Klaus Luttgen is a long way from home. He recently arrived to B.C. from Cologne, Germany with a bicycle and a yearning to fulfill a childhood dream.
Luttgen had always dreamt of experiencing Canada, and especially the North.
"When the others would play football or learned in school my dream was always in my head of being in the north," said Luttgen.
He never dreamt he'd be doing it on a bike, but when his father died in 2008, Luttgen began planning. And his journey now involves not only the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, but a means of mourning his father, and honouring his memory.
He said that the solitude of his trip, gives him time to process his father's death.
And when Luttgen's father died, he left him a considerable number of "decorations" from the Cologne carnival, which Luttgen is now doling out as medallions for every person who helps him along his way.
The last one that he gave was to a man who saw him cycling along the highway in the pouring rain and he offered him a ride into town. For his generosity, Luttgen gave him one of his fathers mementos.
Luttgen hopes to ultimately end up in Valdez, Alaska and then to Skagway, where he will take the ferry back down to Vancouver Island.
He has completed 1,800 kilometres to date and his entire trip will be in excess of 5,000 kilometres. He estimates his trip will take him four months to complete.
And the challenge is enhanced by his choice of bicycles - he's riding a simple road bike with a small carriage towing clothing and his tent. Luttgen claims the bike weighs quite a bit.
"Most people would go absolutely high-end with their bicycles but I did it the other way."
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