A De Pere man who recently completed a cross-country bicycle trip from Virginia to Oregon will be the guest speaker at Shawano Pathways’ fifth annual social.
The social will be held Nov. 10 at Farm Inn on Main in Shawano.
Guest speaker Dale Hutjens will discuss his 4,253-mile, 93-day bike trip on the TransAmerica Trail, from Yorktown, Virginia, to Florence, Oregon.
He said early on he had some doubts, telling himself, “I don’t know if I’m going to complete this ride.”
He did. He was one of 11 people who finished the trip through Adventure Cycling, which planned the trip and provided a leader.
A salesman for 34 years, Hutjens was ready for something new after retiring Jan. 1, 2014.
“When I retire I want to get out of that car,” he said.
He decided he wanted to see the country at a slower pace.
“I’ve always kind of biked,” Hutjens said.
The cyclists crossed 10 states carrying 118 pounds of equipment.
“We carried everything we needed on our bikes,” Hutjens said. “That is a lot of weight to pedal up a mountain.”
The trip taught him the importance of a good trail system, Hutjens said, and organizations such as Shawano Pathways.
“I want to be part of this,” Hutjens said. “This is what we need to do.”
Shawano Pathways is a community nonprofit working to plan and facilitate the development, implementation and maintenance of a greenway and trails network within Shawano County. The group has been a leader on organizing events such as Bike the Barn Quilts.
The social, which includes a family style dinner, begins at 6 p.m. at Farm Inn on Main, 123 N. Main St. Tickets are $18 per person, and reservations are required by Tuesday. Payments can be sent to Jerry Czech, W5566 State Highway 22, Shawano, WI 54166.
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