The opportunity for Hale to connect to nature helped connect the journey to his class. He cycled past a wide array of natural resources, including rivers, trees, rock formations and coal mines, and reflected on it in an essay and powerpoint presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI came up with the idea for the journey during the second week of the course, when we were learning about American environmentalist John Muir, who walked from Indiana to Florida to personally connect with nature,\u201d Hale said. \u201cI realized that while it would be much too difficult to follow Muir’s exact route, I could still connect with nature on a smaller scale, while incorporating my favorite hobby of bicycling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After waking to a 20-degree morning on Nov. 9, Hale left his home in Kettering and rode to Cincinnati. At 3:30 a.m. Nov. 10, he caught the Amtrak train from Union Terminal in Cincinnati to Prince, West Virginia arriving at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul>A collection of the landmarks and sights from Hale’s journey. (Taken by Theodore Hale)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAlthough an avid cyclist, Hale had never ridden such roads as the winding mountainous region offered him. At one point the incline rose 1100 feet over a three-mile span.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlthough the climb lasted a seemingly interminable 45 minutes, I successfully completed the steep ascent without ever dismounting from my bicycle!\u201d Hale states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He then cycled past the small towns of Mount Hope and Glen Jean, before pedaling through woodlands to the small village of Thurmond, West Virginia.<\/a> With a population of five people, Thurmond is marked with merely a post office and a visitor center. Once in Thurmond, Hale began backtracking his trip following the same roads to Prince.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAlong the way Hale noted the extremes in the environment he was experiencing. He was surprised by the rough-hewn train tunnel that cut through the mountains and shocked by viewing the coal mines in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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A collection of the landmarks and sights from Hale’s journey. (Taken by Theodore Hale)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Although an avid cyclist, Hale had never ridden such roads as the winding mountainous region offered him. At one point the incline rose 1100 feet over a three-mile span.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlthough the climb lasted a seemingly interminable 45 minutes, I successfully completed the steep ascent without ever dismounting from my bicycle!\u201d Hale states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He then cycled past the small towns of Mount Hope and Glen Jean, before pedaling through woodlands to the small village of Thurmond, West Virginia.<\/a> With a population of five people, Thurmond is marked with merely a post office and a visitor center. Once in Thurmond, Hale began backtracking his trip following the same roads to Prince.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along the way Hale noted the extremes in the environment he was experiencing. He was surprised by the rough-hewn train tunnel that cut through the mountains and shocked by viewing the coal mines in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n