Wednesday, July 25, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
17
Veterad stops id Sisters od trads-America trek
By Craig Rullman
Correspondent
San Jose, California native
Brythnie Tobar, 28, is no
stranger to challenges. After
six years in the Navy conduct-
ing combat intelligence, sur-
veillance, and reconnaissance
missions as a radar operator
on P3-Orion aircraft, she has
already tackled the Pacific
Crest Trail, and on Monday
morning she rode off from
Sisters and over the Cascades
on the last leg of a 4,320 mile
bike ride across the United
States.
Travelling as a mem-
ber of Warrior Expeditions,
Brythnie’s cycling feat began
on May 16 in Yorktown,
Vi r g i n i a , w h e r e L o r d
Cornwallis surrendered British
forces to George Washington
in 1781, effectively ending the
War for Independence.
Tobar has triumphed over
a number of challenges on her
journey, from vehicles unwill-
ing to share the road to torren-
tial rains and extremely high
winds in Kansas.
Early in her adventure
she suffered a terrible crash
in Kentucky, and later was
forced to deal with an explod-
ing can of bear spray that she
treated by applying a pint of
ice cream to the painful burn.
“I actually bought two
pints of ice cream,” Tobar
told The Nugget with a smile.
“One to lather my legs, and
‘Climate kids’
suit against
government
allowed
PORTLAND (AP) — A
lawsuit filed by young activ-
ists who say the government
is failing to protect them from
climate change is still alive.
In San Francisco on Friday,
the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals rejected the govern-
ment’s second request for an
order directing a lower court
to dismiss the case.
The lawsuit, brought by
21 children and young adults,
asserts the government has
long known that carbon pollu-
tion causes climate change but
has failed to curb greenhouse
gas emissions. They are seek-
ing various environmental
remedies.
The judges said the gov-
ernment’s first request failed
to meet the high bar for hav-
ing the case dismissed at this
stage.
A trial is set to begin
October 29 in Eugene.
one to eat.”
Brythnie credits her mother
and her experiences in the
Navy for the grit required to
complete the trip.
“My family doesn’t know
how to quit,” Tobar said. “I
just keep telling myself there
is no quitting, you just have to
make it to the end. And a lot of
that comes from the military.
There is a sense that we are all
suffering together, but we are
going to make it.”
Prior to her trans-America
bike ride Brythnie had very
little cycling experience, but
after another veteran dropped
out she was happy to step up
and take the opening.
Warrior Expeditions,
founded in 2012 by Marine
Corps veteran Sean Gobin as
a means for qualified military
veterans to unwind their expe-
riences in the outdoors, pro-
vides all of the equipment nec-
essary for the trip, and Tobar
has “fallen in love” with the
Trek 920 that has carried her
across the United States and,
miraculously, without a single
flat tire.
Tobar is grateful to the
many people who have
assisted her across the country.
She has bunked in churches,
fire halls, private resi-
dences, city parks, and a few
hotels while cycling through
Appalachia, the Great Plains,
the Rocky Mountains, and
finally Oregon.
She has benefitted from
numerous small acts of kind-
ness, too.
“Sometimes just a small
thing, like a thumbs-up from
somebody passing in a car,
gives you that second wind to
just keep pushing.”
Brythnie isn’t sure how she
will process all of the thoughts
and emotions from such an
enormous undertaking when
the ride finally ends on the
beach in Astoria.
“It’s a lot,” she said. “It
may take a while, but I think
being able to finish the whole
Brythnie Tobar, 28,
stopped in Sisters on a
bicycle trek across the U.S.
PHOTO BY CRAIG RULLMAN
ride, and still wanting to ride
after, is a good start.”
When she finally steps
off the bike and into the cold
Pacific Ocean Brythnie will
return to her studies at San
Jose State University, where
she is pursuing a degree in
nursing.
Before kitting out her bike
and riding out of Sisters early
Monday, Tobar offered a few
quiet words of advice for the
rest of us: “Do something for
yourself. Challenge yourself.
Don’t give up.”