In the latest installment of our special edition podcast, Orogenesis Dispatches, Josh Weinberg talks with adventure cyclist Kurt Refsnyder, who is riding the entire trail from the US border with Canada all the way to Mexico.

Kurt checks in from Bridgeport, California, about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) into the 5,000-mile (8,000 km) route. From there, with it being nearly halfway through the route, he reflects on challenges that have included substantial sections of deadfall in Oregon, smoke and fires in Idaho, and unexpectedly hard sections like a soft rail bed in Northern California. He also reveals a feeling of relief being in California, where the trails are more established for bikes, and deadfall will hopefully be less of a concern.

The bulk of the conversation addresses reader/listener-submitted questions that span a multitude of topics, including using an electronic drive train over a mechanical one, riding without a chamois pad, how he chooses camping spots, the daily joys of waking up on the trail, and what lies ahead.