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| Day 5 of our 7-day, 370 mile bikepacking adventure in October 2015. |
We had planned to bikepack round trip, but shortly before arriving in Pittsburgh, we decided that we were too sore, tired and hurt to make it all the way back. Despite that unexpected ending, it was quite an adventure, and one that we hope to experience again in other parts of the world.
Happy bikepacking!
~Modern Akhmatova
Day 1: October 10, 2015 (Reston -> C&O MP30.6)
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| Day 1, biking through Washington, D.C. |
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| Day 1, T enjoying the Great Falls on the Maryland side |
- Left T's mom's house in Reston around 11am
- Visited T's brother's family on our way to the trail. They wished us a good trip. :)
- Rode almost non-stop from Reston to D.C., stopping along the way to snack
- Downtown Vienna was pretty
- Took a break in Clarendon
- It felt very cool to ride into D.C.
- We planned to ride to the Jefferson Memorial but couldn’t figure out how to get to the damn thing, so we gave up
- Hit the C&O towpath around 2:30pm
- The weather was beautiful
- The Potomac river sparkled
- B and I felt like a team
- We snacked a lot on gibanica, cevapi, apples, eurokeks, Jafa keks, banana chocolates, and more. T's mom made sure we had lots of food to take with us on the way out, hence all the Serbian treats! :)
- We stopped at Great Falls for the beautiful view.
- Great Falls and the several miles south of it (MP14) were very scenic, but busy
- Almost made camp around MP26 but T didn’t like the feel of the place so we went on to MP 30.6 which was a good choice though B took some coaxing
- We hung out with two women from Iowa (Jill and Darlene) at our campsite who were biking southbound. Laughed a lot, collected dry leaves, made a fire and relaxed.
- One of the women had been to AK where she biked from Fairbanks to Seward! Crazy cool.
The trail glistened with autumn colors and smells
I felt blessed and grateful.
We are healthy, happy and free enough to take this trip.
Life is good.
Day 2: October 11, 2015 (C&O MP30.6 -> C&O MP79.9)
The day's motto: "Where the fuck is Saki?" and "Damn, that food is good!" (re: Bean's in the Belfry in Brunswick, MD)
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| Day 2, scene inside the Bean's in the Belfry cafe |
- Had an “early” wake up (8am) and start (9am) on the trail. Left some snacks for Jill and Darlene and a note, since they weren’t up yet.
- Saw a man sleeping next to his bike on the trail in the morning.
- Passed horses (carefully) on the trail. Had to get off our bikes and walk.
- Rode pretty much straight to MP55 for coffee before stopping for a long break before noon in Brunswick, MD at the Beans in the Belfry cafe. B had a turkey sandwich and I had chili with cornbread muffins and coffee. Be also had a cannoli for dessert. We relaxed there for at least an hour or more. There was live jazz music, great food, comfy seating and just an overall great atmosphere!
- 2 eagles soared above us, as we enjoyed ourselves on the outside patio of the Beans in the Belfry cafe.
- B dried out our damp camping gear (camping next to a river we had lots of condensation every evening) on the railing outside the cafe.
- B kept looking for his co-worker (Saki) who was riding southbound and had started in Cumberland on Friday afternoon, but he failed to materialize. B had given up looking for him by the time we stopped in Shepherdstown, WV (MP72).
- In Shepherdstown, WV, we were interested in the Bavarian Inn, but soon found out that it was too fancy for us. So we decided to go to "Food Lion" instead :). We bought apples, oranges, sandwich meat, mayo, bread, and a green pepper.
- We biked another 7 miles to get to our awesome campsite alongside the Potomac river (MP79.9). All to ourselves this time :)
- Only then did B get a message from his coworker that he had missed him in Shepherdstown. Doh! We had been less than a mile apart.
- Ate dinner on the banks of the river and quietly got ready for bed.
- We gently fell asleep to the sounds of the forest and the flowing river beside us.
T was inspired by the day's events to write some poetry:
The spiderwebs dance in the evening autumn light
While the river shimmers and glistens in its slow trek onward
Every onward, just like us.
Another one:
Green tunnels
they do not end.
The autumn leaves cover everything,
the green canopies overhead,
a beautiful roof over our heads.
The sun streams through
as well as patches of blue.
The river borders our green tunnel on one side
with the canal on the other.
We are blessed
We are in awe
We are grateful.
Grateful to be alive,
grateful to be healthy to experience this.
Day 3: October 12, 2015 (C&O MP79.9 -> C&O MP145)
The day's motto: "Riding like champs!"
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| Day 3, hanging out and drying our gear at an Aqueduct. |
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| Morning of Day 3, eating breakfast at our campsite. |
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| Beautiful ride on Day 3 around MP84 on the part of the trail that goes along Bigslack Water, which had been recently reopened after being closed for decades. |
- Saw a guy on a bicycle and 7 pups running behind him at the start of the day from our campsite
- We got up early again and rode to MP100 for lunch (Williamsport, MD)
- Ate pumpkin chowder at Desert Rose Cafe in Williamsport, MD. Food was OK, not as good as Beans in the Belfry’s and we should have skipped the dessert completely.
- Decided to do a 60 mile day while having lunch. Why not?
- Ran into another couple on our way out of Williamsport who were also on their way to Pittsburgh, but they were stopping at Hancock (MP124) for the night
- Dried out our clothes and gear at an Aqueduct at MP116 on the C&O Towpath. B also washed his clothes in a Ziploc bag.
- Streteched on a bridge in Hancock, MD
- Passed more horses on the trail
- Saw a man drag his kayak by rope across the canal
- Came across a flock of wild turkeys at around MP137
- Tried to stop at Bills Place (MP142) but it was closed.
- Biked till sundown. Made it to MP145 before dark. Had the place to ourselves. No one was out there at all.
- Stood naked on a picnic table to wash down with wipes in lieu of a shower
- Heard coyotes while in our tents trying to fall asleep
T was inspired by the day's events to write some poetry:
Why do we need diamonds,
when we have morning frost
on the tips of grass leaves, glistening in the morning sunlight?
Why do we need gold,
when we have yellow canopies
hovering above us in autumn?
Day 4: October 13, 2015 (C&O MP148 -> C&O MP185 -> GAP MP15)
The day's motto: "Sufferfest"
Miles so far: 221
Miles remaining to Pittsburgh: 135
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| Day 4, enjoying a particularly gorgeous part of the trail near the Paw Paw tunnel in Oldtown, MD. |
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| Day 4, B inside the Paw Paw tunnel. |
Due to the extreme nature of the prior day there was no journaling the night before, so we wrote our notes on the morning of Day 5.
We arrived in Frostburg, MD around 6:30pm on Day 4. T is currently enjoying a warm cup of coffee at the Mountain City Coffeehouse and Creamery in downtown Frostburg on Main St. Here are the highlights from yesterday/Day 4:
- We experienced our own version of "Sufferfest"!
- 55 miles of it
- 1,200 ft of elevation gain (T told B there was only 400ft of gain but she was a liar)
- No dinner or barely any (B had an energy bar since everything was closed)
- Our campground was at the top of a goddamn mountain
- Sighted another flock of 7+ turkeys
- Paw Paw tunnel - truly amazing. Flashlights definitely recommended.
- Another lunch at an Aqueduct (we seem to love these)
- "Bosnian" meat pie and spinach pie at the European Desserts and Sandwiches Cafe in Cumberland, MD. It was ok, though nothing special given the price.
- Finished the C&O Canal Trail!
- No camping in Cumberland (MP185), so at 4pm after already riding 40 miles, we decided to go on to Frostburg (15 miles) and 1200ft of elevation gain.
- Started biking the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail
- Found a campground with fantastic showers and laundry service. Barely made it there in time. They close at “sundown”.
- No poetry this time. T was exhausted!
Day 5: October 14, 2015 (GAP MP15 -> GAP MP44)
The day's motto: "Time to rest?...Just Kidding!"
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| Day 5, B enjoying the scenery at our campsite in Frostburg, MD. |
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| Day 5, we were so excited to reach the Mason-Dixon line! |
- Ate breakfast at a local cafe then fueling up some more on "7-eleven" food
- Explored Frostburg’s Main St, the local book and art stores
- Thought about staying in Frostburg but the idea was just unsettling.
- Crossed the Mason-Dixon Line
- Crossed the Eastern Continental Divide - this is the highest point on the trail
- Survived another hilly town - Meyersdale - and successfully finding the grocery store
- B got a flat tire but was prepared for it so no big deal
- Made it to Rockwood, PA where we set-up camp at the Husky Haven campground.
- Found out that Rockwood is "train central"
- First night we needed to wear ear plugs :)
- T opened 2 large cans of soups, instead of 1 for dinner!
- B dropped a sandwich in the fire when toasting sandwiches for dinner. Had a bit of extra charcoal. Ate it all anyways.
Day 6: October 15, 2015 (GAP MP44-> GAP MP88)
The day's motto: "We are crazy. We don't know when it's enough” |
| Day 6, on our way back from Fallingwater. We would not recommend biking to Fallingwater from the GAP trail!!! |
- We had an early start because we needed to get to Ohiopyle for our Fallingwater tour!
- Fed apple cores to a one-eyed horse in Ohiopyle
- Saw friends that we had met on the trail in Williamsport, MD and met new ones
- Crossed really beautiful bridges
- Pushed our bikes up a mountain on our way to visit the Fallingwater house near Ohiopyle that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for the Kaufmann family
- Ditched all our gear in the woods during our climb up to the Fallingwater house
- Got free chips at the Ohiopyle tourist center
- Decided to ride another 17 miles at 6pm!!!
- Biked in the dark
- Tentless sleeping in Connellsville, PA in small huts we shared with a German friend we had met earlier on the trail in Ohiopyle
- Connellsville is louder than Rockwood, if you can believe it!
Day 7: October 16, 2015 (GAP MP88 - GAP MP150)
The day's motto: "Fuck it! Let's go to Pittsburgh!" |
| Day 7, biking through an industrial zone near Pittsburgh, PA. It was interesting but a shock to our senses after the lush green trails we had experienced up to this point. |
- Had the Martin's grocery store next door for bathroom and food visits
- Took our time getting ready in the morning
- Enjoyed the company of fellow bike enthusiasts. Shared breakfast with friends we had met on the trail: Angie, Mark, and Steven
- Steven, the German guy, ate 4 ice cream bars for breakfast, because the pack was cheaper than the single bar at Martin's. He also stocked up on "chips'o'hoy" cookies! :)
- Enjoyed the morning sunshine overlooking a bridge and river in Connellsville, PA
- Thought we’d “Take it easy” again and only go a few miles today since B thought it was 62 miles to Pittsburgh and we were hurting pretty bad, but then when we saw it was “only” 59 miles on a different sign we decided to go for it!!!
- Biked to Pittsburgh!
- Took short breaks along the way and kept at it until the last minute
- Biked through the pain
- Stopped at the last coffee shop of the trip ~30 miles outside Pittsburgh - of noticeably lesser quality than our previously encountered coffee shops.
- Didn't really like the last 20 miles of the trail going into Pittsburgh. Was a bit of a shock to the system after being on such beautiful and natural trails till then.
- Decided to take a bus back to D.C. the same night and to pack our bikes up for transport. The guy at Amtrak gave us 2 free bike boxes :)
- Stayed at the Grayhound bus station for 6 hours. We were too tired to go anywhere and our bike ride into the city was not pleasant. Sorry Pittsburgh, but we weren't impressed.
- B tried to find some food nearby but everything was closed, so he got a McDonald’s shake instead. It made no sense that everything would be closed that early on a Friday evening!
Day 8: October 17, 2015
Highlights from the day:
- Found out, the hard way, that you can't rely on Amtrak to travel back home with bikes in tow.
- B packed our bikes in large rectangular boxes, so that they could go on the bus. Had to leave both of our crates and my front basket at the station, because they couldn't fit inside the boxes or on the bus with us.
- We left Pittsburgh around 1am and we arrived in DC at 8am. Slept the whole way through.
- Took a million elevators while using public transportation on our way home
- Arrived at T's mom's place in Reston, VA around 11am - exactly 7 days after leaving for our bikepacking trip!
- Ate a big breakfast with mom and hung out at the house for the rest of the day.
Total cost: About $400
People who helped us along the way:
- Woman/runner on the W&OD trail into DC told us where to go to continue on the trail.
- Man who owns the Inn in Frostburg told us about the weather and where to find lodging in Pittsburgh.
- Man on the trail near Frostburg, PA told us where the next campground was and where to find a grocery store in town.
- Man from barber shop in Meyersdale, PA helped us find "Food Lion"
- Man flying a kite at the end of the GAP trail in Pittsburgh. He approached us and told us a bunch of neat things about Pittsburgh and gave us directions to the Amtrak station.
Animals we saw or heard along the way:
- Lots of deer and squirrels
- Wild turkeys
- Raccoon
- Ground hog
- Geese
- Ducks
- Salamander
- Grey herons - 2 at least
- Bald eagles
If we were to do it again:
- Probably would just stick to the C&O towpath
- Camping was more frequent (5 miles vs 15 miles) and free and generally better spots (quiet, secluded)
- More interesting scenery (generally) - though the first 20-25 miles of the GAP were good too
- If we did do the GAP again, we wouldn’t do Fallingwater again without a car or some other vehicle.
- We don’t know how high those “hills” were but damn it felt like we climbed forever out of Ohiopyle
- It might be better to do the whole thing in reverse (especially the GAP). The people coming down the Continental Divide looked like they were having a blast. Though going up really wasn’t that bad.
- It would be nice to do the Great Falls section mid-week to avoid the crowds. We literally had to get off and walk at parts because it was so crowded.
- We would invest in panniers.
- We would make reservations on Amtrak ahead of time, since they have such limited space for bicycles (unfortunately).
