Some of the most joyful times I’ve had on a bike were on Grease Rag bike camping trips.
Grease Rag is a group of FTW (our imperfect shorthand for Femme, Trans, Women, Non-binary, Two-spirit people who don’t benefit from cis male privilege) who bike together with the purpose of supporting and encouraging each other in collaborative and fun learning environments while in a safer space. We are primarily located on occupied Dakota and Anishinaabe land, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The very first Grease Rag camping trip
Initially, the first Grease Rag bike camping trip was a reaction to my very first bike camping trip. My first trip was led by a bunch of well-meaning guys who weren’t able to support me in the ways I needed. I needed gear, reassurance, tips on how to load my bike, and an honest representation of the trip logistics (mileage, speed, conditions, etc.). In the middle of that first trip, as I was curled up in my tent after a long hard day on my bike, I had a moment of clarity. I decided that I was done allowing cis men to have agency over my camping experience. As a beginner, learning how to camp as an adult, I really was relying on men to make fires, pack food, determine routes, and generally do everything for me. I wasn’t actively trying to learn, I wasn’t relying on myself, and I certainly wasn’t having all that much fun. My internalized misogyny was dictating that I just let these men “take care of me,” without any thought about why they were more qualified than I was to tend to my needs. All I knew is that camping is supposed to be FUN, and I wasn’t quite there yet.
So I convinced my friends Becky, Greta, and Kat to let me lead a bike camping trip, as the most experienced in the group with ONE trip under my belt. What we lacked in experience we made up for in enthusiasm!
We started off making a lot of rookie mistakes. We overpacked: box wine, cast iron skillets, full-size tarps. We didn’t listen to the weather reports. We didn’t have a Plan B. We didn’t all have fenders.
The morning of our trip was gray and ominous, with rain in the forecast. As we rolled out, we laughed in the face of the escalating summer rainstorm. “We are badass! We are not made of sugar! What’s a little rain to us?!” Hubris.
Twenty-three miles on crushed limestone trails with loaded-down bikes was not the easiest feat, but we had a reasonable goal. A doable destination. We ate those peanut butter trail miles for breakfast. Spirits were damp, but we were still having a good time, so we kept going. After we rolled up to the guard shack at the campground a few hours later, drenched to our cores, we took a group photo. We look happy in the picture because we hadn’t yet been told that the torrential downpour had flooded the campsites.
There was nothing to do but turn back home.
At the nearby nature center, we dried off under bathroom hand dryers and ate our camp food during a presentation about owls. Was this really it? The end of our trip? Despite everything, we were still happy to be with each other, and it didn’t feel like it was over. As the owls got packed back into their carriers, we plotted to bike the 23 miles back into town to Greta’s apartment. The plan was to camp on her floor and keep the good times rolling. And that’s what we did! We made a dent in that box wine, reflected on the lessons learned, and high-fived each other for being intrepid and badass! I have never regretted that trip, even if some details were regrettable. I think the reason I still remember it so fondly is because we did it ourselves, together. We took agency over our own experience and really leaned on each other when it was hard or we didn’t know what we were doing. And we made it! (Sort of!)
You can’t beat the beginner stoke!
Since that first trip in 2010, I’ve led at least 17 bike camping trips. Some were multi-day trips, some were for intermediate skill levels. But my favorites will always be the beginner trips. You can’t beat the energy of a beginner trip! Everyone is nervous and excited, and at the end I get to relive those sweet, sweet high-fives of badass accomplishment.
Over the years, Grease Rag has grown in size, and maturity, and we have got our trip planning down. We center our trips around FUN, low barriers, skill building, and safer spaces. I look back to all the support and encouragement I needed for my first trip, and try to offer that to others. I look back on all the mistakes I’ve made and lessons I’ve learned, and try to pass on my wisdom. We have fun things for campers like buttons, stickers, zines, camp games, go-arounds, and stretching circles. Most campers on the trips don’t know each other, so we have a pre-trip camping meeting to introduce ourselves and answer any questions. Clear camper expectations, from what to pack, to rain plans, to mileage and conditions of the route, are all shared ahead of time. For people who don’t know if they can bike the whole way, we have volunteer drivers with vehicles, and we camp in a place with a stone shelter option in case it rains really hard and we have a tent fail. There is a cost to participate, but it is a sliding scale, so it can cost you $0 if that’s what you need. If you need gear, we hook you up with a community member who can loan you what you need. We have a skill share so people can participate in making kindling and starting fires. We do some education during the trip on safer spaces and appoint certain people as space-keepers you can go to if you have an issue. Nothing is perfect, and our trips are not for everyone, but I am proud of how our community supports each other so everyone can have a good time.
You can view our trip details on our website. Including pack lists, stories, and advice. We share all of this in the hopes that many people, especially BIPOC FTW, will feel empowered to give bike camping a try. And maybe even take a few friends out for their first time!