Now in its ninth year, Swift Campout is a global call to adventurous spirits, encouraging people to pack up gear and pedal to their favorite camping spot during the summer solstice. The event weaves together communities from all over the world and showcases each communities’ distinctive love affair with cycling. To capture the magic of the event, we’ve called upon a handful of shops and individuals to design an overnighter that takes folks to their favorite local site– those tasked with leading the rides are called, Navigators. Each Navigator will have their own feature that tells a bit about them and their Campout.
Say howdy to Andrea Molina, a seasoned bikepacker hailing from El Salvador, who loves building community through bikes and social justice.
Hi, Andrea! Tell us a little about yourself!
I love cats, bikes and snack breaks. I just completed a multiyear bikepacking trip from México to Patagonia and has relocated in her native tropical El Salvador. I hope to get more people hyped about bike camping. My group will be the first group from Central America to ever join a Swift Campout! Let’s go!
What does Swift Campout mean to you?
Camping with friends is my favorite thing. Did I mention I like bikes too? For years, I’ve been excited to join a Swift Campout. So I’m super pumped to organize a little group from El Salvador this year. Camping around the big cities is not easy, especially in densely populated areas like San Salvador. But I’m excited to bring bike-camping culture to El Salvador and explore new parts of the country with friends on bikes. I look forward to the conversations that happen during the snack breaks, the knowledge exchange at the campsite, the camaraderie during dinner and the magic that happens around the camp fire. These experiences can be life-changing and I’m so happy Swift promotes them every year! I look forward to sharing my love for the outdoors and bike-camping while building community with rad folks in my hometown. I’m also committed to celebrating and uplifting the very few but important bike initiatives happening here in Central America!
Can you tell us a bit about your Campout this year? Anything meaningful about your route and why you want to share this with your community?
@utatlan.sv – This is a very nice permaculture/conversation site. We will be camping here and learning about the reforestation efforts folks at Utatlan are doing. We’re excited to bring folks into this space that is doing so much to preserve native vegetation, fauna and agricultural practices. We hope to learn about permaculture and even harvest some fruit while we’re there! El Salvador has a lot of tropical fruits and those make great snacks!
Can you drop some registration info & how to register?
It’s going to be a small crew and probably invitation-based. We’ re hoping for 6-8 people 🙂
Routes Details:
Difficulty: Easy – Great for newcomers to bicycle touring who are comfortable on the road and ready to expand their skills. Terrain will be mostly paved with some hard packed gravel/dirt rail trail routes. Terrain: paved.
Expected Ride Pace: 10-12 mph
Distance: 13 miles
