Foothills grad Will Grobe (CFHS ’21) visited Ms. Koehn’s PE classes at Esperero Canyon Middle School to share an epic story of grit, planning, and adventure: his bikepacking ride from Vancouver, B.C., to the US-Mexico border.
Students heard how Will mapped and rode the Pacific Coast Route (created by the Adventure Cycling Association):

• 1,862 miles from Vancouver ➝ Imperial Beach
• 100,000+ feet of climbing—about four Mount Everests!!!
• All while carrying camping gear on his bike—bikepacking (like backpacking, but your bike hauls the load)

Will, an ECMS former student and recent University of Arizona mechanical engineering graduate, connected the journey to the skills he built in cross country, track & field, and band: discipline, teamwork, and perseverance. He also walked students through route planning, safety, nutrition, and problem-solving on the road.

Will’s big takeaway:
“The first night in Vancouver I was freaking out—forty-five days is a long time. Instead of focusing on ‘I have to get to Mexico,’ I broke it up day by day: ‘I need to cycle 50 miles today, 50 miles tomorrow,’ and repeat. You can say that about any goal—take something huge and insurmountable and break it down day by day.”

Engagement was sky-high as students asked everything from the supplies he carried to the details of his route planning. Kudos to Ms. Koehn for bringing real-world learning into the classroom and to Will Grobe for inspiring our students to dream big and tackle goals one step (or pedal stroke) at a time. 

Alumni, would you like to share your story with a classroom? Teachers, would you like to have a Foothills grad visit a classroom to illustrate a lesson?  Contact Julie Farbarik at [email protected].