By Mei Nathan and Allie Schneider
Laying flat on his back at the intersection of Ludlow St. and S. 34th St in Philadelphia, PA. with a pulsing concussion and severe injuries, Craig Berrington came to the realization he had to escape his current life. It was Feb. 9, 2012, and Berrington had just been hit by a car while biking.
“It’s amazing how many thoughts went through my mind before the front wheel even hit the ground,” Berrington said. “In the same spot two weeks prior, a gas main had exploded. I didn’t need anymore signs to [change my life].”
Berrington worked as a carpeting designer for New York City’s elite.
“At first I was captured by the glitz and the glamour, but it started to bother me because there’s so much waste and [these people] spent millions of dollars just for one night,” Berrington said. “I was spinning my wheels trying to get it quite right, planning forever, but I just started doing the things I wanted to do.”
Berrington sold most of his belongings, put his two dogs, Trax and Troubles, in a trailer connected to the back of his bike, and headed across the country.
“There’s no better way to see the country than by bike,” Berrington said. “You don’t miss a thing. You smell everything, see everything, experience everything.”
Although Berrington loves the freedom of biking, the fear of getting back on the road after his accident is an obstacle he’s had to overcome.
“The psyche plays tricks on you, but I learned to command my presence [on the road],” Berrington said. “I can’t be on the side of the road [worrying about] being amongst cars.”
He now travels nomadically, stopping in towns where he feels connected to either the people or land.
“It’s kind of a foreign concept to travel around not having any agenda, but that’s exactly what I’m doing,” Berrington said.
Since he began his journey on Sept. 22, Berrington has biked down the Appalachian Mountain Range, using Google Maps as a guide. He bikes anywhere from 20 to 100 miles a day, depending on terrain, weather and people he meets.
“If I’m rolling through a town and meet someone, we might have a connection and start talking,” Berrington said. “I’m kind of an introverted person, but I find myself constantly talking to people for hours.”
Berrington started his journey as a means to escape the toxicity of elite city life. He has since then realized the connections he has made with people make his bike tour meaningful.
“I believe we cross paths with people for a reason,” said Danielle Schneider, who met Berrington in Arlington, VA. “A lot of people are afraid to step away from what we ‘should be doing’, but [Berrington] inspires people to take a blind leap of faith to follow a different direction.”
While Berrington and Schneider only spent an afternoon together in Arlington VA, Berrington considers Schneider to be one of his best friends since leaving New Jersey and they have stayed in regular contact.
Berrington shares pictures and adventures of his journey with all the people he has met, calling them a “web of [his] on the road family”.
“He’s shown people how you can be happy and not have lots of things,” said Andy Kennedy, who met Berrington in Kernersville, NC and let Berrington stay and work in his brewery, The Brewer’s Kettle. “We loose sense we can live without a car and without a house. Experiencing life is more important than you know.”
As well as befriending an array of people, Berrington found that the time he’s spent has been beneficial to his mental health.
“I like being connected to the earth,” Berrington said. “I view the night stars; I look at the fire I built. There are spots I’ve slept on this earth where [I] feel absolutely free. I can’t go back to anything else.”
Scaling the Blue Ridge Mountains caused him to have an even greater respect for nature.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done but the scenery [was] so beautiful and rewarding; you can’t pay enough to feel how that felt,” Berrington said.
While Berrington has found comfort in the solitude of nature, he also recognizes the dangerous power nature holds. Initially planning to bike Florida during the winter, Berrington felt that he had to travel to Asheville, N.C. and found himself facing blizzards and winter storms.
“With two dogs and trailer it is a matter of being as prepared as you can,” Berrington said. “All of the sudden there were winds that would blow through and feel like they were ripping you apart. It makes you feel more alive once you come out of it though.”
Berrington must find a safe place to sleep each night. Although he tries to set up camp on clearly public property with lots of green space, some nights he has little options.
“There was one instance where I didn’t know it was private property,” Berrington said. “I was drinking my coffee, and [the owner] saw me and was a little upset.”
In many towns, Berrington meets someone who allows him to set up camp on his or her property.
“I thought he was a hobo at my [brewery],” Kennedy said. “I told him he could come set up at my place and it just kinda worked out. Once you meet him, you just see what he’s doing, hear what he’s explaining, and you’ve got to respect him a little more.”
Grateful for the help and hospitality people have shown him, Berrington wants to give back in any way possible.
While staying with Kennedy, Berrington helped organize Bell Raisers, a fundraiser to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis. Although Kennedy offered to pay Berrington for his work, Berrington didn’t accept.
“It’s not about money to me,” Berrington said. “I don’t think about money while I’m [working]. It’s about human compassion.”
Berrington now envisions biking west towards Colorado and northern California.
“North Carolina holds a special place in my heart and maybe it’s my home of the east, but the west is the best,” Berrington said. “I have pictures ingrained in my head of being surrounded by Redwoods. I’m looking for that place that feels like home, that place where I want to be for a while.”
