We are driving back to Chicago today, from DC. Speaking of which, during our ride, many people asked how we were getting to and from the trail. Well, we did one-way van rentals:
We managed to fit the 3 of us, our 3 bikes, and all of our panniers and gear in this van. I believe it was a Ford Expedition, and everything I’ve mentioned was about the limit of what would fit in it, I’d say.
On our drive home, we’re now talking about lessons learns and things we might re-consider on a subsequent bike trip:
1. We would pay more attention to where hotels and attractions were off the trail. Several times, we showed up to our destination towns without knowing where or how far exactly our hotel was.
In Harper’s Ferry, for instance, we had to bike up an incredibly long and steep hill on a highway for about 2 miles to get to our hotel. We always managed to figure things out, but we were often exhausted while doing so. In several instances, the bike ride from the trail to our hotel or sight-seeing destination were on roads that were pretty unsafe for bikers to be on.
2. We would be smarter about nutrition. The first several days, we really just ate 2 meals per day – breakfast and dinner- while eating just nuts and energy bars during the day. This amount of food wasn’t really enough to keep our energy levels high, especially as the week wore on and our mileage increased.
When we did eat a real lunch on our 74 mile day, we all felt really strong the whole day.
3. I think we were all pretty happy with the gear we brought, which included clothes, camping gear, bike tools, and first aid supplies. Given some of the water situations we were in, we would bring iodine tablets and/or a water filter next time.
During our first night at Roundbottom Campground, the only available water was from a pump that had brown water, and we opted to shower with it but not drink it. That threw a wrench in our dinner plans, and necessitated preserving what little drinking water we did have until the next morning.
I would have also brought my weather radio, since we often didn’t have phone service but wanted to know what the weather was going to do. Having some flip-flops to wear while weren’t cycling would have been nice too!
4. For a self-supported bike trip of this length, we thought 3-4 people was a good group size. We all have similar cycling styles and abilities, and the more people who are added, the more variation we would likely get which could add a challenge – although it could certainly work with more people.
We also seemed to have a similar mindset in terms of being adaptable to unexpected circumstances or things outside of our control, like not having sufficient drinking water our first night, not getting the rental van we had reserved, and not knowing where the start of the GAP was in Pittsburgh. You know, the little things, like that.
5. We also think we set our daily mileage itinerary well, especially with elevation changes in mind. When we had heavy climbing days, we did less mileage. We could have done the ride in 1-2 fewer days, but it probably wouldn’t have been as enjoyable for us. It’s nice to get to a destination and be able to enjoy dinner and the campsite without being completely exhausted.
6. We learned that it takes a couple days to adjust to our bikes and loads. We were all carrying about 50 pounds (a very rough estimate) of gear on our bikes, which was mostly distributed in rear panniers. It can be awkward to figure out how to lean the bike up against things and, even, stopping and slowing on hills.
We all have bruises and scratches from our bikes flailing around and hitting us in the calves and shins.
In all, it was a great trip, and I think we all would do a similar trip in the future. People we met along the way were generous, friendly, and helpful. And, while we met many people riding the trails, only a few groups were also riding the entire GAP and CO.
We are proud of this accomplishment and are glad to have the great memories and photos. Truly a trip of a lifetime!
This is Annie:
And Ellen:
And Lauren:
Signing off!
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