I’ve learned more about the incredible work The Little Guild does to rescue homeless dogs and cats, help them heal, and find them loving homes,” Reid wrote on her fundraising page. “They also provide training, food, and other support that helps keep pets with the families who love them.
— Maggie Reid
SALISBURY — This summer, Hotchkiss junior Maggie Reid completed a 275-mile bike ride from Salisbury to the Canadian border, raising $5,600 to support The Little Guild, a West Cornwall-based animal shelter.
Reid made the four-and-a-half day journey with her father and riding partner, Alex Reid, carrying most of what they needed in bags attached to their bikes.
Reaching the border, she said, was “definitely one of my proudest moments.”
“It was a hard four and a half days, and I was just really glad that we completed it,” Reid said.
Riding for a cause has become a tradition for Reid and her father, although this trek has been the longest and most challenging.
“This ride was definitely more intimidating because it was much longer than the previous ones,” Reid said. “After the first day, I was definitely feeling a little sore. But I just refused to quit.”
Her father said Reid’s love for animals began at a young age.
“When she was younger, Maggie watched news coverage of animals displaced by a devastating hurricane and wanted to find a way to help,” he said. “She and a friend organized a neighborhood lemonade stand, raising several hundred dollars for the Humane Society.”
Today, she remains involved in supporting at-risk animals. At Hotchkiss, Reid is a co-leader of the school’s Humane Society Club, which has teamed up with The Little Guild in the past.
“I’ve learned more about the incredible work The Little Guild does to rescue homeless dogs and cats, help them heal, and find them loving homes,” Reid wrote on her fundraising page. “They also provide training, food, and other support that helps keep pets with the families who love them.”
For the ride north, Reid and her father packed most of their belongings into bags attached to the front and back of their bikes.
Provided
“We had to pack light and be very intentional about what we chose to bring,” she said. “I had to sit on my bags because they wouldn’t close.”
Long distance biking has become a father-daughter tradition.
“We just kind of do it for fun as a bonding activity,” she said. “It’s kind of our thing now.”
Reid attributed her success, in part, to the encouragement she received from her father along the way, especially during hills and inclines when mental and physical fatigue can set it.
To keep the vibes high, the duo has a soundtrack for the more scenic and safe stretches of their rides. They kick off each journey with Queen’s “Bicycle Race.”
The second and third days, they hit some inclines and elevation, but the scenery was worth it. She said they rode past corn fields, mountains and scenic overlooks. “Toward the end, we were biking toward Lake Champlain, so that was a really pretty view.”
By the fourth and fifth day the temperature skyrocketed and created another challenge. “We had to stop for more Gatorade breaks,” she said.
On their final day, they made it to the Canadian border after biking a short 30 miles, she said. They treated themselves to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. “That was my big reward,” Reid said.
Reid said she doesn’t plan to stop biking. “It reminds me of happy summers,” she said.
