The first women's National Cycling Team of Afghanistan; Photograph by Jayme Moye

Adventurer Shannon Galpin’s Memoir Explores Women’s Rights and Bikes in Afghanistan

ByEmily Nuchols
September 16, 2014
9 min read

Taking action looks different for everyone. For Shannon Galpin, her action takes the form of empowering women and girls in conflict regions and her vehicle of change is the bicycle. In 2008, Shannon, a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, traveled to Afghanistan for the first time. Since then she has been the first woman to ride a mountain bike in the country and to ride across the Panjshir Valley, and she has supported and witnessed a burgeoning movement of women daring to ride bicycles in the face of adversity.

This week, Shannon is releasing her first book, Mountain to Mountain. This deeply personal and moving memoir tells the story of her work in Afghanistan and the women who have changed her path in life. But more than that, it is a tale of adventure, heartbreak, joy and laughter, struggle and triumph, and what it means to dare to believe, to connect, and to take action—no matter what it looks like.

In the days before her book launch in New York City, I caught up with Shannon to ask her a few questions about the journey so far and where she’s going from here.

SG: Most people think their actions are simply too small. I think its a matter of asking yourself what do you care about? My daughter cares about snow leopards losing their habitat and going extinct. So in the 3rd grade she held a fundraiser at school, put up posters about snow leopards and their habitat and the reasons they are going extinct and raised $250 to adopt a snow leopard for the school. She used her voice about something she cared about, inspired others to get involved, and contributed to a cause she cares about. Would she rather be tracking them in the Himalaya? Yes, she would. But for a 3rd grader its a great first step. Fracking, food deserts, clean water, animal rights, gender violence, whatever it is that moves you, simply look at small ways to take action and see where that takes you.

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