NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (AP) - Ben Ferguson has always been ready for an adventure.
As a child, he constantly went on hikes with his family all across the Northeast. As he got older, his interest in the outdoors grew, and last year, he traveled the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, one of longest hiking trails in the world.
This summer, the 22-year-old North Andover resident will undertake his greatest challenge yet. Starting June 18, Ferguson plans to bike across the country on behalf of Bike and Build, an organization which raises funds for affordable housing projects. Throughout their journey, participants stop in hundreds of communities to meet local residents and spread awareness about affordable housing.
In order to participate, bikers must raise at least $4,500 by June 18 and log a minimum of 500 miles on their bikes. The entire trip will last 75 days and 3,993 miles, numbers which excite Ferguson, a Dartmouth College senior studying earth science and creative writing.
“I really like adventures and exploring new areas,” Ferguson said. “I also really like small towns and cultural areas, which is what we’re going to be sticking to on this trip. We’re not traveling on major highways. I’m very excited.”
In 2014, Ferguson spent five months hiking the Appalachian Trail, which stretches 2,180 miles across 14 different states. Along the way, he met many individuals whose only home was the trail itself. Those interactions sparked his interest in affordable housing, and several months after returning from his trip, he heard a presentation from a friend who had participated in Bike and Build in 2012.
“I always grew up with a house, and I can’t imagine what life would be like without one. It’s where you feel safe,” Ferguson said. “The idea that people don’t have that is astonishing.”
According to Bike and Build’s official website, the organization has contributed over $4.5 million to housing groups over the last 10 years to help fund projects constructed by the hundreds of volunteer bikers each year. After hearing about the group’s work, Ferguson signed up almost immediately.
“(Biking cross country) was always something I always wanted to do, but I didn’t know anything about affordable housing,” Ferguson said. “Now that I’m learning more about it, it’s just another reason to do this trip.”
Bike and Build sponsors eight different routes, each one beginning on the East Coast and ending on the West Coast, according to Ferguson. Ferguson’s route begins in Portland, Maine, and concludes in Santa Barbara, Calif. Before embarking on their journey, the 31 bikers in Ferguson’s group will dip their bike tires into the Atlantic Ocean. They will do the same in the Pacific Ocean once they reach their final destination.
Each participate must raise at least $4,500 by June 18. They must also log a minimum of 500 miles on their bikes, which Bike and Build provides after a participant reaches the $1,000 fundraising mark.
According to Ferguson, bikers will ride nearly every day from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. They will stay in community centers, churches and other public areas to speak about the importance of affordable housing. At least one day during the week, Ferguson said the group will assist in the building of housing project in the communities they visit.
Although he says he has never biked more than 40 miles a day, Ferguson remains committed to the challenge of this summer’s trip. With the winter weather finally gone, he said he’ll be training daily in Hanover, N.H., where he goes to school. In addition to his normal school work, he’ll be busy with a “very intense curriculum” provided by Bike and Build, which will give him more background on the organization and its goals.
As he prepares for his greatest adventure yet, Ferguson remembers those people he met on the Appalachian Trail who inspired him to join the Bike and Build movement.
“Those people were wonderful,” Ferguson said. “Talking with them about affordable housing, it just seems like something everyone should have. I’m starting to realize more and more how important it is.”
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