For most of his adult life, Mathew Sturtevant found himself so paralyzed with anxiety and fear that it limited him in almost everything he did. In search of a cure, he decided to face the dragon head on using ways that he knew would challenge him the most, a cross country motorcycle ride following the Trans America Trail where he would face remoteness, extreme weather, high altitudes and difficult riding conditions. His hopes were that by facing his fears using his motorcycle that he would gain his life and freedom back. For this adventure he enlisted two friends to go along with him and the plan was that he would document the trip and his transformation. Except it didn’t go as planned, he found himself unable to face his fears, unable to shake the anxiety and unable to be honest with his friends that had committed so much for this adventure.

Mathew Sturtevant is the author of The Topography of Fear, available on his website at thetopographyoffear.com.

Images: Mathew Sturtevant

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