Touring - Leaving for Pittsburgh in 2 days!

On Wednesday morning, I'll be leaving for Pittsburgh via the C&O canal towpath and the Great Allegheny Passage. It'll be my first planned, unsupported tour. I'm pretty excited, of course. And a tiny bit nervous, too. But it doesn't seem like it'll be overly difficult. Actually, the total distance (less than 350mi over 4 days) is less than a 600k (368mi over 37 hrs) i did last May. So i'm hoping the riding will be fairly easy. But i haven't camped since i was a teenager in the Boy Scouts. I think i've prepared pretty well though. Perhaps too well, considering I'm only camping two nights, with the first night being spent at a friend's house, and the last in the PGH Amtrak station boxing my bike and waiting for a 5:45AM train. (hopefully they don't have too much problem with me spending part of the night)

Anyways, here's my route and cuesheet/itinerary (http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Home-To-Pittsburgh-w-winter-detour) (comments and critiques would be appreciated)

and here's my packing list:

Rack, Bags, and Such:
Jandd Extreme Front Rack
MEC World Tour 40L Panniers
Carradice SQR Tour saddlebag
North face Electron 25 daypack/hydration pack (100oz bladder within)
2x Kleen Kanteen 27oz waterbottles
a drybag for the sleeping bag
ziplocks for sorting/keeping clothes dry
a few bungies & carabiners to attach stuff on top of the rack/outside the panniers

Tools and Such:
Leatherman Fuse
Topeak Hexus multitool
3-pack tire levers
patch kit & presta-schrader adapter
Zefal frame pump
2 spare tubes
small bottle TriFlow
rag

Sleep Gear:
Generic $30 6'x8' DWR nylon tarp
Outdoor Research Alpine Bivy
Mountain Hardwear UltraLamina 32 sleeping bag
an older ThermaRest ¾ length sleeping pad

Clothing:
3 pair bib shorts
a pair of knickers made from Dickies
3 thermal tops (one wool & 2 polyester)
a nylon button-up shirt
a wool overshirt
a light Pearl Izumi jacket
a Gore Bike Wear rainjacket
a pair Gore Bike Wear rain pants
5 pair wool socks of various weight and height
a few pairs boxers for evening and sleeping
a pair fleece bottoms
wool cap for off the bike
earwarmers for on the bike
Sidi Dominator 5's
a pair fingerless cycling gloves
a pair overgloves

Toiletries and Such:
small bottle Camp Suds
regular ol' toothbrush
small tube toothpaste
MSR Packtowl 15”x40”
bottle Ibuprofen
tube of triple antibiotic ointment
wet wipes

Cooking Gear:
MSR Pocket Rocket stove+fuel can (borrowed)
Snow Peak 3-pc titanium cookset
Light My Fire lexan spoon/fork (it says spork on the package, but I'll call it a spoon/fork 'cause they're at opposite ends)
a couple disposable lighters

Food:
several packets each of oatmeal & hot cocoa mix
a packet of ramen noodles
several pieces of pita bread
a jar of peanut butter
a bottle of honey
a couple pouches of tuna fish
several individual servings of mayonnaise
a bag of banana chips
several Clif bars, gel packs, and/or Snickers (resupply along the way)

As above, comments or criticsms/critiques/suggestions/corrections would be appreceated

Thanks!

It sounds like you are pretty well prepared.
Is your tarp for a ground cloth or rain protection? You'll want to make sure you have something between your tent and the ground since this time of year it will probably be pretty damp.

What kind of tires are you riding? I've ridden the C&O from Georgetown to Great Falls and it can get a bit soft and also a little rocky in places. I think I'd go with 32mm wide tires at a minimum and preferably 35's if your bike set up will take them.

Have a great time and post some comments and pictures if you can afterward. I hope to do that whole ride someday and it will be good to hear your experience.
Good luck and I hope you have good weather!

Yes, it's very wet on the C&O now. Fat tires and fenders well spaced from the wheels are a necessity. As mentioned above, you'll need a good ground cloth and probably a tarp to protect everything else. Also, don't count on water at the campsites. I think they've taken the handles off the pumps for the winter. Good luck.

How are you going to get though the closed tunnels along the way, I think a couple of them don't get opened untill some time in April. Well anyways take pictures and keep notes alone the way and do a journal on www.crazyguyonabike.com.

Yeah, i forgot to mention it, but tires and trail surface were one of the things i was concerned about. I've got 700x35 tires (of course they just barely measure 32mm wide mounted on OpenPros), and while i've ridden the lower parts of the canal many times, i haven't done so recently, so i don't know what current conditions are. I also haven't ridden it above Point of Rocks since i did the entire canal as a fully supported tour when i was perhaps 14, so i don't remember if it's rougher or smoother up there. At any rate, i guess I'm pretty much set on tire size, since if i go much bigger it's gonna become a major pain to remove the wheels because of the tires catching on the brake pads. Otherwise, i might go up to 700x38)

Thanks also for the info about the water pumps. I was hoping (and still am) that that wouldn't be the case, but if it is, at least i'll be expecting it. Either way, i'll have the capacity to carry about 1.2gal of water, which in randonneuring-type riding, would last me 150+ miles. of course, that wouldn't include cooking, washing hands, etc, but i think it's safe to say that it'd last me an 80-100mi day of riding + other uses. Of course, all that water would weigh 9+ lbs, so if water availability isn't an issue, i'd rather run at partial capacity.

As for dampness protection, the bivy sack i'm using is completely waterproof above and below, but i intend to pitch a tarp above my head so i can leave the sack open at my face. If possible, i'm gonna try to get the bike under the tarp somehow too. If that doesn't work, i'll take the bags off the bike and keep them next to me under the tarp.

Thanks, and keep it coming

How are you going to get though the closed tunnels along the way, I think a couple of them don't get opened untill some time in April. Well anyways take pictures and keep notes alone the way and do a journal on www.crazyguyonabike.com.

As far as i know of, there is one seasonally closed tunnel, the Big Savage Tunnel, somewhere north of the Mason-Dixon line, but before any towns in PA. There is a published on-road detour which i have incorporated into my cuesheet. I've read mixed reports of this detour: Linking Up (http://shaw-weil.com/linkup/detoursavage.htm) describes them as being rather bike unfriendly, but these guys (http://www.thirdwave-websites.com/bike/0405biketrip.cfm#secondday) have ridden both the published detour, and an on road "shortcut" suggested by a driver, and found the published detour more favorable. To me, it doesn't seem more than moderately bike unfriendly, though i guess i'll see when i ride it.

There are a few other detours from the trails that i plan to take. Actually, i don't plan on even getting on the trail until the Monocacy Aqueduct, since the towpath tends to be kinda crowded south of Great Falls, and i can see that stuff anytime anyways. Second, I'm gonna be crossing over to WV at Shepherdstown to spend the first night at a friend's house. Third, there's a section of the canal that's been closed for at least a decade somewhere before Williamsport, and there's a marked on-road detour around it. Beyond that I'll probably venture off the towpath to see some of the towns of Western MD. I also think i'll be taking the paved WMRT (http://bikewashington.org/trails/wmrt/wmrt.htm) to get some respite from the towpath surface. Then there's the Big Savage detour discussed above, an off-road detour around the yet-to-be-opened Pinkerton Tunnel, and the on/off-road route between McKeesport and the Southside Trail. The last is a reversal of the route (http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/CTC-start) that was published by the organizers of Crushing the Commonwealth (http://www.pittsburghpedalpushers.blogspot.com/) as the start of last year's race. I just realized, that i haven't yet publicly acknowledged them for using that. Oops. I think i'll put a note in the comments of that route thanking them!

Anyways, as far as routing goes, the only part that i'm at all concerned about is the part near Pittsburgh. But again, i'll see.

Yes, it's very wet on the C&O now. Fat tires and fenders well spaced from the wheels are a necessity. As mentioned above, you'll need a good ground cloth and probably a tarp to protect everything else. Also, don't count on water at the campsites. I think they've taken the handles off the pumps for the winter. Good luck.

Yeah, i've been doing some reading (this particular journal (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=2070&v=69) seems to be a good source on winter canal conditions) and it sounds like you're probably correct on all counts there. i think i may modify the route to stay on roads a bit more to avoid the muck. tires are about as wide as i'm gonna get without too much trouble. Still pretty confident in my sleeping setup and in keeping my gear dry. And it looks like i'll probably have to go with buying water at stores (a gallon at a time hopefully).

well, i'm off!

Let us know how it went Joshben. I'm going the opposite direction sometime this year, maybe this fall.
Have a good time!

Good luck! Let us know how it went; a friend and I are planning to ride it this summer.

And...I'm back!

And...I'm back!

How was the camping? Pictures? &c.

And...I'm back!

I look forward to hearing about it.

Hey joshben,

You took AmTrak right? How much of a hassle was this? Did you need a box? (I just posted a question on this).

I wish I saw your post earlier. I live 1-2 miles from the Brothers Grime trail head. Sorry I did not catch you earlier, to offer any help you may have needed.


That goes to anyone riding the trail. If you need assistance, a place to stay, whatever. Speak up! :) Can't make any promises but if I can help, I will.