GAP Trail Report

Well, It's been more than a week since we went on our annual bike trip and we haven't posted a final report yet! So here it goes...

We started out from Cumberland, MD at about 8 or 9 a.m. Unlike last year when we rolled out at the crack of dawn, this time we decided to take our time.

After packing up the bikes, which included Firefighter hanging a camp pot off the back of his bike, we headed out from my house toward the Great Allegheny Passage. We joined the trail at Valley/Lee Street since it was closest to my house and headed northwest toward Pittsburgh.

It took forever to make the climb to Frostburg and then on to Eastern Continental Divide. I had never been farther than Frostburg going that way so it was new for me. The view from the Mt. Savage Tunnel was amazing. You really get a sense of the climb looking down from the mountain.

From there, it was almost downhill to Rockwood, PA. I thought it seemed more flat than downhill but the return trip a couple days later would prove me wrong.

We got to Rockwood with plenty of time to set up camp at Husky Haven Campground. This was one of the coolest campgrounds I've visited. It's right on the trail and has free firewood, a fire ring and picnic bench at each site. You have to ride a little bit to the bathhouse but it is worth the trip. Beautiful bathrooms, a lounge with computer and Internet access, pool table, Bowflex.

First night at camp we split a 12-pack of Bud Lite and boiled up some beans and rice and mac and cheese soup (Randy's specialty).

The next day we woke up around 6:30 or 7 a.m., poked around breaking down camp and cooking breakfast. I tried to make pancakes but they stuck to the pans like melted plastic. That is except for Randy's fancy Teflon camp fry pan which produced a couple of perfect pancakes.

On this second day of the trip, we continued into Pennsylvania, finally reaching Confluence just in time for lunch. This was a neat little town with lots of outdoor activities including kayaking and fishing on the two rivers that meet there, biking on the GAP.

After lunch in the town square, we turned around and headed back to Rockwood and the fabulous Husky Haven. Here we stayed our second night with more beer and then roasted marshmallows (which Randy acquired after a a long and circuitous trip by bike which included going around a train blocking the crossing and up and down several hills).

The next morning we headed back toward Cumberland. We tried to eat up all the food for breakfast to avoid carrying it back. The trip back the Continental Divide was more uphill than I thought but not that steep, just enough an get on your nerves after a while. After crossing the divide, however, we were rewarded with 20 miles of steep downhill, averaging +20 mph.

We rolled into Cumberland at around 2 p.m. and had an ice cream at the Queen City Creamery.

During the trip, we did a total of 140 miles in three days. We averaged just under 10 mph and about 46 miles per day. This was a far cry lower than last year's trip where we averaged more than 60 miles per day and by the end of the third day, you could tell the difference. Everyone seemed in good spirits and ready to tackle another few days on the trail. But alas, we all had things to do and had to stop there. There's always next year though.

Here are a few more pictures of the trip;