16 Months: Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ayacucho, Peru

Distance bicycled: approximately 13,577 miles (21,850 kilometers)
Bird species positively identified: 493
4,000-meter (13,100-foot) passes ascended by bike: 31 (23 in the past month)
Highest altitude reached by bicycle:16,325 feet (4,976 meters), Punta Pumacocha, Peru
Highest altitude achieved: 18,655 feet (5,686 meters), Vallunaraju, Cordillera Blanca, Peru
Sublime bars eaten while in Peru: approximately 90

Our favorite Peruvian candy bar, pronounced ¨soob-LEE-may¨

Where were you 16 months ago? We were in northern Alaska beginning our trip south from another world. Sometimes it seems like forever ago; sometimes it seems like yesterday. When we´re tired, especially, the constant movement, the uncertainty of not knowing where we´re going to sleep at night, wears on us. We feel like we´ve been traveling for 16 months. But most of the time we´re simply living our lives. The tasks at hand, whether they be big passes or grocery shopping, occupy much of our time, but we´ve found that it´s important as well to step back frequently and look at the bigger picture. Where are we going? And why?

Continually challenging ourselves to learn more and do better has been the key to maintaining our pace on this difficult trek. If the journey stales with no finish line in sight, there´s no reason to continue, and without reason to continue, those big passes get a lot harder. By continually reassessing the trajectories of our lives, we´re able to keep learning and loving our places in the present.