Bikepacking the GAP & C&O Trails: 334 miles, 16 days, 3 bike repairs
There are people who ride their bikes over long distances because they love to ride and choosing to camp is simply an inexpensive way to sleep in between rides. There are others who love to camp, and feel that a good way to get between campsites is to ride their bike. It’s a spectrum, of course, but I’ll let you decide into which group you, and we, belong. Bikepacking from Pittsburgh to DC along the gently graded miles of GAP and C&O Canal Towpath bike trails, winding through southern Pennsylvania, up and over the Eastern Continental Divide, and down along the Potomac River to our nation’s capital, has long been on our bucket list and the experience has been a highlight of our year. The only plans we made for this journey were the one-way Amtrak tickets from DC to Pittsburgh, our first night’s lodging at the Traveler's Rest Hostel just a few miles from the train station, and a place to park our rig. Fortunately, we have great friends within 7 miles of downtown DC who wer...