Teen Solo Biking the Great Divide

Hi there,
My name is Sam Stroup and I am 16 years old.  This summer I plan on biking the 2,774 mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, which stretches from the Border of Mexico to Canada.  I will do this trip solo and unsupported--it will take roughly 35 days to complete.  I also plan on bringing a high quality camera that will allow me to document my entire experience, and do justice to the landscapes that I will be traveling through.  I have worked since last fall to save money for this trip but I don't have enough to fully fund the trip (without sacrificing on safety).  

Most of the money from this account will be used to buy a dependable bike based on a Surly Ogre frameset (for full build see below).  The rest will go towards buying an excellent Fuji X-T10 mirrorless camera, complete with extra batteries, lenses, and storage capacity.  

I will begin the trip in early June to allow me, if circumstances allow, to continue biking beyond the Great Divide trail--eventually making it into Alaska.  My intent is to begin training on the bike I will be using as soon as possible.   

I've personally felt the transformative power of completing ambitious and difficult adventures--last summer I spent 30 days hiking in the Wind River Mountain Range.  This is the summer for me to up the ante and accomplish a truly large endeavor.

I would be so grateful for any support you could give to to help me achieve this dream.

Sincerely,
Sam Stroup

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Bike: $2,315

The build is based around a Surly Ogre frameset, a tough, no nonsense bike that is built to withstand a beating.  It has eyelets for days and is compatible with a enormous variety of setups.  A smattering of SLX/XT components were chosen to balance quality and  dependability.  An Alfine Dynamo hub was included to power the lights and charge the camera batteries. 

Frame: Surly Ogre Large
Fork: Surly Ogre
Headset: Cane Creek 40
Stem: Generic
Handlebar: Salsa Bend
Shifter: Shimano SLX
Grips: Giant Grips
Seatpost: Civia
Saddle: Brooks Cambium
Seat Clamp: Green Salsa
Front Hub: Shimano Alfine DH-S501 32h
Rear hub: Shimano XT 32h
Rims: Blue Velocity Blunt 35
Tires: Maxxis Ardent 2.25
Cranks: Shimano SLX 36/28
Pedals: Shimano spd
Bottom Bracket: Shimano
Cassette: Shimano 11-36
Chain: Shimano HG54
Brakes & Levers: Shimano XT hydraulic
Light: busch and muller
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Camera Equipment: $1608

Fuji X-T10 Mirrorless Camera-- This camera uses a large high resolution sensor which picks up the light directly from the lens, instead of being reflected by mirrors as in a DSLR camera.  This saves bulk, fitting the camera into a smaller form factor,  increases the amount of light that the sensor is able to detect, and allows for incredibly high quality footage.  

Fujinon XF 18-55mm f:2.8-4.0 R LM OIS Zoom Lens-- This is a high quality lens described as the "lens for you if your only bringing one lens."  

1tb of SD Card storage--Due to extremely intermittent oppurtunities to upload footage and access computers I need to bring a large amount of storage.  1tb will allow for 15-20 hours of footage.