October 3, 2023
What brings me to these trails
Why I tour these two epic American trails
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I am a return visitor to the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and the C&O Canal Towpath. This is my sixth end-to-end tour on the trails. I hosted weekend retreats on the GAP for my pre-retirement bike club. Many good times, memories, and friendships have been shaped by those times.
I retired in 2017 with touring by bike high on my agenda. My goal that year was to tour every month. Seven 3–7-day tours filled my 2017 calendar. A final weekend retreat for my former bike club and a pancreatic cancer charity ride found me returning to the GAP.
I cycled the Ohio to Erie Trail end-to-end in 2016 becoming an instant fan of the trail crossing Ohio. I have lived along two different sections of the trail in my pre-retirement and retirement homes. I never imagined that the 2016 tour would lead me to be the president of the trail in 2023.
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A coworker gave me the book, How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, at my retirement. Ernie Zelinski, the author, shared that a happy retirement should be guided by passion, actively participating in a community, and having an engaging daily routine. I found all three on the trails.
Trails are my retirement passion. I saw cycling as that passion entering retirement. It was the vehicle that led me to trail advocacy and leadership. That passion includes sharing the benefits that trails bring to life and how trails grow communities along the trail.
The above life experiences have led me to tour many trails by bike. I cycle my local trails weekly and enjoy occasional road rides and on-road cycling events. My heart brings me back to the trail. The GAP and C&O exemplify what makes touring by bike on trails exceptional.
Exceptional nature
The diversity of nature and landscapes is a feast for eyes as the C&O Canal Towpath heads west from Washington D.C. The tunnel of green along the Potomac cuts into the Appalachians. The GAP climbs through the Allegheny Highlands to Pittsburgh. Rushing rivers, wildlife, tunnels, mist-shrouded mountains, waterfalls, deer, and wildlife are common sights.
Following history
The westward path of America started in the early 1800s in Georgetown and continues today in the reinvented Steel Valley. Canal and railroad towns grew with industry along the canal and rail networks. This history continues today with the rise of outdoor recreation and tourism.
Adventure and challenge
These 335 miles offer something for everyone. Ample camping and accommodations, regional food and drink combined with historical and natural attractions beckon adventures. Small elevation changes along seventy-four locks and a gentle railroad grade make for a ride for people of all abilities and ages.
More than the in-between
My philosophy is that a bicycle tour is about what happens in the in-between and not at the start or end. These trails challenge that with much to offer in Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh, destinations rich in tourist attractions, food and drink, and activities to suit every traveler's desires.
Let's get ready to tour these two epic American trails!
Tom on the trails
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