I awoke this morning to find the storm had missed us, which is nice because it’s a pain to pack up wet gear. I wasn’t really in a rush so I leisurely packed up while talking to some of the other bikers who had stayed at the campground.
A couple of older men from the area were headed down to DC and back. It was their second day and they had only made it 30 miles before running into bike trouble and so one of them had headed back into town to try and find repair supplies for their homemade trailers. After an hour or two of swapping stories I headed out.
I made my way to the end of the GAP trail that I had been on since Cumberland and found no fanfare or signs about the end of the trail, it just kind of petered out. Biking through the city of mckeensport, PA, I found lots of abandoned buildings which I always like to photograph. After a few wrong turns I found my way to a connection trail that would take me to another bike path which runs west about 40 miles.
I’ve met lots of different kinds of people on the bike trails thus far and perhaps it’s best to reflect on some of them.
The first thing I worked on was my trail etiquette. On bike paths you pass by lots of different kinds of walkers, joggers, backpackers, and cyclists. In order to bring a little bit of human interaction into a day otherwise filled with solitude, one comes up with ways of greeting the people you come across.
At first I was just nodding at the cyclists I would pass. Problem is that women never reciprocate the nod and it’s kind of impersonal. So I moved on to the wave, and then the “hello.” Now I’ll use a mix of the three, depending on the age and gender of the person.
The first cyclists I met on the trail were a couple from Pennsylvania. They had gotten a flat tire and had lost their pump converter. I let them use my pump then went on my way. Despite the fact they were going my route for the next 5 days, I never saw them again. In the journals I’ve read of other touring cyclists, I hear of running into the same people over again on your trip, but I have yet to experience this phenomenon.
Near the end of the c&o canal I came across a couple lost boy scouts on a biking trip. They had gone the wrong way but had since found the path again, and now were out of water. Apparently they had to bike 10 more miles on top of the 20 they had done and were in completely over their heads. There wasn’t much I could do to help them but I gave them a liter of water and directions and bid them farewell.
One of the bikers staying in the campsite as me a few days ago was headed from Ohio to DC to permanently relocate. I wished him luck as I can’t imagine showing up in a new city with nothing but a bicycle and two changes of clothes.
In Pennsylvania, the Montour trail had lots of detours and insufficient signage, so I often found myself making wrong turns. I came across a road cyclist who was able to help me find my way back onto the trail even though it meant him waiting for me because of my slower pace. Most cyclists I come across seem to hold touring cyclists in high regard and will go out of their way to help – it’s very nice to receive such hospitality.
Another older cyclist I met on the trail was on a weekend ride with his wife. Most of the weekend riders ignore me but this guy was wearing a “rails-to-trails” shirt and was very interested in my trip. He was able to point me to a place to stay for the night and wished me luck on my ride.
It was kind of a short day but I took his directions and biked over a few very difficult hills to a motel and called it a night.
Today’s mileage: 56 miles
Total: 369 miles
