1-Crossing the Appalachians on the Great Allegheny Passage: Preparations

With Ann in California for the week, I had little desire to sit home. Time for some adventure and a little scouting on the Great Allegheny Passage. One of the best and longest rail trails in the nation, we'd been impressed with the short segment outside Confluence Pennsylvania on our way home from Gettysburg. It was time to see a whole lot more. The forecast was for sunshine, 60's or 70's, and fall color was upon us - perfect.

The 90 miles from Connellsville, Pennsylvania to Cumberland, Maryland are regarded by many as the most scenic, crossing the Allegheny and Appalachian mountains along the route of the old Western Maryland Railroad. Grades are less than 1% west of the divide and a bit less than 2% east of the divide to Cumberland. Trail surface is crushed limestone dust and rides almost like pavement. A road bike works great, but I took a mountain bike with smooth, high volume tires so I could explore some technical trails in Ohioplye State Park.

At Cumberland, the Passage joins the C&O Canal National Historic Park. This park is 72 feet wide and stretches 184.5 miles from Cumberland to Georgetown and the Chesapeake in D.C. with a grade of essentially 0%. I decided to ride a segment of this towpath trail from Cumberland east to the first locks to see how it differed from the rail trail and to visit the first few historic sites.

Because I'm cheap and because I hate having to follow a schedule when I'm exploring, I chose to ride the route in segments - out and back each day, sleeping in the back of the Subaru next to my trusty steed at night, parked at one of the trail towns that provide free parking and toilets, grabbing breakfast and dinner at local establishments. I decided three 60 mile days would be about right riding full suspension on low tread 2.55's.

I carried enough gear on my bike for a two day point-to-point credit card tour - bike tools, maps, cold and wet weather gear, snacks, water, town clothes - to test equipment for future trips (though I wouldn't need it all this time returning to the car each night). I picked out two bike bags: a Jandd Mountain Handle Pack and a Jandd Frame Pack. The Frame Pack works well with my full suspension Anthem, so it should work for any rigid frame bike and most rear suspension bikes that don't have a top tube mounted shock. It's great for bike bits like pumps, tubes, tools, straps and the like. A bit awkward in shape to carry some things, but it has the virtue of using otherwise unused space on the bike, and still leaves room for a water bottle.  The star of the ride was the Handle Pack. It hangs from the handlebars over the stem facing the rider, and carries a surprising amount of gear without interfering with your knees -great for camera, snacks, maps. Anything you need to get at regularly. Supremely convenient and versitile. I carried my clothes, books, foul weather gear, and hydration bladder in a Vaude Siena 40 backpack. It has an open mesh tension frame to keep you back cool, sturdy padded waist belt to support the weight on your hips, a low, rounded shape well suited to biking, and an integral bladder pouch. I rode with it 8 hours a day with no discomfort. Deuter makes a series of similar packs that are also excellent.

The Allegheny Passage Trail Book I bought ($10) was indispensable. The included vinyl map shows the route, towns, access roads, and mile marks while the book provides details on local services, lodging, and history. A must. Cell coverage turned out to be mostly absent, though a few small towns had boosters at the tourist booth, and the bigger cities were well served.

I found extra bike shorts a must, and changed them twice a day and dried them in the car at night. I forgot shammy cream - don't. It wasn't pressure but the constant moisture between by derrière and the seat that gave me my first diaper rash in 48 years. And if you're on a straight bar bike like me, bar ends are really nice - they don't have to be big, just so they allow different hand, shoulder, and wrist positions. If you've got drop bars, make sure they're adjusted so you're comfortable in the tops, hoods, and drops for the same reasons.

Although I rode three out-and-back segments in as many days, I'm going to describe the route linearly - that's how most will ride it. And I'll break the narrative into separate posts since the route's character changed distinctly at several points.