Bikepacking Journal 02 Preview: Ethiopia Retrospectum

Written by Joe Cruz (@joecruzpedaling) and photographed by Logan Watts (@logans.ride), Ethiopia Retrospectum is one of about a dozen original feature-length stories in the upcoming second issue of The Bikepacking Journal, our biannually printed publication.

Ethiopia Retrospectum is an unpacking of all the moments that made up their short time pedaling there, on a trip that ended abruptly and prematurely when a frightening incident completely changed its trajectory. One of they story’s central themes deals with how we remember trips or experiences, and how those recollections change each time we revisit them. And it’s an honest examination of what we owe to the places we visit, and a reminder that we’re not owed anything.

Four bikepackers were attacked by a crowd in Ethiopia. Who will remember it that way? We were in Ethiopia for twelve thousand minutes, we hugged the woman and her two daughters who in a corrugated steel shack made the best shiro we had ever had, we posed with a village head with his gun and grin, then chewed khat, listened to stories and howled joyously together…”

The cutoff to join our Bikepacking Collective and have your membership start with Issue 02 is just a few days away, on Wednesday, April 17th, at 11:59 pm EST. If you join after that deadline, you’ll still be eligible for all the other membership benefits (like Collective Reward gear giveaways), but the first issue of The Bikepacking Journal you receive will be Issue 03 in October. We print one copy for each of our members, and it won’t be possible to get Issue 02 after the April 17th cutoff. Don’t miss out!

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