It was raining. Hard. As those of us staying at the Fairfield Inn made our way down to breakfast early that morning, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone’s thoughts were on the rain, the ride, the new trail – our first day on the Great Allegheny Passage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Allegheny_Passage) – the mountain we had to cross, including passing by the Mason Dixon line near the summit and at the summit, 2390’, the Great Eastern Divide, that point at which rain falling over there makes its way down to the Mississippi River and falling over here, makes its way down to the Atlantic Coast. All in all much to think about as we dressed for rain, ate our breakfast and put our gear out for the vans to pick up. Did I mention it was raining? Hard?
I need to mention a couple of things here. About the trail. We had just ridden 155 miles on a trail that was composed of crushed rock, clay and dirt, all compacted down and baked hard by rain, sun and bike traffic. The Great Allegheny Passage Trail was different in that this trail had been laid on top of an old railroad bed with an under packing of rock, on top of which had been placed a bed of crushed limestone and dirt. The difference. Limestone is porous and rain does not accumulate nearly as quickly as it does on a trail of dirt and clay. The limestone trail was more firmly packed than the C&O Canal Trail and had virtually no rock sticking up through the dirt. Except for the rain, the trail was almost as easy to ride as asphalt. We would ride for the next two and half days on much firmer trail. Less difficult on us and certainly so on the bikes.
The other thing is about the rain gear. Someone said, “Proper rain gear is not designed to keep you dry. It is designed to keep you comfortable”. Thus so. What happens is that the rain gear keeps the rain and cold out, but keeps the heat and sweat in. If the ride is long and the exercise even mildly strenuous, the sweat accumulates on the inside while the rain runs off on the outside. Very quickly you have the same effect as in wearing a wet suit while surfing. The inside water gets very warm and insulates the body against the cold and wet outside. You actually become quite comfortable, once you get past the idea that you’re gonna be wet no matter what.
And so it was, on the 6th day, God said, “There shall be water, and I will call it rain. And it will rain mightily on the Great Allegheny Passage”. The Archangel Michael, not wanting to question God, said, "What’s an Allegheny?” God replied, "Never mind, check it out in Chapter 2”. And so it was.
And so it was, I set out from the comfort of the dry Fairfield Inn and off on a double adventure. Today I would climb in elevation from 620’ at Cumberland to 2390’ at the Great Eastern Divide, a trail distance of 22 miles to the top, and then ride back down to Rockwood at 1820’, another 23 miles. I would do so bundled up in my raingear looking somewhat like the Michelin Tire Character and would do so while it rained almost 4’ of rain on the trail in the face of 10-15 mph gusts of wind.
Strangely, I was not worried, just curious about how all this would turn out. There would be 44 of us on the trail that day plus our guides at 2 rest stops, so there was no concern about being left behind. And by now, I had complete confidence that the 45 miles would be of little physical consequence. And finally, I will say again, I’m like the little boy that likes to watch rain, lightning and snow and loves to jump in puddles along the way. So the rain posed no serious question to me. It just all made it very curious and the most interesting kind of adventure for this old guy. Finally, I knew there were older, there were those in not such good condition and those more timid, so what the hell, this would be a grand adventure.
Boy, it sure was. After leaving the hotel, in about 2 miles the trail started up, and just continued so until it got to the top about 20 miles later. How up? If you are reading this in Barrington, IL, imagine Route 59 between 14 and 12. Or, if you are reading this in Los Angeles, imagine Beachwood Drive above Franklin Ave before you get to the junction where the small market is. Or in Palos Verdes, Hawthorne Blvd. between Pacific Coast Highway and Silver Spur. Or in Hollywood, Doheny Dr. between Santa Monica Blvd and Sunset Blvd. If you know those places, you know that’s not steep up, just up, up. And imagine 22 miles of it, with no place where it is level or downhill until you get to the top. Now throw in a hard, steady rain with a little wind now and then, and you’ve got it.
At the first rest spot, the hot chocolate was more fun than a shot from a bottle of 25 year old Macallan and just getting off the bike for a few minutes, standing under a shelter even though water was running off it like water out of a fire hose, was so welcome. The very wet apple, banana and handful of M&M’s was just the thing for this needy body and then most of us, like the old pony express riders of yore, quickly jumped back on our bikes to continue to the top of the mountain. Did I really just say that??? Riders of Yore?
At some point a couple and a half hours into all of this, the trail began to level off just a bit and there in the distance, a big sign indicating that we were approaching the Mason Dixon Line, the boundary separating Maryland and Pennsylvania. Sure enough, there were a couple of my tour mates stopped taking pictures and were kind enough to take a couple of me. The good news is that I was just near the summit but the bad news is that this location is one of a few with fabulous views back across Maryland and out over Pennsylvania. Supposedly fabulous. But not this day. Low clouds obscured everything further away than a ¼ mile so our satisfaction would not come with the view, but with the knowledge that we had made this ride in the face of some severe weather conditions. Hell, just had made it at all.
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| Almost to the top. The Mason-Dixon Line! Pennsylvania over there; Maryland over here. |
In just under a mile, we approached the Great Eastern Continental Divide, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Continental_Divide), and finally made it to the top of Savage Mountain, the highest elevation we would cross on this ride. Several of us standing around just inside the entrance to Big Savage Tunnel savoring the moment were in conversation and somebody said, “Drinks to the person who makes it down all the way without using brakes”. How silly. Once out of the tunnel, back in the rain, we all found out the descent was very gradual and the rain and wind would prevent any of us from coasting even 5 feet! No coasting on this day, just pedaling our bikes downhill towards our stop for the night, Rockwood, PA.
As we descended on the trail, by about 3:00 in the afternoon, the rain began to let up a little and the wind to subside and once again the beauty of these wooded trails began to be apparent. About 3:30, wet, muddy, the bike looking like it had been rolled in wet sand and the rider in mud and grime; I rolled into our campsite at Rockwood. Everything and everyone was drenched and we all looked like wet rats just off the sinking ship. Our bike again to the repair center, our bodies into hot showers and dry clothes, and it was our turn to compare stories of our day in the rain. It turns out that only 4 people had to use the Vans on the day’s ride, and even then, except for one, those for only a portion of the distance.
It’s time here to talk a bit about Kate. It did not take long early in the tour for her story to make its way through the group. She had been a marathon runner, a triathelete and a long distance bike rider. A top competitor in all those events. Hard to tell her age, but I’d reckon somewhere around 50. Trim, fit and wiry, short cut gray-blond hair. Walked with a bit of a limp. It soon became apparent she was outgoing and gregarious, never hesitating to grab a beer at the end of the day and sit with the guys and ladies to compare stories. And always, a big smile and a good word for everybody. On the trail or off. Her bike though, was what we call a tricycle bike, low to the ground, two wheels in the rear and one in front, with the pedals sticking straight out almost over the front wheel. Tough to get traction that low to the ground although the seat is like a bucket seat, much easier on long rides than a conventional seat.
One day a few years ago, after a training run, Kate was sitting on a park bench talking to someone on the telephone when a car came up and over the curb, driven by a drunk driver. The car took flight and came down in her lap. In her lap! Broke her pelvis in several places, broke both legs and badly bruised her spine. She was left with months and months of rehabilitation, including nerve damage to her hand. Her balance was permanently impaired, thus, the three wheeled trike.
Now the miracle is that Kate is even walking, let alone riding. But the bigger miracle is that Kate is an inspiration to anyone who ever thought they had a problem. Kate doesn’t dwell on this accident, she only works hard to continue riding, walking, getting the use back in her hand and trying to live as normal a life as she can. Why all this fuss about Kate? I did not see it, but those who did say she had the biggest smile of all time as she rolled into camp at Rockwood that afternoon in the rain. She had made the whole ride up 22 miles, up and over that hill, all 2390’ of it, and down another 23 miles. Without help. Only with determination and a strong will. What was one of the first things she did when she got into camp and got her trike cleaned up and her shower? She grabbed a beer and sat with us to talk about the day. Not the in extraordinary sense that she was special, just that she had made it. Just like all the rest of us. On pure energy, a goal and hard work in pretty awful circumstances. Remember what I said earlier about not knowing a book by its cover? Kate was one of those who would have fooled you, for sure.
Dinner that night was a great celebration of victory over a hostile environment. It was wet everywhere. We ate in cramped circumstances in the warehouse of the fellow who owned the campground. The campground was flooded so everybody was on garage floors, on the basement floor of his home, in local hostiles, anywhere where one could find a dry spot. And you know what, not a word of complaint, for we had all just shared in a group victory, a great ride on a miserable day. That’s how I got on the floor in the basement at 5:00 in the morning. You remember?
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| We started out at Cumberland and ended at Rockwood |
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| Why'd the bear go over the mountain? Just through that tunnel is the other side. Big Savage Tunnel. El. 2390' Click on an image to make it larger |
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