Kenny and his family’s epic adventure

When 10-year-old Kenny looks back on 2024, all other memories fade in comparison to his family’s epic adventure, and how they achieved an unforgettable milestone together.

His parents Darek and Christine Lauber moved with their five children — Nichalas, Alyssa, Tanisha, DJ and Kenny — to our neighbourhood in 2017.

Darek grew up in Akwesasne, exploring the outdoors on the reserve as a child and experiencing the rich cultural traditions of his ancestors. Both Darek and Christina, who spent her early years in Six Nations, stress the value of family heritage to their children and encourage an active life exploring nature.

After their move to our neighbourhood it didn’t take long for Kenny and his four older siblings to make friends while rollerblading or skateboarding up and down Wall Road. Most summer afternoons they could be found exploring Four Mile Creek or the shoreline nearby.

The spring of 2024 marked the 10th anniversary of Darek’s mother passing away from cancer. The family wanted to do something special to mark the occasion.

“The kids came up with the idea to ride our bikes to Cornwall. That’s where my mom lived and we still have family,” said Darek.

Inspired by Terry Fox, the kids also had other goals they hoped to achieve along the way — to improve their fitness, make new friends, enjoy time in nature, go fishing and to simply prove that they could safely make the 650-kilometre journey ending in Cornwall, Ontario.

After several months of planning, the kids, ages 10 to 19, wheeled their bicycles out early in the morning of Aug. 2 with their parents.  They had no specialized equipment, just regular street bikes. Darek hauled a homemade trailer carrying about 250 pounds of camping gear and supplies, trading off occasionally with his oldest son Nichalas.

Pedalling through Toronto on day three was a challenge, they explained, battling traffic, intense heat and humidity.

They encountered their first major hurdle in Port Hope on day four when the back sprocket on Darek’s bike gave out. The rain poured down while he searched for spare parts in town.

They were already feeling the pinch of a very limited budget. Darek said he was ready to give up, but the rest of the family remained firm in their commitment.

After five long days the little caravan once again hit the open road. The Waterfront Trail was not an efficient way to make time between towns and they opted to take Highway 2 when possible, he said.

“We had to be careful of what we could handle with such an age difference. We couldn’t really plan how far we could go or where we would spend the night. We’d set up in fields, conservation areas, sometimes along the lakeshore. “

They relied on simple camping meals, shopping for staples each day to eliminate extra weight. Stopping for coffee at Tim Hortons was the perk to get rolling in the mornings but those became few and far between in the rural areas.

“Some days it took a long time to get going in the mornings because we’d have to make breakfast and repack the tent,” said Christina.

On those days they would ride from 10 a.m. to late afternoon, when they would prepare a meal and rest before starting off again when the heat was less intense. On a few occasions they rode until the wee hours of the morning, and if the weather cooperated they slept under the stars.

When asked about the challenges, Christina was quick to respond. “Having enough water to stay hydrated was tough because we couldn’t carry the extra weight. And the hills! Once we got past Port Hope there were so many hills,” she said.

“We were each carrying full knapsacks and saddle bags so it got really hard at times. One time after a really long climb we were out of water. We came to a little stand that said free cucumbers. They were a life saver! A lady came out and offered us water as well.”

On a few occasions they found aggressive drivers unnerving, and Christina was deliberately squeezed off the road into a ditch at one point. The smirk on the driver’s face when they met at a stop sign forged a deeper sense of compassion and strengthened their resolve to care for each other on the days to follow, she explained.

Kenny happily recounted acts of kindness along the way when people offered drinks to the thirsty crew. His eyes lit up as he told about reaching a Tim Hortons at closing hour and were gifted three bags of doughnuts, bagels and hot chocolate to go.

Arriving at the Napanee River was one of the highlights of the trip as they plunged into the sparkling waters and recuperated before pushing on for the final 200 kilometres.

After 11 days of adventures and aching muscles, the weary travellers pedalled past the sign welcoming them to Cornwall. A solid night’s sleep was followed with a turkey dinner the next day and plenty of storytelling with family gathered around the table.

Another highlight for Kenny was celebrating his sister Tanisha’s birthday at the all-you-can-eat buffet at Jack Lee’s Chinese Restaurant. Loading up his plate with refills of ribs and breaded shrimp more than compensated for their simple fare on the road, he said.

When it became clear  Kenny and Alyssa’s bikes were in no condition to make the long journey home the two of them happily accepted the decision to return by bus. Darek, Christina, DJ, Tanisha and Nichalas began the long return journey, this time with a clear idea of the route. Six days later, after logging close to 1,200 kilometres on their bikes, the exhausted travellers made it home at 3 a.m. on Sept. 4.

Would they do this again? “Definitely!” was the resounding reply.

“The experience was really valuable to us as a family. We had different strengths and limits to how far we could push ourselves. Each person had their ‘breaking points’ but we stuck together through it all,” said Darek emphatically, while Christina nodded in agreement. “Nothing can replace the memories we made!”

Kenny was thoughtful when asked about his favourite memory. It was tough to choose he said, but there was one that he will never forget.

Riding country roads late at night with only the moon and stars to light their way were the times that were the most special. Their eyes adjusted to the dark, and it was cool and peaceful with no traffic. One time his parents saw a wolf illuminated in the moonlight, standing on a rock beside the road.

Tanisha said she felt proud that the presence of their ancestors took care of them along the way.

There were no crowds to cheer them on when they were pushing through the pain or to welcome them home after their epic journey, just the deeply-rooted satisfaction of what they achieved together.

Their remarkable accomplishment is a testimony to the power of love, forged by sheer tenacity.

They know their Nana would be proud too!