I had nearly eight hours on the train which led to a rich time of reflection. One question surfaced almost immediately. It was “Where can I best serve?”

Pedal Pilgrim and the Cherokee Nation’s Remember the Removal Bike Ride organization are now partnering on a Trail of Tears pilgrimage project.

If you are looking for a plan from me, I have to be honest—I don’t have one. But I do have an intention.

THE BIG LAUNCH—If all goes the way I am imagining it, I will take the months of May, June, July of next year to cycle the 4,100 miles of the Lewis and Clark Trail building the momentum for putting a pilgrimage infrastructure on this route.

‘Brian, it sounds like you are approaching this with a “ready, fire, aim” strategy.’ I wasn’t sure what he meant. “Think about it, Brian,” he said. Finally, I stated the obvious. “Oh, you mean I am firing at my target before I really know what my target is.” He smiled and said, “Bingo.”

My soul seems called to something I might name as “nurturing a pilgrimage culture.” There is a lot I don’t know about what that means yet, but two pieces are quite clear to me.