Border Crossing

Free from high school and primed for adventure, a friend and I went on a loosely planned motorcycle trip. A

Wide open Manitoba prairie

Yamaha Enduro was my friend's bike while I rode wild and crazy on a Honda 175. Leaving from southeastern Minnesota we went north. Cruising along Lake Superior's north shore brought us into Thunder Bay, Ontario.  We returned to the North Star state via Fort Francis, Ontario. I have no remembrance of either border crossing. What I do remember is not having Canadian currency. Gas and food was paid in US dollars. Lodging in Thunder Bay consisted of laying on a picnic table underneath a canopy in a city park. 

During the early years of marriage and family, trips were made to Regina and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, along with Winnipeg, Manitoba. I felt out of place sensing I was in a foreign country. Measurements were different. Currency exchange rates were now factored in. Both English and French were used on signs and consumer products. The Folklorama Week in Winnipeg exposed all of us to diverse expressions of culture and living not seen in northwestern Minnesota. 

Local cooks and servers

The frozen, sparely populated, and windswept prairies of Manitoba have drawn me over the past decade to an ultra endurance event named, "Actif Epica." Similar to other winter challenges, participants choose a

230km bike start

predetermined distance and one of two modalities (bike or foot) to complete that distance. Mid-February is the time frame. What serves as a counterbalance to the
harsh conditions is the generous hospitality of local people and the copious amounts of lovingly created foods. Soups, breads, smoked meats, pierogies, sweet and savory treats, and beverages, along with salty snacks and candies await behind the doors of the unique checkpoints. It is not published, but of equal challenge to the austere environment, is the fortitude required to leave the warmth and conviviality of the checkpoints. The event may learn more toward emotional stamina that physical prowess. 

Proud banner at the start+finish

The tagline for the event, "Celebrate Human Resilience" is more than a published phrase. First of all the event is a cornucopia of humanity. All ages, ethnicities, nationalities, and lifestyles are embraced. In reality no one asks about those categories. Instead the inquiries are about hunger, thirst, physical condition, and celebrating the current accomplishment of distance. Secondly, there is celebration. This is not a competition for podium placement and medals of achievement. Participants are supported and recognized for who they are at that given moment. Whether a person goes back on the course or decides to conclude their effort, each person is embraced as part of a community facing unique internal and external realities. Finally, the characteristic of

50km foot participants
(Gregory C. McNeill photo)

resilience, whether spoken or unspoken permeates the setting. This is not limited to the participants, but to the volunteers, support staff, checkpoint hospitality providers, and family and friends who give from their hearts, as well. Not only are Manitoba prairies wide and awe inspiring, but Actif Epica reflects the reverence and expansiveness of human connection with equal grandeur. 

In my current experience the celebration, humanness, and resilience in life are retracting into tightly walled borders. Restricting community to those of a defined social, ethnic, and economic status closes interaction. We no longer celebrate one another for their unique journey which brings them to the present moment. Instead we negate and denigrate out of 

Being in the moment
(Gregory C. McNeill photo)

misinformed notions of scarcity. Even long established relationships are cast aside because we choose anger toward others out of the disingenuous perceptions propagated by those in leadership and the media. I believe it is time to open our personal borders so we can cross over, as well as allow others to come into our lives. The recognition of our humanness, the celebration of our unique journeys, and the strength generated by respecting resilience will create a meaningful life far greater than that promised by massive walls and impassible obstacles. 

Actif Epica, I will return to again be enveloped and celebrated for nothing other than being human!

50km finishers from Crystal
Spring Hutterite Colony
(Scott Sugimoto photo)

                                                 

                                     

Cornucopia of humanity