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TREMONTON -- The day Norm Peterson learned he had prostate cancer was the day his new life began. Since that defining day in 1996, Peterson has biked across America, climbed majestic mountains, trekked in the Himalayas, floated rivers in Thailand, and competed in triathlons and ironman competitions, among other physical and global pursuits. The 67-year-old has conquered high winds and steep hills and could tell a thousand stories as a result. And he isn't finished. "I wanted to do something special in case the cancer comes back and takes me out," Peterson said.
The Motivation
The cancer was discovered in 1996 when Peterson was 54 years old. That's when he decided he needed to stop waiting until he retired to do some of the things he has dreamed of doing.
"I was told I had nine or 10 years to live," said the silver-haired Peterson.
"It made me want to get out of the office more." With the encouragement of a friend, Peterson, then an information technology manager at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, started doing things he had seldom done before, like ride his bike to work, climb California's Mount Shasta and cross-country ski.
He also began planning the bike ride of a lifetime.
Peterson continued to train over the next several years and as retirement approached, he began to seriously plan a five-month, 6,000-mile trip from San Francisco to Maine. The death of Peterson's niece gave his upcoming American tour new meaning.
Army Spc. Alyssa Peterson was a language specialist who was killed in Iraq in September 2003 at age 27. Peterson decided to dedicate the transcontinental journey to his niece.
To commemorate the event, he had two special jerseys made with tributes to her, one of which he gave to her family.
The Ride, Part I
Most retirees purchase large RVs for their tours of the country. Peterson opted for camping gear and a reliable bike.
After participating in his fourth Escape from Alcatraz triathlon with his son, Peterson just kept on going in June 2004 and embarked on his cross-country bike adventure. Over hills and into strong gusts of wind, the determined retiree pedaled 1,000 miles north up the West Coast to Oregon and Washington, then turned east. Taking his time to stop and visit friends and family, he continued eastward to Dillon, Mont., Yellowstone National Park, the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota. Over the days and through the weeks, riding, camping, eating and visiting, Peterson passed through Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and all the way to New York.
His self-imposed rules included not eating at nationally franchised restaurants; stopping and reading all historic signs; and keeping a daily log of his trip. He communicated with his fiance and future wife, Helen, via a solar-powered cell phone.
He averaged about 70 miles a day and 12.5 miles per hour on a bike that weighed around 100 pounds with all his equipment and gear. He also got quite handy at repairing flat tires.
While camping in the Badlands, he happened on a H.O.G. Rally where one of the leather-clad Harley-Davidson riders pointed and him and said, "Here's a real biker."
Weather was easy to deal with for the first 3,200 miles -- only two hours of rain, Peterson said. He did ride through some heavy rain and wind in western Pennsylvania, but nothing that would endanger his progress.
Then unexpectedly, the trip was cut short when Peterson developed a major abscess, which involved infection and swelling, on his backside. He was confinded to a hospital near Palmyra, N.Y., for five days.
"I literally could not sit on my seat," he said, recalling the pain.
The Ride, Part II
It took five years, but Peterson finished his 2004 quest this past summer.
After working on his Tremonton home for three years, taking a 32-day expedition to the Himalayas in Nepal and Thailand, Peterson picked up where he left off in central New York and rode on to Maine and eventually Nova Scotia, Canada, a distance of around 1,800 miles.
As before, he took his time, drank in the scenery and documented his daily deeds.
Reflecting on the two trips, Peterson said he recalls days with multiple flat tires and worrisome weather, but will remember most the colorful characters he met on his journey.
"The most enjoyable part was meeting people along the way," said the outgoing and personable Peterson. "Finding places to camp each night was also an adventure."
In addition to dedicating the trip to his niece, he wanted to prove something to himself.
"I wanted to prove I could do a long-term task. When the task got routine, boring, tiresome, I didn't want to quit," Peterson said.
"Like with triathlons, succeeding was finishing."
The Tremonton Globe-trotter
Peterson, a father of four adult children, said one of his favorite stops in his long trip was the Crazy Horse monument in South Dakota. While there, he read a saying by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, which he has adopted into his own life: "When dreams end there is no more greatness." Those words have inspired him to keep pursuing his dreams, even at age 67.
"I always have dreams of things I want to do in the coming years and months," Peterson said.
For now, he plans to continue finishing the interior of his Tremonton home. He recently returned from a European trip that included stops in Holland and Sweden. He is planning to do a 200-mile backpacking excursion with his son, from Yosemite National Park to Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states, and a couple of Half Ironman competitions. Yosemite is a favorite location of Peterson's because he spent a lot time there with his wife before she died of cancer in 2005.
Peterson also recently organized a mini-triathalon for 16 grandchildren, family and friends, an event he plans to continue in the future. He is a advocate of getting out and getting exercise.
"It was about 13 years ago that I was told I have nine or 10 years to live and I am doing well," Peterson said. "If I can help inspire someone to get healthy, then it's worth it."
