Gray clouds threatened as I rolled down the driveway at 9 AM Monday morning – a day late on my holiday.  I tentatively leaned through the familiar curves of the road into town and was pleased to note that the extra weight on the bike did not affect its stability there was just more substance and heft to the movements.  I cleared the tenth traffic light, passed the last gas station and eased into the right lane preparing to enter the freeway.  I knew I wouldn’t really feel like the adventure had begun until at least the beginning of day two but I was impatient to get some real wind moving past my helmet.  Second gear onto the freeway on ramp and the Rotax engine wound up almost as if it sensed my own urgency.  Highway speed “plus” I merged onto the TransCanada, my 2002  F650 Dakar was finally going to carry me into an part of the world where its true capabilities would be tested.

 

 I skipped the first fuel stop in Hope, about 40 minutes east, where I had planned to top off the tank but did stop to make sure my luggage was secure. Further east in “Historic Yale” I reached up and flicked on my new GoPro helmet camera to capture the ride through the Fraser Canyon.  I have been through this canyon many times over the years and knew I should get at least a few good clips for enjoyment later.  In addition to the GoPro, I have a point and shoot digital camera easily accessed from a front pocket on Aerostich and secured to me by a lanyard around my neck. 

Yale currently has a population of about 200 but is the historic head of navigation on the south Fraser River.  This was the drop off point for the thousands of gold miners trekking into central BC during the gold rush of the mid 1800’s and is now a popular drop in point for river rafters. Just as it was for miners 150 years ago, despite my familiarity with this route, I had more of the “I’m finally on the road” feeling.  Passing through tunnels in “the Canyon”  I pondered the early immigrants force to work (sometimes to their death)  carving the early road through this wilderness.

I had intended on leaving Sunday morning, bright and early.  Unfortunately, Saturday had several surprises but now, tonight, I'm finally packed and ready to go.  So, I'm off to bet, lots of thoughts to ponder tomorrow when I finally head north.  I look forward to more writing tomorrow!

   A long, lonely road   Depression motivates Doug Janzen to ride  
By Paul J. Henderson, The Times June 16, 2011

 Doug Janzen is riding his 2002 BMW 650 Dakar 3,600 kilometres from Chilliwack to Inuvik to raise awareness about depression. Photograph by: Paul J. Henderson, TIMES When Doug Janzen tells people he is going to ride a motorcycle from Chilliwack to Inuvik, he knows they might think he's out of his mind.

And that's part of the point.

Janzen is hopping on his 2002 BMW 650 Dakar and leaving on a 3,600-kilometre journey on Father's Day to raise awareness about depression.

"When I talk to people or listen to people tell me about their depression experience, they feel very alone, very remote and that's the kind of thing I'm going to experience," he told the Times. "I'm going to be alone and isolated."

Another part of the analogy for Janzen is that depression can also be a "dangerous" place. The last 500 gravel kilometres of the Dempster Highway can be a treacherous and dangerous one indeed.

"If the road is in good shape and the weather is sunny, it's a good road," Janzen said. "But if there is rain or sinkholes it can be awful."

His departure on Father's Day is also a dedication to all the fathers of children fighting depression.

"Everyone knows someone with depression but nobody wants to talk about it," he said. "If people started to talk openly about depression, those who battle it would be more likely to get proper treatment; the stigma would be reduced."

Janzen said he has known half a dozen people who have committed suicide, which often can be the outcome of untreated depression.

His journey is more about raising awareness than funds, but if people want to donate, he hopes they will do so to the FORCE (Families Organized for Recognition and Care Equality Society) Society for Kids' Mental Health, which provides support and connections with other families dealing with depression.

"They are fantastic," Janzen said. "Because when teenagers are stricken with something like depression, it's very difficult to tell what's normal teenage behaviour and what's the disease."

Of course, for all the talk about raising awareness about depression, many off-road motorcycle enthusiasts will be jealous of his trip.

"It's not like something nobody has ever done before, and people have even done it solo," Janzen said. "I just thought I could make something useful out of a selfish trip."

- For more on FORCE visit www.force-society.com, and Janzen's journey can be followed at www.road2blue.com.

phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com

- - -

" When teenagers are stricken with . . . depression, it's very difficult to tell what's normal teenage

behaviour and what's

the disease." Doug Janzen

© Copyright (c) Chilliwack Times                 
        

Read more: http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/life/long+lonely+road/4959245/story.html#ixzz1PXcu39QZ

Well this should be interesting.  I spent a few hours today issuing a press release to 20 individual reporters in communities along the route I will be travelling (had to find out who the reporters were, dig out their contact info, and then an individual email was sent out).  Just like everything other project I've taken on lately, this component seemed so easy and straightforward when I started.  It is done and I'm looking forward t 

PRESS RELEASE                                                                 

 

Isolated, Alone and in Danger

June 19, Douglas Janzen will leave his home in Chilliwack BC to ride a motorcycle alone and unsupported to Inuvik in Canada’s high arctic.  His purpose is to bring attention to approximately one in eight youth in Canada who struggle with Clinical Depression feeling isolated and alone every day.  Clinical Depression, often undiagnosed and untreated, is a leading cause of suicide.  

Janzen is leaving on Fathers Day to ride for “all the Fathers who have children fighting depression”  and expects to be home in early July.   He will be travelling through one of  Canada’s more remote areas where it is more common to see wild animals such as wolves and bears than to see another human.  He will be isolated and alone in an area where even a minor mishap could have very serious consequences.

Douglas states that his journey is the physical representation of a mind troubled by Clinical Depression.  “Everyone knows someone with Depression but nobody wants to talk about it,” says Douglas.  “If people started to talk openly about Depression, those who battle it would be more likely to get proper treatment; the stigma would be reduced.”  Many high achieving people such as Clara Hughes, Harrison Ford, Janet Jackson and Winston Churchill have successfully battled Clinical Depression.

Depression can be difficult to detect in teens but experts advise that “early diagnosis and aggressive treatment can be the difference between a full, normal, productive life or no life at all.”  A family doctor can diagnose Clinical Depression very quickly but often parents don’t realize their children are struggling.

Parents of youth with Clinical Depression are challenged to find support and information that would help them deal with what their children are facing.   FORCE Society (Families Organized for Recognition and Care Equality) provides families with an opportunity to speak with other families who understand and may be able to offer support or advice on what has worked for them.  FORCE Society also works with professionals and serves as an advocate in this area of mental health 

Douglas hopes his journey will encourage more open conversation about Depression and that people will contribute to FORCE Society.  More information is available at www.forcesociety.com or on Janzen’s website www.road2blue.com where you can also follow his progress by satellite tracking.

Today was about water.  It actually started last night with a never ending irrigation project at the farm.  I needed to leave today for a conference and had some stops along the way but last night, the finishing touches on the irrigation system were leaking.  I was awake very early to fix things up but I still didn’t get away until too late to do all I wanted to do. 

 

I rode in the rain most of the day. Ironic that an irrigation project made me late and I ended up riding in the rain because of it.  We’ve all seen those poor cyclists and motorcyclists making their way through a deluge…today it was me.  After 4 hours, it was getting “a little old,” until I started to think.

This ride to the conference was an opportunity to pinpoint packing problems and sort out my electronic stuff.  Rain was a good opportunity to see if my gear would help or hinder through inclement weather.  It was a great opportunity to sharpen my riding skills and get some miles under my belt in preparation for my journey. 

The water washed over my helmet, faceshield and riding suit.  I thought about why I was taking this ride and what role water and rain can play when one is depressed.  Many people talk about Seasonal Affected Disorder and how those grey days can have such a negative affect on mood.  While the relentless rain can be formidable there is another angle.

I was talking to a friend the other day who fights depression and sees water as a friend.  When she feels a slump looming, one of the first things she does is have a long shower or bath and give herself a good hard scrubbing…like she’s washing the Depression away.

Water is a cleanser. 

I contemplated that as I rode through the rain and wondered if a lot of people battling depression took the same approach or is it different for everyone?

So much to do and so little time!  This week is a test run to make sure the electronics are all going to work for  the big trip.  I leave Tuesday morning on my road bike (not the one that is going to carry me north but more of a touring style motorcycle - more "low slung", big windshield, geared higher) for a business meeting in western Alberta.  What will I be testing?  If you follow my "where am I" page, I hope my satellite tracker will show my path through the Okanagan and out to Alberta.  I've got a videocam attached to the side of my helmet so I"ll be trying a few different shots with that....may even post a few on here.  I need to make sure my GPS is set up properly and also have a satellite radio that I want to check out.  On the way home, I'll have a satellite phone that my employer (Thanks so much FCC!!) is letting me borrow for emergency purposes.  I want to make sure I know how that works (and that it does).  Finally, this will be the first test to see how packing is going to work (I'll take everything with me that I would be taking up north except tires and spare gas).  Yes I will be packing a different bike but it will help to see how it all fits together.  Of course, before I go, I've got a few things on the farm that have to be put in order so that things don't get too out of hand while I'm away.  Should be a great week, check in here and I'll let you know how the inaugural

First of all, it is remote and challenging. The most common first response I've had when people hear where I'm going is..."you're crazy."  Indeed, that is the response I want because I want people to raise the topic of being "crazy" so that I can lead them to consider that just because someone has a mental health challenge doesn't mean they should be derrogatorily referred to as "crazy."  We all need to think about our preconceptions when we see someone who is acting in a way we think is not "normal."  So rather than talk about someone as being "crazy", let's figure out what makes them act the way they do and refer to them correctly.

But I'm off track...the Dempster....Why else?  From about the turn of the last century until the early 1920's, traditionally a troup of RCMP would trek from Dawson City to Ft McPherson (about 500 miles) during the months of December/January to bring mail and dispatches to the northern community.  December 1910 , a troup left Ft McPherson for Dawson but never arrived...RCMP archives refer to it as the "Lost Patrol".   Near the end of January 1911 (hey...100 years ago this year...how is that for a connection?), the RCMP office in Dawson realized the troup was missing so they sent out a search party under the leadership of  Corporal John Dempster.  The missing troop was eventually located near the end of March.  Two of the party had made the trek back to within about 35 km of their starting point at Ft McPherson...these two were found last having starved to death.  The first two members were found in an open camp about half way between the two communities, one starved to death, the other dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head.  The Dempster Highway was named for Corporal John Dempster and roughly follows the trail  the Lost Patrol would have been seeking.  The suicide...lost hope...is the first tie to my journey.

My goal with this project has always been about making people more aware of the mental health and particularly Clinical Depression.  So as I watch the number of site "hits" increasing, more twitter followers, people talking about the project and the site and what a great idea it is....I'm pleasantly  surprised and very humbled that my idea could have an impact.  It is still just  a little project, but people are talking about and it seems to being doing some good out there.  A friend approached my wife recently to find out more about this crazy project and as they talked my wife discovered it was more than just a random conversation.  This friend was worried about his child so they talked about  children's behavior and how they should act in certain situations.  If a parent is concerned, what do they do?  Who should they turn to?  These are questions that need to become more commonplace in discussing mental health.  None of us likes to see our kids get sick, but if its cancer or a broken bone or diabetes, why is it so much easier to talk about than if its clinical depression, or bi-polar, or schizophrenia?  Hey at least some people are talking abouth this....and that is the beginning!

Hey, less than a month to go.  Had to change my leave date from June 16 to June 1 due to my daughter's year end dance performance, but that is hardly a sacrifice, she's a great dancer.  Made the decision today to start the journey with fresh tires so I've got some new highway tires coming which will take me to Dawson and I'll carry knobbies along with me to change for the Dempster.  While I was ordering tires, I decided to pick up a GoPro video cam for documentary purposes.  I will also be using a Lumix ZS7 for stills so the photography should be covered.  Follow me on Twitter @road2blue. 

road2blue has been in the planning for about 5 years....this year the timing is finally  right.  Two of the biggest delays have been technology and figuring out where any donations should be going.
 
How did I chose F.O.R.C.E?  Partly it was a recommendation (I talked to a few medical professionals to find out which organizations might be appropriate) but a lot of it was wanting the money to go where it would benefit most.  I honestly don't think I'm going to raise millions of $, this is really about awareness.  I think one of the most important things about F.O.R.C.E. for Kids is that it helps families understand what is going on in the mind of a child or sibling and helps to provide support and resources to deal with some very difficult issues. 

More later...this is my first blog and my first post.  We'll see how it works.  Send me an email, maybe I can help tell your story here.  That is what road 2blue is all about...encouraging conversation about mental illness so that we can help each other cope.  Thanks for reading!