I'm a glutton for punishment! Less than 1 week after the C&O Canal bike trip, Charles and I embarked on a GAP trail adventure with some great folks from the Patuxent Ward. Here's Charles in Cumberland with his new semi-recumbent bike.
The GAP Trail is a multi-us trail built on the railbed of the abandoned Western Maryland Railroad which extends from Cumberland, MD to McKeesport, PA and eventually to Pittsburgh, PA. On our trip, we biked from Cumberland to Cedar Creek Park near West Newton, PA., a total of 110 miles.
First stop, Sideling Hill Visitors Center, with 2/3 of the entourage. Another 15 passenger van opted not to stop.
The C&O Canal trail and the GAP trail join at Cumberland where I had a sense of deja vu. 
The good news: the sun is shining and we only have to do 43 miles the first day, 29 the second, and 38 the third. The bad news: instead of a day of level riding with an occasional slight downward incline, we face 23 miles of steady uphill riding on the first day and we don't get started until 1 p.m. Driving to Cumberland, as the veterans regaled us with tales of riders puking by the side of trail due to the rigors of climbing "the hill," I doubted the wisdom of doing another ride 4 days after finishing the C&O.
Once we got into the ride, though, more good news became apparent--the trail surface was perfect, smooth crushed limestone with no potholes or mudholes. And, the scenery was outstanding.
Fortunately, the 1-2% grade was not too daunting, so Charles and I actually managed to finish not too long after the first group of 4 arrived at the Husky Haven Campground. This campground is located right on the trail at Rockwood, PA next to the Casselman River. That's the good news. The bad news is that it is rather expensive ($10/person), the bath house is a long walk or ride on the other side of the River, and there is a grade crossing in town, right across the river, so trains blow their horns all night.
Since about half of the riders were young men, food was a major emphasis of this trip. The first night featured spaghetti and meatballs.
In the morning, you could see your breath and I was glad to have my jacket along. Here are some riders making ziplock bag omelets, mixing up Gatorade with a drill, and Charles warming his hands.
The scenery was not as spectacular but still lovely as the trail followed the Casselman, then the Youghiogheny Rivers.
Ohiopyle is best-known as a whitewater rafting mecca. This was planned as a short day so there would be time for some sightseeing or swimming. The hardest part of the day was getting to the campground. It took several tries to find the correct trail up the huge hill to the campground, then we had to find the correct site.
It was a pretty easy day as the grade was generally downhill and most riders were in pacelines. The trail continued to follow the Yough. An ice cream break in Connellsville helped, too.
We set up camp at the cedar Creek Park Group Campground where there was swimming, and rope-swinging. The next morning, we packed up and headed home.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
GAP (Great Allegheny Passage) Trail Bike Trip
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