Local Loops Riders with Kari & Jonathan Wilderness, Bikepacking and the Roads Less Travelled

Backpacking together

You’ve both built a life around adventure on two wheels. What first sparked your love for bikepacking and the kind of journeys you share today?

Fun fact: when Jonathan was on his first bikepacking trip, that took him from his home country France to the north of Norway, where Kari lived, we met for the first time and settled down together. Since then, Kari calls him her prince on a bike.

Jonathan introduced Kari to gravel bikepacking and we went on our first trip together crossing parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland while wild camping in the Scandinavian wilderness.

After that first trip we have gone on many bikepacking trips, both solo and together. Jonathan made Kari discover a love for cycling, both bikepacking and road biking. Jonathan’s love for cycling began when he was little. Ever since, he has never stopped riding: MTB, gravel and road bike.

Favourite Bikepacking Routes in Scandinavia for Wilderness and Silence

You’ve ridden through some incredible places. Are there any routes or regions that stand out as favourites…ones that still inspire you every time you think back?

While many people long for cities and people, we really long for wilderness, silence and to be alone on lost roads. Bikepacking in Scandinavia therefore suits us very well. The long repetitive stretches feed our souls and allow us to dream, get inspired and connect with nature. The massive forest areas in Sweden and the Norwegian coastline are two favourites that stand out.

Bikepacking Gear Setup for Harsh Weather and Long Distance Comfort

Spending weeks on the road must test every part of your setup. What do you look for in the gear you take with you, especially when conditions can change so quickly?

Our equipment has really had its trials on long trips with changing and, at times, really harsh conditions. We look for bags and clothing that are highly resistant, perfectly water proof as well as comfortable. Our Pedla kits definitely make sure to keep us comfortable on long days on the saddle. We pack as light as we can, bringing only what we really need. We therefore choose to sleep in hammocks instead of a tent, and we have limited space for extra clothing or comfort items.

Creativity and Values Behind Their Bikepacking Life

You’ve chosen to create everything yourselves, no AI tools, no shortcuts. What does creativity mean to you, and how do you keep your work so genuine and human?

Important values of ours are expansion and growth, which means that we believe in working hard to reach our goals. We believe that taking shortcuts and the easy way out of situations will have the opposite effect. It will make you save time in the moment, but it won’t teach you anything or make you grow in any way. We are worried about the direction that the world is taking and what it makes of us, our ability to think and create. To use AI instead of for example “google search” or “google translate”, to explain something or streamline simple tasks is one thing, but to use AI to create for you instead of using your own creativity and imagination will be more destructive than of help long-term, we believe.

Pihoqahiak Message and What They Hope People Take Away

Through Pihoqahiak, you’ve started sharing more about your message and speaking work. What do you hope people take away from your talks and the stories you tell?

The message that we wish to share with the world is that there is always a way for the one who seeks, for the one who dares to step out of the comfort zone, for the one who dares to do things differently to achieve different results.

We want to inspire people to really reach for their goals, to do what makes them happy and to never look back. We want to demonstrate that we are not stuck as human beings: we can change, we can get new jobs, we can change our minds over and over again and we can move. In today’s society our possessions tend to own and control us - we know that freedom is on the other side of this.

Connection to ourselves, to nature and to other people is key to living a happy and fulfilled life.

Nature, Responsibility and Future Bikepacking Adventures

You often speak about nature and our place within it. What do you think humanity’s responsibility is when it comes to respecting and preserving the world we explore?

We are so lucky to get to explore this beautiful and perfectly designed planet with its ecosystems, animal life and wonders. We believe that we have no greater rights than the animals that we share the planet with, and we most definitely don’t have the right to destroy it. We believe that every action counts, even how small it might seem.

We don’t believe in stopping to live our lives, completely stopping to travel or stopping to consume. But to live in a modern way while taking consciousness of our actions. We believe in traveling smarter, consuming less, repairing, buying second hand, recycling and making actions for our environment. We can’t focus on everything all at once, but we can choose a main environment to support (ocean, forest, glacier…).

Looking ahead, what’s next on the horizon, any new adventures or creative projects you’re excited to share?

We are currently working on several exciting movies that will be released in 2026. The first one is about a rather stormy ski expedition in the Norwegian winter mountains while the second one will be about our previous bikepacking trip in Eastern Europe.

Apart from that we are always looking forward to going on more adventures. We will most definitely do something this winter season, but exactly when and where is yet to be decided. And of course, there will be a new bikepacking adventure next summer!