A veteran who grew up in Vernon has taken on a major physical challenge: biking from coast to another. It is not the first time that Rick Marshall has spent time outdoors to address PTSD.
Marshall conquered the Pacific Crest Trail in 2021. Now he has expanded that journey with his recent trip via bike from West Coast to East Coast by bike.
“I wanted to see the country traveling that way,” Marshall, a retired U.S. Army Major, said.
He finished the 74-day trip this month: 69 of those days he was biking. His physical determination took him from his current home in Oregon to the place he grew up, New England.
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“I figured if I could generally do about 65 miles a day that would get me there,” Marshall said. “Next thing you know, I did a couple 100-mile days, and now I'm out of the Rockies, going through the Plains, and it's like, OK, this is all coming together. Now this is this is going to happen.”
In total, Marshall biked 4,400 miles, taking in memorable sites. One of the most memorable places he visited was in Idaho.
“It was just a really scenic ride along the river,” Marshall said “Also I I was going eastbound, but you're tracing the area. Lewis and Clark had come through.”
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Another highlight: Montana.
“They had just some really wide open valleys that were just beautiful, and just felt like you could see forever out there,” Marshall said.
The great outdoors is a safe haven for the retired Army Major.
His Army career sent him on deployment, yet Marshall says memories that stick with him are from his time serving the in Connecticut National Guard. After 9/11, he was sent to Iraq in 2004, where he witnessed three members of his platoon get killed in attacks.
Marshall has gone through therapy, but now he also turns to physical meditation.
“I think just being out in the outdoors just has a very settling, calming effect for me, for some of the things I've experienced in combat,” Marshall said. “It just allows me to step away from that and be in a calmer place and enjoy the outdoors.”
After first hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and now biking across the country, Marshall encourages other veterans to use outdoor adventures to address PTSD.
“Don't be afraid, get out there, and be willing to maybe get outside your comfort zone a little bit. And enjoy it!” he said.
His last venture, culminating in camaraderie, when he met friends in his home state of Connecticut.
“It was kind of surreal to come to come into Connecticut,” Marshall said. “It was kind of like a homecoming.”
Spending time with loved ones before crossing his personal finish line in Cape Cod, Massachusetts: from one coast to another, a physical and mental milestone.
“There were hard days. There were frustrating days,” Marshall said. “But I would say out of this entire trip. I never had a single bad day out there.”
