Epilogue

Would you do it again?  Maybe.  Would you do it differently?  Probably.

As I told some of you, it was one of the hardest things I ever did.  I suffered in many ways that I expected, and in few that I didn't.  However, the trip was a great experience because of all the people we met along the way, strangers and friends alike.  There was great scenery, historic towns and monuments and even some wildlife in places.  The landscapes varied from old industrial towns, remote rural landscapes, small rural towns, historic and current transportation corridors, and event the nation's capital with all it's architectural grandeur. As the pain subsides (slowly in some places) and things heal, our selective memory tends to focus on the positive sides of the trip.  There were a lot of things that I wished had captured in photographs, but didn't do because of time, fatigue or both.  I tried to describe some of them, but I don't think I really did them justice.

So back to the questions.  I may do this trip again, but there are a lot of other places I would like to see and explore by bike, foot, skis or boat (canoe/kayak).  If I would do it again, I would take 4 or 5 days so I could enjoy some of the towns, sites and side trips along the way.  I would do it in opposite direction for the different perspective, and to have he smooth trail at the end of the trip.  I would either ride a road bike with a steel frame and longer wheelbase that would absorb more trail shock, or a hard-tail mountain bike with a front shock, and 650 c x 1.9 tires.  Incidentally, on the C&O canal trail over half of the through riders were on road bikes.  I would train more on rougher trails, do a couple more long rides in my training regimen and alter my position to be more upright on the bike.

During the trip, I made adjustments to raise my bars and lower my seat.  I adapted a tire lever to clean my brakes and tire clearance on the last 2 days when mud would cake up and cause drag.  I thought about letting air out of my tires to make the trail smoother, but decided I didn't want to add resistance...maybe a bad decision.

I suffered from saddle soreness, mostly just the pressure type.  I had a very stiff and sore neck at the end of the first day, but that area went numb the next 2 days, so that was that.  The soreness in the Achilles tendons ended up being the biggest unanticipated problem of the trip.  I have a few theories about what might have caused the pain; rough trail, seat too high, standing due to saddle sores, and accumulated time on the bike were all probably factors.

I have learned a lot from this trip, and if time permits I can apply this knowledge to a new challenge.  The purpose of this blog is so you can experience this trip through the words and pictures, and hopefully be inspired to do something big, adventurous and maybe worthy of your bucket list.

Glenn

Day 3 - Williamsport to DC

The day started with a quick breakfast at a Waffle House.  I had sausage gravy over biscuits since we are now south of the Mason Dixon line.  Although it is clearlyq unhealthy, I like to order it when I'm in the south and I know I'm going to burn it off before it gets to my arteries.  Later in the afternoon, Chris Thorpe, my long-time friend from Penn State, had agreed to join us on part of the trail.  We calculated some ETA's along the trail and texted them to Chris.

We were back on the trail some time after 7:30 AM.  We were both sore all over, but after about 15 minutes my Achilles tendons were loose enough that I could ride without severe pain.  The rest of the day my Achilles pain would be most severe when starting up after a break and after riding for a long time.  Sitting in the seat would relieve that pain but bother my saddle sores, standing out of the saddle would bother my Achilles.

The C&O trail was OK in some places, but in other places had mud-holes or course gravel, and small to medium sized rocks.  These obstacles never stuck up more than an inch or so above the trail surface, but they were still enough to send vibrations through my rigid frame to my body.

The mile markers were concrete posts positioned on the right side of the trail, painted brown with white lettering.  They rarely seemed to come soon enough, especially at the end of the day.  The C&O trail also has water pumps operated by long handles.  As we went along the trail, we used them to refill bottles and soak our heads.  They became like a oasis to a desert caravan, something to look forward especially during the heat of the day.

Countdown starting

Water pumps helped get us there

For a period of time, the trail had been diverted around a trouble spot between miles 88 and 85, where the trail had been rendered impassable where clung to the side of stone cliffs that ran immediately adjacent to the river.  However, a trail improvement project had recently been completed, so we no longer needed to take the detour.  The trail had been rebuilt during a 2 year project which built miles of concrete retaining wall between the rock face and river, with a smooth riding surface on top.  This was a significant project which probably had a large price tag.  The smooth surface was a welcome relief.

As we progressed east, we could tell we were getting close to a trail head by the increase in local trail traffic (walkers, runners, families on bikes, etc.).  Shepherdstown, WV was the first significant town along the trail, and we noticed a large increase in trail usage on both sides of the town.  The is located on a bluff overlooking the river from about 70 feet above.  I had spent a weekend in 2007 in the town with Anne.  It is a nice place to visit if you have a chance.  Attractions include Shepherd University and the amenities of a college town, antique shops, and Antietam Battlefield is only short drive to the north.

We had a nice view of Harper's Ferry across the river, 
from the trail on the east bank of the Potomac.

The next major town along the trail was Harper's Ferry, WV which is an even bigger tourist destination.  Located where the Shenandoah joins the Potomac River, and then flows through a gap in the Blue Ridge.  the town was where some significant events of the Civil War occurred, and is also where the Appalachian Trail headquarters are located.  The town starts along the railroads at rivers edge and climbs up over a steep slope between the 2 rivers.  It has a lot of old residential, and commercial buildings that have been beautifully restored.  There are a lot of outdoor adventures that you can take part in, around this area.   There was an even larger amount of trail traffic around this town, with people hiking, riding bike, carrying tubes, etc.

The next section of trail was reportedly the roughest section on the C&O, it seemed to be true but at this point anything seemed rough.  Our lunch stop was in Bruswick, MD which was just accross the railroad from the trail.  The diner that Dale ate at last year was closed, so we went to El Sloppy Taco.  I had a chicken burrito, which was large enough to provide the calories we were looking for.  The restaurant was a little rough around the edges, but the food was good and was served pretty quickly.

Further down trail that afternoon, after more mud puddles, rocks, roots and water pumps, we made planned short stop at White's Ferry, MD.  A ferry operates across the river year-round, carrying cars, bikes and passengers.  There is a small store where we loaded up on drinks.  As we were getting ready to leave, we saw triple (bicycle built for 3) pulling up, being piloted by Neil Braunstein, with addtional power provided by his daughter Shoshana and her friend Anja.  I worked with Neil at Lancaster County Planing in the early 2000's and we rode together a few times.  Since then, I have followed his cycling adventures through photos and commentary he posts online.  It was quite a nice surprise to see him along the trail, as they were riding

With Neil, Shoshana, Anja and their bike, at White's Ferry

White's Ferry

Now it seems manageable

When we hit the 25 mile mark, it became clear that we were going to be able to finish, barring any major mechanical problems or injuries.  however, it was not giomg to be easy.  At about mile 21 we were joined by Chris and Andrew Thorpe, which was a real boost to our morale.  Riding with them helped take our minds off our own mental and physical state.  We were able to ride 2 by 2 for a while, and chat about a lot of things.  When we got closer to the trail heads, the traffic became heavier than we had before, forcing us to ride single file at times.  They had entered the trail at mile marker 10, so when we reached that point they treated us to some cold drinks and snacks.  That

Dale warned me that the trail would be rough inside the 4 mile mark.  He also said that there was a parallel paved trail that we could ride on, but that he wanted to ride on the actual C&O trail to the finish.  Considering how bad his saddle sores were, he was very determined to finish this off right.  I said I would stay with him, and blocked the paved trail out of my mind.  He was right, the trail was rough in last 4 miles, so it was last big challenge of the trip.

As you approach Georgetown, MD and DC, you are surrounded by trees and the river, so there are very few signs of any urban area along the way, except when you pass under the beltway and a few other bridges along the way.  When we finally hit Georgetown the trail crossed over the canal and then became very narrow as it was on a ledge between a stone wall and the canal.  We were now surrounded by old Georgetown, which was becoming very active as it is a very popular entertainment destination on a Saturday night.  We started passing people who were using the path as another pedestrian route.  We also had to make a couple street crossings.  We were both sweaty, smelling very bad and our legs were covered with dried mud and dust from the trail, and everybody else was dressed and ready to go out for an evening of fun, but at this point it we didn't really care as we were so focused on finding mile post 0.

OK, so finding milepost 0 is not as easy as you would think, especially when you are completely exhausted mentally and physically.  Since leaving Pittsburgh the trail had been so easy to follow, now it got lost in the streets and paths of Washington between Georgetown and the area around the Watergate Hotel.  We consulted the Trail guide book, used Google Maps, and finally asked someone at the Thompson Boat Center where it was supposed to be located.  We did have to go around the boat center, across a small bridge and there it was.  The last quarter mile is very poorly marked, but we finally made it.  It was a great relief to know that the trip was done.

Mile Zero

Glad to be done

One more leg still remained and that was getting through Washington and back to our car parked at Union Station without getting run over.  Our plan was to connect to K street which headed directly to our destination.  However, we ended up somewhere near the mall, so we ended up riding along the north side of the mall to Capital Hill.  Along the way we passed the White House, the Smithsonian and many other important buildings and monuments, but we were just too tired really take notice.  At this point, if we had stayed in one place too long, we might have been mistaken for homeless people.  So we kept going, and we had to ride up Capital Hill which was probably the steepest hill of the whole  trip.

Driving out of Washington was a real test of patience, since we were both very tired.  We made a couple wrong turns, backtracked a couple of places, and even went the wrong way on a short very steep street in Georgetown.  Finally we were on 270 heading west toward where Dale had parked his truck.  pushing the clutch while driving was very painful for my Achilles tendon on my left leg.  After dropping him off, I got some food and caffeine for the 2.5 hr trip home.  I made it home around midnight very sore, and totally exhausted.

Daily Statistics
Bike computer was not working for a short time around mile marker 30
Total time: 8:20:47
Total distance: 97.33 miles
Average Speed: 11.6 mph

Day 2 - Rockwood to Williamsport, MD

Day 2 was planned to be our long day, as we needed to ride about 130 miles to reach our destination.  Although we knew we had a long downhill into Cumberland, MD, we knew it would still be long hard day in the saddle.  We woke up at 5:00 and rode to a convenience store in the early dawn.  There no eating options in town that were open this early, so we got some breakfast sandwiches at the store.  the morning was damp and foggy.

Meyersdale Station

The first part of the day we still had to climb as we continued toward the high point on the trail.  The grade was a little steeper, maybe 2 %, so even though it wasn't hard it did cut into our average speed a bit.  As the trail continued to climb we had a few glimpses of the Casselman on our left, but it was a much smaller stream as were approaching it's headwaters.

Eastern Divide,  trail elevation 2392.

The Salisbury Viaduct was high enough that the remaining fog almost obscured the ground at the highest point, which was a little unsettling as couldn't see the other end of the bridge, so it looked like were riding into the middle of a cloud.

Entrance to Big Savage

It was still foggy when we took a brief stop at Meyersdale, which had another nicely restored railroad station.  As the sun began to rise a little higher it burned off the morning fog.  We were no longer following a river, but saw a few small streams as we approached the Eastern Divide.  This divide is the high point of the trail at 2392 feet, and marks the place were water flows either to the west which ends up in the Gulf of Mexico or to the east and ends up in the Atlantic.  It is not a continental divide, but it is still a significant watershed boundary.  this is also the ridge of the Allegheny Plateau which dips very gently to the west toward Lake Erie, but drops much more sharply toward the east and the Appalachian ridge and valley province.

Overlook at top Big Savage Mountain

Next we encounter the Big Savage Tunnel, which is 3,294.6 feet long.  It is well lit, so we are able to pass through at normal speed.  Just beyond the eastern exit is a beautiful vista of the valley to our east, and we stop to enjoy the view, take some pictures.  We also are able to make phone calls home, send text messages as we have cell service again.  We did not have service most of the afternoon yesterday, including at our stop in Rockwood.

Overlook continued

The trail now drops off for a very steady 2 - 3 %, so we are able to make good time.  As we descended, we crossed the Mason Dixon line into Maryland.  The line was marked by an obelisk along the trail.

As we approached Frostburg, Md. the trail began paralleling railroad tracks which are and the surface was paved.  These tracks are used by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad which operates between Frostburg and Cumberland.  Some people ride the train to Frostburg with their bikes and then ride the 8 miles downhill to Cumberland.  We passed a group Of about 25 runners spread out along the trail, possibly the cross country team from Frostburg State University which is in town.  The trail does not go very close to the town, so we were only able to see it from a distance.  Further down the trail we encountered Helmstetter’s Curve, a 1/2 mile arc that sweeps across Cash Valley.

A nice view of Frostburg, MD with Big Savage Ridge in
 the background

When we reached Cumberland, it was still a little overcast as the fog/clouds were still burning off.  Cumberland is significant as it has always been a major transportation hub with the National Road (US 40), many railroads and the C&O Canal passing through.  This marks the spot where we transition from the GAP trial and the C&O trail, starting at mile marker 184.  We stopped at the Crabby Pig for brunch, since the trail heading east would not have many food options along the trail.  We loaded up on home fries and other good carbohydrate filled calories and pushed off.  

Mile 184 (start for us) on the C&O Trail in
Cumberland, MD

As we headed east the sun appeared and we were still in the open for some time, so it became very hot and muggy.  The trail surface also became very unpredictable as we headed east, filled with mud puddles, exposed rocks and roots and loose surface.  I had been concerned about the mud and soft trail before the ride, and those did not cause the problems I expected.  The rough surface however, did take it's toll on me.  My road frame is a stiff, aluminum racing frame, with a compact wheel base.  Consequently it didn't absorb as much of the trail shock as steel touring frame with a longer wheel base would.

Paw Paw tunnel

The section of trail we now were on, was very rural and remote as we followed the Potomac as it wound through the Appalachian ridges and valleys of western Maryland.  There were few towns and trail heads, so we did not see many people much of the way.  We did see some wildlife along the trail, at least 3 flocks of turkeys, many deer, squirrels and a few herons (not sure if they were grey or blue).

Mile-maker 167, mid-point of our entire trip.

The next major feature on the trail was the, Paw Paw Tunnel which is 3,118' long and unlighted.  The tunnel was built to avoid a section of the river with 5 very tight bends.  We had headlights on our bikes, but I also brought a headlamp to add more light.  We walked it through the tunnel since the canal parallels the trail through the tunnel with a railing to keep people from slipping on the wet trail and falling into the water.  The cool temps were refreshing and, the walk was a good break from the saddle.

As we continued on the remote section of the trail, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the river with a mountainous backdrop.  Besides the water pumps along the trail, we had a couple places we could refuel and re-hydrate.  We stopped at Bill's Place, in Little Orleans, MD.  It was a short steep climb off the trail, but was worth the effort.  We also stopped at a Sheetz in Hancock, MD also a short distance off the trail.

As the afternoon wore on and the miles piled up, we both started to suffer the cumulative fatigue of the effort and the trail.  Dale and I both were developing saddle sores that made it hard to sit in the seat, especially when the trail was bumpy.  My Achilles tendons on both legs were starting to get very sore, sometimes the pain was dull and other times it was sharper.  During the end of the ride we had the chance to ride on the Western Maryland Rail Trail, a parallel trail that was paved.  Being purists we decided to stay on the C&O for the whole ride.

As we approached our evening destination of Williamsport, MD, my Achilles pain was causing me to have doubts about being able to finish.  The hotel was less than a mile from the trail, but it was all uphill, which made it even harder.  For dinner we found a pizza restaurant within walking distance of the hotel, I hobbled along.  Despite the fact that we were so hungry, I was not able to finish the very large serving of eggplant Parmesan that I ordered.  It is rare that I can't finish what is on my plate.  Our bikes were caked with mud from the trail, so we found a small car wash at a convenience store so we could wash our bikes.

Daily Stats
Total time: ~ 11:10:00 

Trail time: ~ 10:58

Total miles: 131.94

Trail miles: ~ 130

Average Speed: 11.8 mph

Day 1 - Pittsburgh to Rockwood, PA

We drug ourselves out of bed, 6:30 AM.  The Quality Inn had a Panera's restaurant on the first floor, where we loaded up on expensive calories, but it was convenient.  

We finally were on trail at 7:45.  We had to descend a typical Pittsburgh street, very steep, down to the trail.  We backtracked about 1.5 miles to get closer to the actual trail head at Point Park.  There were a lot commuters on the trail, which was encouraging to see.

Dale at start point

View looking back toward downtown, while crossing the river

Views of what remains of steel industry along trail

There were a lot of twists and turns on the way into McKeesport going through old steel towns and passing many old industrial buildings, some vacant and some still in use.

View of the trail, somewhere before Connellsville

Park in Connellsville where we ate lunch

We took our lunch break in Connellsville, PA.  We got food at a Sheetz about a half mile off the trail and returned to a park trail to eat in a pavilion along the trail.

While we were approaching Ohiopyle, PA, the trail did quick bend on a steep downhill.  Dale was caught off guard and his sweaty hands slipped off the handle bars.  We gathered the bike and a few accessories off the trail and checked the wounds.  Fortunately there were just a few brush-burns on the hands and knees, so after cleaning up a little he was back on the bike.

Falls along trail heading toward Ohiopyle

A few miles later I stopped to take picture of one of the many beautiful waterfalls along the trail.  While stopped I heard a crash behind me and saw (and heard) a tree falling across the trail behind me.  It was not huge, maybe 8 to 10" in diameter on the main trunk, but it came down about 45 seconds after we had passed that spot on the trail.  We briefly pondered the chances that it would have actually landed on a cyclist moving about 12 miles an hour along the trail, and what kind of mark it would have left on them.  We went back and easily moved it off the trail, as it had broken into sections on impact, since it was mostly dead.

Yough in full flow from High bridge about 1
mile before Ohiopyle

Falls Market and Inn

The trail was well shaded, and the day was not too hot, so the weather conditions were very comfortable for riding.  Each time we passed a waterfall or stream crossing, we encountered a nice cool breeze caused by the air moving down the stream gorge after being cooled by the 55 deg water.  That was something to look forward to as we progressed along the trail.  The GAP trail has plastic markers each mile, so we were checking how close our bicycle computers were to the mile markers.  Today my computer was usually + 0.01 per mile.

There was a a heavy rain in the area Tues night, So the rivers were pretty high.  We stopped in Ohiopyle to refuel with drinks and snacks at the Falls Market and Inn, which had a cafe, served ice cream and sold food and other goods.  The town is in a beautiful location along the river, near a falls and has at least 3 whitewater rafting outfitters operating out of the town.  this is the starting point of many outdoor adventure opportunities, and there are a lot of other attractions in the area.  The train station is nicely restored, and the trail is widely used due to the amount tourist traffic in the region.

The town of Confluence, PA is is located at the juncture of the Casselman River and Laurel Hill Creek with the Youghiogheny River.  It apparently is a nice, small town, but we continued on the trail without taking time to go into town.  Beyond Confluence, the trail started following the Casselman upstream.

Further up the trail we followed a permanent detour around the Pinkerton Tunnel, which received permanent damage and was closed many years ago.  CSX is opening their adjacent tunnel to create a deep cut through the mountain that looks to be 75 to 100 feet deep.  It was dark when we passed through by rail the day before, so we could only see parts of the cut that is still under excavation, from the trail.  The detour followed another old railroad bed, and added no more than 1 extra mile to our ride for the day.

As we passed the town of Markleton, an SUV entered the trail just behind us and when the driver passed, he told us he was driving up the trail to remove a tree that had fallen across the trail.  After taking a short break we passed that spot and the tree had been removed and they were already gone.

When we arrived in Rockwood, we first went to the Rockwood Mill Shoppes to check into the Hostel on Main which is apparently co-owned or operated. We walked a couple blocks to get dinner at the Rock City Cafe.  I had the TNT burger which featured the fries and coleslaw in the sandwich and totaled 2 lbs.

The hostel was clean and comfortable, and a great valie at $22 per head.  The only drawback was that the very busy rail line ran about 50 yards from the back porch.  However, we both slept well enough that it wasn't a problem.

Daily Statistics

Total riding time: 8:51:55

Trail riding time: 8:48:00

Total miles: 110.13

Average speed: 12.4 mph

Travel Day

The trip to Washington went better then expected, considering that we're dealing with traffic in the district and Metro area.  After 2 stops on 272, I took 222, 30, 83, 695, 70 to MD 27 and 80 to Urbana.  I hit  the Park and Ride 2 min before Dale did, at 1:25 PM.

We loaded up the Sub and headed toward the capital on 270.  We were pleasantly surprised with the trip in along Clara Barton Parkway to K Street.  We were right next to the C & O trail on the way in, so we caught a few glimpses on the way into Georgetown.  Now I'm psyched for the ride.

Arrived at Union Station at 2:40.  The Amtrak staff was a little challenged with the bike boxes, but they were all packed by 3:40.

Beautiful train ride through western MD and western PA.  Work on the Pinkerton Tunnel/cut slowed the train and put us 30 min behind schedule.  We arrived in Pittsburgh around 12:00 midnight, and it took about 20 minutes till we got the bikes, and another 10 to un-box and reassemble them.     The 3 mile ride to the hotel was uneventful , considering it was so late. The nice part was that there was little traffic and the traffic lights were in the blinking yellow mode, which kept us moving. We were in bed by 1:00, tomorrow AM will be rough...

Prologue - Passage to Washington

The trip is nearly here, and there are still a lot of loose ends to tie up at work, home and every where else.  I'm looking forward to being on the trail to get started.

Here is the basic plan, lets see what curves the trails throws at us.

Weds
Drive to Union Station, Washington, DC
4:05 PM Capital Limited, train 29 departs for Pittsburgh
11:48 PM Arrives in Pittsburgh

Thurs
On the GAP Trail
Climb to high point on Allegheny Plateau
Lodging Hostel on Main, Rockwood PA

Fri
GAP Trail  descends to Cumberland, MD
C&O Trail along Potomac River to Williamsport, MD
Lodging: Red Roof Inn

 Sat
C&O Trail along Potomac River to Washington, DC
Ride to Union Station to pick up car
Drive home