Prepared To Get Lost – Jake Baggaley

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Prepared To Get Lost – Jake Baggaley
ptgl4:08 pmOctober 20th, 2022
Prepared To Get Lost – Jake Baggaley

PREPARED TO GET LOST

With

JAKE BAGGALEY

British photographer Jake Baggaley embarks on an amalgamation adventure combining two of his passions; motorcycle trail riding and mountain trail running. Loaded with everything in his Malle Duffel, he heads out into the Pyrenees in search of the highest peaks to ride, hike, run and climb. Interview Below.

Kilometers covered: 500 km Riding /
70 km Running / Elevation 3000 m
Start location: Barcelona
Contries Covered: Spain / Catalonia
End location: Barcelona
Kit: Expedition Jacket – Desert Sand
Moto Pannier-X / Moto Duffel / Mini Dash Pack

HOW OLD WERE YOU AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START RIDING?

I was 17 when I first started riding motorcycles, Iā€™d always loved the sense of freedom. I remember seeing a film from French custom house Blitz Motorcycles and it really ignited my desire to combine my love for traveling with my love for motorcycles.

HOW DOES RIDING A MOTORCYCLE IMPACT YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE?

It definitely makes it more fun! Iā€™m more into riding trails than I am roads, so its just another excuse to get out there, create adventures and discover nature and new places!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RECENT ADVENTURE..

The idea of this adventure was a solo motorcycle trip to the Pyrenees from Barcelona, combining my love for trail riding and trail/mountain running. I spoke to my friends at Royal Enfield and they agreed to loan me a Himalayan from their Barcelona store, I packed it up with my tent & my running kit in my Malle Duffel and headed for the nearest off road trails, in the direction of the mountains! I combined a few mountain running routes around the highest peaks of the Pyrenees with some stunning off road trails (part of the TET) camping in between wherever I ended up and consistently struggling to find any vegan food other than bread and gazpacho.

Continued Below..

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THESE LONG ADVENTURES?

Very little preparation mentally, I find a trip like this is more of a mental break from the business of everyday life. Physically I train a fair bit for the trail running side of things and try and get out off road on the bike here in Dorset as much as I can, to try and become slightly less shit off road.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE ON A ROUTE?

This time I knew I wanted to go to the mountains and I knew I didnā€™t have enough time to drive somewhere and have the adventure I wanted to have, so I messaged Enfield, they said I could loan a bike in Spain, so the Pyrenees it was! Coincidentally I’d been yearning for a trip to those mountains for years, so I was pretty stoked with the outcome. All I knew was that I wanted mountains, good running spots and epic roads.

TELL US A LITTE ABOUT YOUR CHOICE OF MACHINE AND KIT..

I was on a Himalayan, its the bike Iā€™ve got at home too, I love the styling and simplicity, plenty powerful enough to take whatever you throw at it off-road and it can chug up the mountain roads even fully loaded with kit! Paired with the Malle Moto Duffel, Moto Pannier and my Expedition Jacket I could strap on enough kit to keep me self sufficient for long days of running and riding.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT TRAVELLING BY MOTORCYCLE THAT YOU FEEL IS UNIQUE TO ANY OTHER FORM OF TRAVEL?

For me it really helps you feel part of the environment, the same reason I love running trails and riding trails, you have to be so in tune with the environment youā€™re traveling through and over, I just love that rawness.

Continued Below..

DO YOU PREFER TO TRAVEL SOLO OR IN A GROUP?

A bit of both, there Is a beauty and freedom in traveling solo, but I love sharing a trip like this with good friends and itā€™s particularly useful to have someone to bounce off, especially when the going gets tough. Luckily for me on this trip my good friend Sam happened to be out in Spain in his van and joined me for a few of my longer runs, which was much appreciated!

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE NATURAL WORLD THAT INSPIRES YOU TO EXPLORE IT?

I grew up in the New Forest; camping, building shelters and running around the woods and its an impulse thats basically never left me. I really love the feeling of being connected to nature, weather thats running trails in the mountains, surfing in the ocean or riding through forest tracks.

DO YOU PREFER CAMPING OR BNBā€™S/HOTELS?

It’s good to have a mix of both, I love camping and the feeling of carrying everything you need, loaded on the bike to be self sufficient for days. But, its also nice to have a shower and a comfy bed after a long day on the trails, especially when the weathers been tough.

Continued Below..

ALTHOUGH OFTEN LONG, LONELY, EXHAUSTING AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS, WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES/REWARDS TRAVELLING BY MOTORCYCLE?

There are challenges, it can be pretty exhausting and at times pretty dangerous, I often feel a bit on the edge of my comfort zone, especially when off-road, pushing slightly above my skill level when I’m on my own. But the rewards speak for themselves, the freedom and the fact that the journey is the best part of the whole trip no matter what the destination is, is the reward!

TELL US ABOUT SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE ADVENTURES?

Iā€™ve been lucky enough to have some pretty fun adventures, some of the highlights include driving across Europe, Central Asia and Siberia to Mongolia and a road trip up the length of India and Sri Lanka driving Tuk-Tuks.

Iā€™ve also done a fair bit of mountain running, most notably attempting a speed record on a 100km mountain route in a pretty remote area of the Caucasus mountains in Svaneti, Georgia.

My background in social/documentary photography has also got me in some pretty different and adventurous situations, photographing families living in the exclusion zone of Chernobyl and ā€˜Real Life superheroesā€™ living in Brooklyn, New York.

This is one of my first foreign bike adventures, but I hope to be adding many more to this list in the not too distant future!

Continued Below..

PREPARE FOR THE ADVENTURE

WHAT IS THE WORST / MOST DANGEROUS / MOST LOST SITUATION YOUā€™VE BEEN IN?

Iā€™ve been pretty lucky to not really be in too many dangerous situations myself, Iā€™ve stayed in a couple of places with gunfire outside, once staying in Kiev in a slightly dodgy neighbourhood someone was shot outside my window and I remember camping in a disputed territory between Armenia and Turkey and there being more gunfire overnight, but we never really felt in danger ourselves.

I think the closest Iā€™ve come to being in danger on an adventure was during the speed record run in Georgia, I came to a river crossing where my old Soviet map showed there should be a bridge, unfortunately the glacier melt had washed the bridge away. So I attempted to cross the river to avoid a 30km detour of extra running, the water was super strong and freezing cold, there was a point when I lost my footing and thought for a second I was completely f*cked.

HOW DID YOU GET OUT OF IT?

I came to my senses and realised the detour (and ultimately failing my speed record) was the smarter option than ending up washed down the river and possibly drowning!

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO NEW RIDERS EMBARKING ON LONG MOTORCYCLE TRIPS?

Just head out and do it! I had put off proper motorcycle adventures for so long and now Iā€™ve started I wish Iā€™d been doing this for years. Invest in decent gear if you can, but ultimately just commit yourself to doing a trip then go do it! You wonā€™t regret it!

HOW HAS THIS KIND OF FREEDOM/ADVENTURE INSPIRED OTHER PARTS OF YOUR LIFE?

Iā€™m pretty lucky that my life as a commercial photographer includes quite a bit of freedom and adventure to the point that it is a large part of my lifestyle. Iā€™ve never wanted to have a ā€˜proper job; (I actually got fired from 2 of the very few jobs iā€™ve ever had) and would choose adventure/freedom over money/security any day!

Continued Below..

WHAT IS THE NEXT ADVENTURE?

Iā€™ve got a few fun things in the pipeline, a Paramotor trip above the pyramids in Egypt is coming up in December, if all the planning goes well! Motorcycle wise, Iā€™m planning a surf/motorcycle trip with some friends soon, which if it comes together will be epic!

Connect with Jake

Prepare for the Adventure

  • Prepared To Get Lost?

    At Malle, our mission is to create more noble products and experiences that enable us to confidently explore and appreciate the natural world around us.
    If you have an adventure that you feel we should know about please get in touch and we hope to support you in one way or another.

    info@mallelondon.com

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