June 7, 2024
GAP Cumberland Climb
That hill got steeper in 7 years...
We'd had a very cool week in Maryland while the "heat dome" was still in the southwest, but it was starting to warm up. We arrived at the eastern terminus of the Great Allegheny Passage trail at the Western Maryland Railroad Visitor center in Cumberland at about 10am and after recycling some coffee I was on the bike by 1030 on a breezy 70 degree morning.
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I've done this climb a number of times, but the last time was 2017 when I was a 60 year-old spring chicken. It didn't feel much harder but turns out that was because I was going about 25% slower, averaging 9 mph up the 22 mile climb vs. 12 mph 7 years ago.
The trail was not crowded, though many groups of riders were coming down the hill. I was passed on the way up only by e-bikers and one young guy who said "Am I heading towards Frostburg" and when I said "Yes" he said "Oh good, I'll be able to get back before they miss me at work!"
A lot more wind turbines were visible on the way up, spinning away in the stiff breeze.
I stopped at the Frostburg rest stop at the 15 mile mark and refilled a water bottle. My trip did not coincide with a WMRR train going up or down, not sure if it was running on a Friday yet. In a few miles I reached the 957' Borden tunnel which now has solar-powered lights that come on and turn off as you make your way through the tunnel.
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In about 7 miles from Frostburg, I reached the 3,500 foot long Big Savage Tunnel and stopped to put my bar light on. For previous trips either way through that fairly well-lighted tunnel I bought a nice powerful double light - the first time I did that tunnel years ago without lights I learned I was not very skilled at riding in the dark! However, in the 7 years since doing this ride I haven't used that light and couldn't find the charger and cord. So, I brought along an old 300 lumen light I found in the garage.
As my friend Chris says "The Big Savage Tunnel has a unique form of darkness - it just gobbles up protons." For whatever reason, the tunnel lights plus the 300 lumen weren't enough. I was very tentative biking through that one.
From there it was about 10 flat miles through the short Continental Divide underpass, over the sand at Deal and across the Bollman Bridge and the Keystone Viaduct to the visitor center in Meyersdale where Carole was to pick me up. I found her nearly passed out in a pastry coma after downing both a sticky bun and a cinnamon bun from a Chalk Hill bakery she hit on the way to meet me. She was in no shape for dinner so I picked up a fine turkey sandwich from the Firefly Market in Accident MD - along with a bag of roasted coffee beans from Cumberland MD-based Basecamp Coffee.
From there just a few miles south to our lodging at Deep Creek Lake.
Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 32 miles (51 km)
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