2000 Miles of Adventure and Advocacy

Before heading to college this fall, Wallace Blum (‘18-’19, ‘21-’22 camper) had plans to complete an ambitious and adventurous bike ride.

However, Wallace didn’t just have a long day of cycling in mind, or even a big weekend bike trip. He was thinking much bigger: riding the full east coast, from Madawaska, Maine to Key West, Florida.

For Wallace, completing this 2000 mile journey would be about more than just a ride. In his words, he wanted this trip “to combine adventure and advocacy,” raising funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Wallace dedicated the ride to his mother, Ramsey, who died in 2015 after a fight with breast cancer. He ended up raising over $20,000 during his month-long journey.

Wallace started riding on August 10th, 2026. He needed to reach Key West by September 14th, so he could make his flight to begin school at Santa Clara University. It was a tight timeline. Before he left, Wallace made spreadsheets and a detailed timeline of his riding plan to prove to his dad that he could be safe. “My dad is adventurous himself though, so he was open to it and supportive.”

Wallace would finish each day in the dark around 10:00 PM, and he would wake up again in the dark around 5:00 AM to ensure that he had enough time to bike to his next destination. He rode with his camping gear and spent most nights in a tent.

It took Wallace a week and a half to make it to a city where he could stay with friends, so the section from Maine through New Hampshire got a little lonely. “Sometimes socializing with the gas station workers would be the best part of my day,” Wallace recalled. “It sounds crazy but it was also nice in a way. Biking alone was meditative, and I had a lot of time to think and enjoy things by myself and be independent.”

The most difficult section for him was from New Hampshire to Maryland. “I had headwinds the whole way and it was flat and hot. There were a lot of corn fields so there was the constant smell of manure fertilizer.” Wallace rode with Gatorade and gummies to keep his energy up, and sometimes he would stop for ice cream to try and combat the heat.

Though the 90 degree nights in the tent were tough, he doesn’t regret camping. “The camping gear added weight but it was more fun to camp,” said Wallace. “It felt more rewarding of an experience since I was more immersed in the atmosphere around me. I felt more in nature.”

As he made his way to North Carolina, Wallace’s thoughts turned to his days at Falling Creek. “I really enjoyed biking through North Carolina. Biking through made me think about camp, which has a special place in my heart.”

During his fourth and final year at camp, Wallace set a few goals for himself: participating in the Ironman triathlon, reaching a new progression level in an activity, and completing the “Ride or Die” multi-day mountain biking trip at the end of Main Camp. He ended up accomplishing them all, earning third place in the Ironman triathlon and reaching the level of Ranger in mountain biking. “I think I slept out-of-camp on trips more than I slept in my cabin that summer,” Wallace said.

By the time he made it to Florida, you might think that Wallace was tired of biking, but that was actually when he had some of his favorite days of riding. “The Keys were stunning. The islands are connected by bridges and you’re surrounded by beautiful views and water,” he said.

“I wanted to do this trip because I wanted to push myself. I used to live in Key West, and as a kid I always dreamt of going to Miami, where I was born, by bike.”

Though the views in Key West were beautiful, he also had plenty of challenging moments there. “There were decent bike lanes, but they were full of debris. One of the hardest parts was getting three flat tires in one day, on my final 160 mile day.”

Wallace overcame the challenges of flat tires and long days in the saddle, and he reached the finish line just in time. “On the last day, my dad and brother surprised me at the finish line. They met me at the Key West mile marker 0.”

The most rewarding part for Wallace was finishing the trip. “It felt like a lot of luck was involved, and I was fortunate that there weren’t more mechanicals or issues.” He finished one day before his flight to California, and he is now enjoying his freshman year at Santa Clara University, while competing on the rowing team.

Wallace exemplified the Falling Creek Code through his impressive ride. He showed Warrior Spirit by persevering through a challenging journey, and demonstrated his Servant’s Heart by raising funds and awareness for a worthy cause.