Imagine sitting at a snowmobile club meeting and hearing a 62-year-old man announce his plans for a 6,437-kilometre-long international trip that would take him through five states, four provinces and one territory, for the purpose of raising money for the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. Would you think he was crazy? Or, would you want to join him on this incredible journey?
Jack Nelson, of Nelson’s Speed Shop in Greenville, Michigan—one of the largest snowmobile dealerships in America—didn’t think Bill Bradfield was crazy and was the first sponsor of MichCanSka. The vice-president of Bradfield’s local snowmobile club, the Cadillac Winter Warriors, vouched for Bradfield’s sanity when he agreed to have the club as a sponsor. Some 90 sledders who read about Bradfield’s plans in the Michigan Snowmobile Association’s magazine thought he had the right idea—in fact, they wanted to join in on the action.
Bradfield said that many of those who contacted him professed a lifelong desire to be a part of a long snowmobiling trip. In addition, Bradfield’s charity of choice seemed to get people excited about MichCanSka. Diabetes is a disease that millions of North Americans have a personal connection with—including Bradfield himself.
“I’m a Vietnam War veteran and I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes because of my exposure to Agent Orange,” said Bradfield. “I picked diabetes research because for years when I was still working as a sheet metal worker in the Detroit area, we had annual fundraisers for the Diabetes Research Institute in America. Once a year we’d do picnics and parties, or we’d collect money on street corners, to fund building a research centre in Miami, Florida. Those were my reasons for choosing to fundraise for diabetes research.”
Bradfield announced his plans in October of 2008, after having contemplated the idea of a large-scale sledding journey for a few years. When things got serious, a committee was formed in May 2009, with Bradfield elected president. The sledders involved were split into three groups, and months were spent organizing the logistics—what would the route be? Where would they stop? How far would they go each day?
What about safety concerns?
Eventually, after months of rigid organization and extensive safety training, an official departure date was planned: February 15, 2010, for the first group. The second and third groups would leave on February 17 and 19, respectively. The groups were staggered to ensure there would be enough hotel rooms for the sledders when they pulled into small communities along the route. The goal was to travel 320 kilometres per day.
MichCanSka would take the snowmobilers from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, through the upper peninsula. Then they would ride through Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota before heading north into Manitoba.
From there, it was on to Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. The final destination would be Tok, Alaska. The mayor and city staff of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan—as well as members of the local media—were on hand to see Bradfield and company off. The event was commemorated with the hanging of the official MichCanSka logo on an embankment by Highway I-75. Underneath it, a road sign was emblazoned with a message: Tok, Alaska, 4000 miles. Riding For Diabetes—MichCanSka. Bradfield said that this farewell was a highlight of the experience.
Riding the ups and downs
Camaraderie was a significant aspect of the MichCanSka sledders’ three weeks on the trails. Most of them were complete strangers when the trip began and friends by the time it ended. But, as would be expected on such a long trip, not everything went perfectly. As Canadian sledders will remember, the 2009-2010 sledding season was not known for its heavy snowfall. The MichCanSka crew ran out of snow by British Columbia and had to trailer their sleds north for hundreds of kilometres before finding snow again.
Changing focus, changing lives
Shortly before the trip began, Bradfield had an epiphany.
“When I first put the trip together, I thought it would be one big, fun trip, and the fundraising part was number 2,” he said. “Shortly before we left, things shifted, and the fundraising aspect (became) number 1. I found it was changing my life when people would call, almost in tears, asking where to send a donation. At lunch stops, people would give you $1.85, and you knew it was their last penny. It was a life-changing experience for me, but also for the other snowmobilers. Before long, people were saying, ‘Are you getting a different feeling about this ride? We’re reaching outside of ourselves, we’re doing something good for someone else, and it’s much bigger than us just having a good time on a snowmobile.’ ”
And how much money did MichCanSka raise? An impressive $109,000.
The sledding continues
MichCanSka gave Bradfield a new direction in life. As a lifelong sledder, he took up the sport after returning from Vietnam. In need of an activity to help him put the past behind him, he found that sledding allowed him to simply enjoy the exhilaration of being outdoors. He has been involved with many aspects of sledding—family rides, racing and participating in a number of snowmobiling organizations. Now, he can combine his old love with his new momentum.
Bradfield has plans in the works to do a short—relatively speaking—ride in 2011, travelling in the upper peninsula in Michigan and into Ontario—a trip that will cover about 3,200 kilometres. He hopes to do an Alaska journey every few years; some of the original group members have already said they will accompany him.
“I’m the kind of person who, in my life, has always had a few missions,” said Bradfield. “This is my mission now in life—to continue to pursue the fundraising for diabetes. As long as I can sit on that sled and turn that key and start it, it’s going to be on a snowmobile.”
