos and as a life long alaskan that has been at a local bike shop for 20 years i was pretty surprised to find this video! you live a rich life!
akhoundog907 Same! Decided to check out his old videos and am actually astounded at these from 5 years ago, he’s living an amazing life and capturing it beautifully. I’m marathon watching his bike videos and think I’m enjoying these even more than the van ones
It's kind of amazing how some simple knowledge of composition can improve a video like this so much. I've watched a lot of these bicycle touring documentaries and this is by far the most inspiring.
Absolutely one of the very best things I've seen on a computer! Really touched me. I've backpacked in Denali and kayaked the Kenai Peninsula. Your videography brings so much of those experiences back! THANK YOU! (PS - thanks for NOT doing a music soundtrack!)
@@forestyforest Just nearly finishing your "Fatbiking the Western Renegade Bike Route". Getting a fat bike now. FOR SURE! See you on the trail. Someplace! Pete
Oh, and I'm good with your tastes in music. Just really nice to watch some things without. Rivers, streams, tires, you... Sometimes that's really best. You're the artist. And a damn talented one! Pete
I rode across Canada when I was 20 yrs old, took me 2 months..People were always inviting you to join them everynight, always giving you stuff, money...I'll never forget it. ..After about a week, your legs are incredibly strong.
What an epic scenery, unbelievable! I admire how much will you had to place the camera in all those places and go back to cycle by it, but it was worth it! Fantastic stuff and first class masochism :)
That was really well done. No music and just the right amount of information and talking. Thanks for filming it. I can't imagine how effort each scene required of you especially when the weather was crap and you were bagged.
@@IceWarrior101 For real. Some people just enjoy the place itself instead of making the travel there into a full blown hobby. I like bicycle touring but it's basically a form of self torture and a pain in the butt unless you're super into it.
@@KandiKlover that's an ignorant perspective to have. Have you thought about the connection with nature one can have on a bike compared to an RV? Both have their place but please consider being more considerate.
That was awesome! That mountain pass looked hard enough with having to run ahead to place the camera, run back, cycle past it then walk back for the camera. I think a lot of people overlook that when they see videos like this. Excellent work 👍
Wrangell-St. Elias, the other side of Kluane, is my absolute favorite national park in the U.S. Such fond memories of my road trip from New Jersey to Anchorage and back, but OMFG, I couldn't imagine doing this on a bike! I'd be up for the challenge except for the bears! Seriously amazing video and such endurance to go the distance!
Wonderful. I biked from San Francisco to Seattle back in the 80's and I can totally relate to your bike journey. Well done, and your photography was beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
These must be so much work to film! As if biking, dealing with camping, and everything else, were not a ton of work already, it must be such a pain to set the camera up, ride past it, go back and get it, over and over. Makes for a great video though. This footage is insane. I don't think I could ever do it, but maybe I could be the camera guy with a lot of help and advice.
Love the simplicity of your narrative and beautiful video. The lack of self-aggrandizement and no baiting with narrative hooks is so damn refreshing. Thank you.
I bikepacked from Denali Park down the highway to Anchorage, and eventually Homer Spit then back to Seward and took the ferry to Valdez and rode to Whittier where you pass thru a tunnel that is both a train and car tunnel, you have to know the schedule as there is only room for the train or a car, and especially not my bike and train. Anyway after Whittier I went up from Seward up to camp along the Copper River 500 feet above it on a huge cliff, saw a bid brwon bear swim across the river and I got worried it might smell me and come up to my camp but it wandered the river north and away. Then I biked back to Anchorage. And while staying at a youth hostel had my bike stolen. I was planning to bike back down thru Canada myself. I am 65 and have been a bike tourer and packer since 1982. I figure I have toured 400,000 miles in North America on 76 ride.s. Love your videos!
Man you're Amazing! Where do you find the energy to bike thousands of miles for months in such challenging conditions all by yourself is nothing short of great inspiration for everyone. Thank you for your dedicated hard work for sharing your wonderful touring experiences and showing us all the God given beauty that most of us will not experience.
These bike touring videos hold up quite well compared to your new videos. Amazing camera angles, too. From the get-go you were set-up for greatness on thi s channel. I'm glad I decided to finally watch the last 4 or 5 videos of your backlog that I was still missing.
You are one amazing human being. Just spell bound through this whole journey.and near the end when you met Mike who just happened to build bikes was amazing.
unlike most of the touring videos this was so natural. loved it. Im planning a trip like this but was not sure about the filming part. This gave me a lot of ideas.
Such an amazing video! I drove to Alaska in 2006 through Jasper/Banff and returned via the Cassiar Hwy....also spent several days at the Tangle Lakes campground on the Denali Hwy...brings back some great memories.
Your dedication to getting the third person shots is seriously impressive! Most people would just stick a GoPro on their handlebar and call it a "film".
Perfect ending statement! Outstanding effort, thank you for all the effort that went into documenting this, on top of the ride itself this was a huge amount of work no doubt! Cheers from a old man who still rides everyday! Fogo Island to Fredricton NB next year!
Ironically I watch this September 1st 2023. 8 years to the day 😯 How I managed that Idk. My heart went out to you during the tough times. Was saying. Come on Foresty, you can do it.. You got this! The mental and physical strength you have is amazing. I adore every thing about you. Whoever influenced you in your upbringing and the help of raising you into the man you are today should be very proud. Never lose your passion 💙🌞🌱
Nice video. Brings back memories from when I rode some of the same roads in BC and Alberta 16 years ago on a 7000 km solo ride I did. Stealth camping on all but a half dozen nights or so. Makes me want to go for aother little ride soon.
I literally gasped out loud at 12:48-you soaring on foot with the sound of the razor rocks shredding as you slid-and yes I agree this is one of the greatest travel docs I’ve ever seen-stunning work
I started getting into RU-vid about a year and a half ago.. now basically they are all I watch. I remember watching some of these videos back then and I was amazed. I was born in Thunder Bay Ontario and the videos of Ontario and other wild parts of Canada really had me hooked, but somehow I drifted away. Just lately I came across the Van Life videos and it dawned on me that it was FForest from back in my RU-vid initiation. LOL. I have watched quite a few of the Van Life videos, but this Alaska video is truly amazing. I agree with Jesse Watson who commented on the amount of work to set up the camera etc in addition to the actual biking/surviving..... Nice to have found you again in the land of RU-vid..... looking into becoming a patron. Continue with the good work.
I rode across Canada from Victoria, B.C. to Prince Edward Island as part of a 14,000 miles loop which was mostly in the U.S. I enjoyed the Canadian portion best. I would sure like to do some of the roads further north including the Dempster highway and Dalton highway. Your setup looks the same as mine - Ortliebs front and rear with sleeping bag on the rear rack and tent on front rack. I used the same setup on the Continental Divide Mtn bike route and the Baja Divide. A bit much, but doable. I've also had to go single speed a couple times when sticks jammed in the rear deraileur and broke it off. After over 45,000 miles of on road and off road touring, I still love bicycle touring especially in wild, remote areas where the primitive camping is the biggest draw..
Still working my way through your back catalog of videos....never fails to inspire! I'm not a 100% sure, but I think cycling on major highways here in Australia prohibited....certainly around where I live.
Great Video! Thanks for doing the trip and sharing it. I did the Icefields Parkway from Calgary to McBride 10 years ago and it was one the best weeks of my life.......
The photos and video are absolutely insane! I know this took a lot of work to take these amazing videos and photos. This is truly one of the best bike touring videos I ever seen. Thank you for sharing your trip. A+A+A+!!
Amazing ride-views! I did only the Icefield parkway to Banff RT, and as as short as it was compare to yours, definitely one of the best places a I have been! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful landscapes, fascinating videos. They are so great material, which is why I have some good advice for you to make them even better without additional effort: You have so many nice shots of yourself riding through the picture with a fascinating background, but you don't keep any shot longer than a few seconds. You don't give us enough time to admire the scenery, and pausing the video every time is really not the best thing. So you should have such shots longer, some could even be 20 or 30 seconds long. I'm sure often you have so much material in a shot, you only need to leave it in the final video. If you might be scared about people being turned off by that, you could make a short and an extended version of each video. Yes, THAT would mean extra effort, but it's a suggestion, all things considered. Because your videos are worth being consumed in extended versions.
It's a tough balance to find. Some people just want quick entertaining videos. Others like a slow relaxing experience. Trying to please everyone at once never works. I like doing shorter vlogs with more talking now, but could definitely add in longer shots of scenery.
Congrats on your successful trip. Great photos and voice over. LOL when you told the chipmunk/squirrel to shut up at 3am. I've done the same thing many, many times. Good luck down the road!!!!!!!
The guy you ran into, who fixed you a working derailer, was God’s way of having your back. And watching your videos in 2021, on the brink of a Brave New World, we appreciate the simple joy and beauty of your life, Foresty. May we All someday follow our dreams like you. Bless you for all your hard work. 🌈🏔❤️🏞🌋🌈🏔❤️
I love watching your/these earlier vds, your comedic injections are just as good back then as now. I do like these bike vds more than present van/mountain vds; I watch it while doing my whatever at the moment thing is. Really helps me get thru them too too quiet days.
That looks like an exceptional tour. Definitely going to pick this one up. (Love the Survivorman-esque commitment to a good shot.) Might also be worth mentioning to others that you can get the paid version for $1.50 Canadian.
I don't watch videos on YT longer than 3 minutes or so. I was riveted to this one. I found your narration to be much better than the music of your previous video. A great insight to how you felt during the tour. Looking forward to the Aussie tour.
I had no clue you rode a bike from Alaska to Alberta. You seriously need to talk about your past adventures and promote your old videos. This was awesome man!
I was tired watching you pump that bike, good you got your van …A huge upgrade and safe in that Van LIVING! You're doing good pal, keep the vids coming for us.
You are EPIC. This is the best,most unique footage I've seen of these areas.I guess because you're going off the beaten path.Most vloggers won't put in the effort.