So I just recently got back from a week long biking trip with my dad and some other people who, for the most part, organize through the Richmond Area Cycling Association. We rode the GapCo trail from Boston, Pennsylvania to Mount Vernon in DC, camping and staying in a hostel along the way. We started out by driving up to a friend’s house up near Mount Vernon, then getting a shuttle from there to the trail head near Boston
The First day went well, camping came easy with the river running next to the trail for swimming after 30 miles of riding
The next day the 48 miles of trail revealed a large population of rabbits on our way to confluence, where we set up camp about 100 feet from the train tracks. The night was filled with the sound of metal roaring.
Day 3: Fog in the morning. More animals. Deer. Rabbits. Birds. 36 miles and we get to Meyersdale where we stay in a high school turned hostel. 15 bucks for one person and 5 extra for linens and 1/5 of a towel? Whatever. At least we got laundry done. Nice clean Chamois.
The next day, we ate our smiley pancakes and hit the trail, headed towards Big Savage Mountain with the Big Savage tunnel (3,294 feet), which was self-lit and filled with fog. That was the coolest tunnel I’ve ever been so far in my life. The thing was just so eerie being so dimly lit.
Not soon after the tunnel, we finally made it to the eastern continental divide, the point where the earth is at it’s highest. All downhill from here boys.
Down the hill we pass the Mason-Dixon line and ride through Cumberland to our next campsite. With 167 miles on the Odometer, sleeping was easy.
On the fifth day, we wake up and head toward the familiar Paw Paw Tunnel (3,118 feet) and ate at Bill’s.
After Grub at Bill’s we hit the trail again. I am noticing more and more this trance like concentration that comes with the longer rides. 15 minutes after I start riding, I start forgetting the small pains in my legs and hands. I find that I become engrossed in thought during this state. We end today’s 46 miles at Hancock’s bike shop’s bunk house, aka the chicken shack.
Day 6: Turtle, Detour, Swan. 53 Miles. No problem.
Day 7: Today we set out past Harper’s Ferry, and ended up at our campsite at mile 316 of our trip. We got a bunch of Modelo’s at the convenience store just before our stop and put them into a temperature insulating bag with ice. I learned bee’s are a fan of beer. The problem was resolved promptly with the coming of rain. I would then go to sleep for 12 hours. Dreams of working in a bike shop, failing at truing a wheel ensued.
Our last day has come. It’s been a good trip, full of iodine treated camp water and great breakfasts in restaurants. One thing I notice on the way to DC is sliding change of people’s interactions. Before this point, you could go 15 miles without seeing anyone, so when you did see another traveler, they would great you with smiles and ask you where you are from. The closer you get to the city, the more people become part of the scenery, and therefore interaction becomes soured. I thought it was funny, so I made a point to be like, “HI HOW IS IT GOING!” to random people. I got a lot of expressions that wordlessly questioned ‘why the hell are you talking to me?’ Not blaming anyone, just an observation. Anyways, on our last stretch out of mid-DC, we got some rain, a good way to end the 370 mile trip.
