GART Day 8 - Edging Toward Pittsburgh

Riding the rails

When we left Washington D.C., we left a major metropolitan area. Obviously, our nation’s capitol is a bustling region, surrounded by supporting cities and bedroom communities. I remember looking across the Potomac at the high rises of Arlington, VA when we started off on Day 1. It was busy, busy, busy but then we left that behind and enjoyed the quietude of the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Trail along with the majority of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). For a week, our trail rides were quiet. For days, we never went into any towns while on the C&O. We would go by small towns, but often we’d never even see so much as a house or a small shop. The C&O is more isolated than a glance at maps would suggest. Things got even quieter and more remote on the GAP after we passed through Cumberland. Nothing near as vast as the remote wildernesses we have in the American West, but quiet nonetheless, with small quaint towns here and there nestled in the woods and rolling hills.

Today that changed as we dropped further down the Youghiogheny River into its lowlands via an old P&LE (Pittsburgh and Lake Erie) railroad path that was retired in the early 1990s. How did the 90s become so long ago?

The last two nights we stayed in Connellsville. All night long we heard the rumble of trains going by, accentuated by the squeals of brakes and metallic wheels. Lately, as we’ve ridden the trails we’ve seen a lot of train traffic go by. I speak now of the active railroads. There are those such as the P&LE that have been retired and then converted to trails for people like us.

Day 8 begins from the Comfort Inn of Connellsville

This morning was damp and dreary. We left straight from the hotel in Connellsville, which was right by the trail at mile marker 89. Jimmy went on an expedition to get gloves for him and Dr. B. It has been chilly. Throw in showery weather and hands and feet get cold quickly. Both yesterday and today I was well bundled up in my trusty Arc’teryx jackets and pants. Over my pants and checkered Vans we set up my Diestco checkered Van chaps. On my hands I’ve had wool gloves, over which we put plastic bags when it rains. Finally, on my head I had my hella warm Alestake Brewing hat. Once again, thanks to all who have provided the gear to make this trip possible! Today Dr. B and Jimmy wore wool socks which provide a little more warmth than their checkered Van socks, but they needed more for their hands. Jimmy had to visit a few stores, and he finally caught up with us at mile 10 for the day (GAP mile marker 99). He got Dr. B a nice pair of insulated biking gloves from a bike shop and for himself he found a pair of cold weather leather work gloves from a hardware store. They add to the interesting looks that these guys have been cultivating for themselves.

It rained a few times on us. At one point we retreated under a picnic area overhang to wait out the heaviest shower of the day. Dr. B and Jimmy’s feet got soaked, but all in all it wasn’t too bad. Later, Dr B really helped me out by wringing out my sopping dreadlocks.

Thankful for some cover

Nancy, who knows how to dress.

Dr. B has many talents.

Mile 100 of the GAP! We love to celebrate the milestones!

At mile marker 100 we met Nancy from Kentucky, who was also sporting an Arc’teryx rain jacket. We immediately clicked and chatted for a little while.

Turkey herding

As we passed through urban-wildlands interfaces today, we saw a fair amount of wildlife. We passed by two flocks of turkeys (native to this area!), a coyote, a baby black panther that Jimmy insists was a black domesticated cat, a ruffled grouse that Dr. B insists was a chicken, and a lot of deer. Chipmunks and squirrels darted across the trail and risked gruesome deaths beneath our wheels

At one point, we passed an acid mine waterfall that is a direct result of Ocean Coal Company’s Ocean No. 2 mine established in 1900. We could smell sulphur. Jimmy saw a sign about pyrite and Dr. B speculated that pyrite must consist of iron sulfide. We looked into it, and sure enough, Dr. B was right. I guess he is qualified to teach chemistry. Every once in a while he’s actually right.

A moment for a chemistry lesson

We could tell that we were getting closer to Pittsburgh, which has a history of industrial power. The home of the Pittsburgh Steelers was once the pinnacle of American steel production, and extraction and manufacturing once made it America’s eight largest city. The Pittsburgh coal seam, the largest and most lucrative coal bed in the eastern US, played a big role in this as well. This is what Ocean Coal Company and many other companies over the centuries have exploited.

Things turned really urban as we approached McKeesport, the finish line for today. We were on roads for a bit, then back to trails. Tomorrow we go from there to Pittsburgh. Then we’ll shuttle to the start of the Montour Trail on the west side of the Pittsburgh area. It should be fun!

Approaching McKeesport. Things are getting urban.

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GART Day 7 - Allegheny Glimpses

We had mostly blue skies at the start of the day with brisk fall air streaming in from the northwest, down from the Great Lakes.

The bikes were loaded up in the red Dodge Ram pick up truck being driven by my dad, who was accompanied by Jimmy. They followed my mom, me and Dr. B in our converted white Dodge minivan up and down Allegheny ridges on our way to the day’s start, which was Rockwood, so named because those were the area’s two biggest economic commodities. All of us were sporting Here and Now Project shirts showing appreciation for their support and work to connect the paralysis community of the Northwest, and for always reminding us to “Do Life” to the maximum extent that we ever can, here and now.

We had gradually thickening clouds as we started rolling on the trail along exposed sandstone and shale and siltstone. Dr. B photographed water falling off one of these rocky protrusions.

At times coal veins were visible between stone layers. Moss, ferns, forbs and trees protrude from the rock. Tree roots squeeze through rock fissures and move stone. Rock and wood.

We saw more old and hella sweet railroad bridges that were repurposed for this bike trail. At one point, we crossed a bridge over Casselman River, went through a tunnel, then immediately went back over the Casselman. Riverine meanders. The bridges and tunnels are a fun part of this trail.

A red-spotted admiral flitted by me and Jimmy as we soaked up some sun in an open section.

Shaggy soldiers, wild basil and late purple asters along the trail.

We had lunch with my mom and dad at Confluence, where the Casselman River merges into the Youghiogheny (pronounced Yack-oh-gain-ee), which is the badass river that we followed for the rest of the day today and that we get to go along tomorrow as well.

The Casselman River

We had a bit of rain right after we started again after lunch. The weather turned colder.

Dressed to impress!

Passing a bunch of kids as we rolled into Ohiopyle, a girl exclaimed “Oh my gosh, look at those guys and their outfits!” Dr. B and Jimmy both looked immensely satisfied upon hearing this.

At Ohiopyle we met up with Jack from WTAJ, our news leader. Ohiopyle was a nice trail town to take a little break and enjoy the amazing scenery. Jack interviewed me, Jimmy and Dr. B. Jack set his tripod up to max height for Jimmy, then dramatically lowered it for his subsequent interview of Dr. B.

I was too cold in Ohiopyle at 95.3 degrees Fahrenheit. After my interview with Jack, I sat in the van for a while with the heater on full blast. A shower passed while I was doing so. Dr. B and Jimmy just stood outside shivering under a small overhang. In about 20 minutes, I warmed up enough to get back on the trail.

Telling Jack all about our adventure

We really enjoyed the smoothness of this trail. Anybody using any sort of mobility device can do any part of the GAP in terms of surface conditions. Some sections are long between access points/potential SAG spots. For instance, we had a 17 mile section after the interviews in Ohiopyle in which there was maybe one marginal access point. Essentially, between Ohiopyle and Connellsville there were no access points.

We ran into Dennis Hess after leaving Ohiopyle. We saw him way back on day 1 on the C&O. He is up this way for some work related business, and has been able to put miles in on the GAP over the last couple of days. Lo and behold, there he was again, quite a lot of miles away from our original meeting.

My handy crew

We had more cold rain on the final stretch to Connellsville, where our hotel was. Jimmy started circling ahead and back at higher speeds to warm up.

My front right caster failed on the final stretch. I kept going, but interesting noises emanated from the blown bearings. My dad and Jimmy replaced the caster later in the hotel.

At 4:41 PM Eastern time, we passed the midway point of the GAP. Dr. B took my picture at the 75 mile marker. Trip total as of the end of today: 298 miles.

Dennis!

Epic scenery

In short, it was a lovely and smooth day, the only buckles to which were my getting too cold for a short while and some root heaves in some asphalt sections leading into Connellsville. It was nice to hit the trail and cover 48 solid miles straight through beautiful country.

The finish!

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GART Day 6 - Final Goodbye to the C&O

The last canal house

As we headed up the first miles of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) yesterday afternoon after the deluge led to changed plans, we immediately missed the Potomac River ceaselessly flowing to our left and the canal carved into earth to our right. For days we travelled with these stunning features astride us, and then they were gone. We moved on into the Cumberland Narrows and started heading up toward the Eastern Continental Divide in the Allegheny Mountains. Gone were the locks, enduring ghosts of the C&O Canal’s heyday, and the towpaths, heavily stepped upon by many decades worth of indentured mules. Hours and hours of greenery and woods would suddenly be broken by a splash of white as we came upon a canal house. We missed the way the river and the canal and the locks wrapped us and carried us along in a new sense of time that we settled into pretty quickly after we left Washington D.C. and slipped into the Potomac lowland wilds of western Maryland.

The Start

This morning, however, we got to revisit the C&O Canal and the Potomac one more time as we filled the gap that the deluge had created. Yesterday we left the trail at Lock 70, Mile 166 in the interest of sparing my wheelchair from likely water damage in the many puddles that the grey clouds left behind. Yesterday afternoon we picked up the GAP at Mile 0 (which is also the end of the C&O Canal Trail, Mile 184.5) and headed northwest from there. So we had about 18.5 miles to fill in order to complete the C&O Canal Trail, and we set out to do that in reverse direction this morning starting at the end. So the canal was to our left, and the Potomac to our right as we headed southeast toward Mile 166. We were all motivated to finish the C&O, but we didn’t know what trail conditions we’d encounter.

My morning pep talk at the confluence of the C&O Canal Trail and the GAP once again led to a Dr. B and Jimmy chest bump. I guess that I’m a rousing speaker. Dr. B absorbed the impact a little bit better this morning. Those clowns are now rocking new checkered skate helmets in what seems to me to be an unflagging effort on their parts to look ridiculous.

Canal Boat

At the end of the C&O Canal Trail there is a restored canal boat called The Cumberland. Dr. B, Jimmy and I stopped and pondered the boat for a little while, each of us impressed with its size given that these boats- filled with coal or wood or other goods- would be pulled by mules over great distances. We could envision the boat sliding into one of the many locks that we’ve passed, and could imagine the lock doors in operation, raising and lowering water levels.

The Epitome of Style

Slightly muddy C&O

Fortunately, a lot of the water on the trail had receded in the 17 or so hours since the heavy rainfall, and we were able to roll forward. Or should I say backward. Sometimes we’ve got to to go backward to move forward. As much as puddles had receded, there was still a lot of water on the trails, and a lot of mud. I had to weave and veer and maneuver through and around mud and water of unknown depths. Dr. B and Jimmy had to do the same. When I had to go through water, I’d slow down a lot, which minimized splashing and reduced the risk of water reaching my motor controller, one of the parts of my chair most susceptible to water damage. The lower part of my chair got shit show dirty again. Mud compacted between Jimmy’s rear wheel and his rear fender, and he had to clear that all out a few times as we made our way along. There was a team of cyclists that we leapfrogged a bit, and at one point when they were ahead of us they stopped to clear a small downed tree with me in mind. They were just finishing up as we came up and we all expressed our gratitude for their efforts. This was another example of the help that we’ve gotten from all kinds of people along the way.

Mt Savage Tunnel

Again!

The Salisbury Viaduct

After a lot of maneuvering, we came upon Lock 70 and its canal house, and we rejoiced in completing the 184.5 mile long C&O Canal Trail. We couldn’t celebrate for too long, however, as we needed to get back to Frostburg, where we had ended the day yesterday on the the GAP. So we bid the Potomac River and the canal one final adieu, cleaned up my chair and the crew’s bikes as best we could, loaded up into the Minivan and headed to our starting point on the GAP.

From Frostburg we continued up slope on the GAP toward the Eastern Continental Divide. From Mile 0 (which, again, is at the end of the C&O Canal Trail), the GAP has been smooth and completely accessible. After all of the puddles and rocks and steep detours and makeshift ramps and overheating motors of the last few days, the GAP felt so smooth it was almost boring. Due to all the hardships of the last few days my confidence in my chair was shaky. However, by the end of the day today my confidence in my chair was fully restored. For all I’ve put it through lately, it performed like a champ much to my gratitude and relief!

The Mason Dixon Line

The GAP is a beautifully maintained trail that goes through gorgeous country. 20 minutes after going through the Borden Tunnel (we went through a number of tunnels and over a number of bridges, only some of which I’ll call out now) that was built in 1911, we arrived at the Mason-Dixon Line and therefore crossed into the state of Pennsylvania. Not long after that we went through the 0.62 mile long Savage Tunnel, and it was cold in there. Shortly after that, we crossed the Eastern Continental Divide, which separates watersheds that flow into the Atlantic to the east from watersheds to the west that ultimately flow into the Gulf of Mexico. At 2,392 feet, I believe that this will be the highest point of our whole trip. The fall foliage again stepped up a notch, now with more splashes of orange and red among the yellowing leaves. From the Divide, it was a gradual descent to the day’s finish point in Rockwood, Pennsylvania. We went over a number of bridges, some short like the Bollman Bridge, an 1871 iron railroad bridge that was moved in 2006 to serve as a bridge for the GAP; and some long like the Salisbury Viaduct, a trestle bridge that spans almost 2000 feet. This bridge was built in 1912 to hold 2 tracks. Only one track was ever built on it. It was decommissioned in 1975, and fortunately it became part of the GAP in 1998.

These bridges and others from this afternoon spanned Casselman River, which we found ourselves riding along at the end of the day. We enjoyed the brisk fall air and were thankful for another beautiful day along two sections of this mind-blowing rails to trails system.

We finished in Rockwood for the day, and after our celebratory photo, we had the pleasure to be joined by Barb Zablotney. It was nice to meet her and visit for a while.



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GART Day 5 - The Deluge

On the way from our hotel to the trailhead at Paw Paw Tunnel Campground I told the crew I was feeling anxious about today.  Dr. B asked if there was something in particular that was making me anxious.  I gave him a list.

1.     I was very concerned about the weather forecast.  The forecast was showing heavy rain, lightning, chances of hail, strong winds, and to make it even more grim there was a chance of a “brief” tornado.  What the hell is a “brief” tornado?

2.     The terrain was a concern.  We knew we’d have rain, and most likely a lot.  This would lead to puddles, which is not a good thing for a low riding electric vehicle.

3.     The chair did not get completed charged overnight.

4.     My team finished strong yesterday, but I didn’t feel that my chair finished strong.  I was concerned about the performance of my wheelchair yesterday and the issues we were having with the motors.

It was likely we’d get wet.

 Dr.B then asked me to tell him something that was making me feel optimistic.  I said “my team.”

Day 5 Start. Thanks Diestco!

We arrived at the trailhead to a lovely warm and sunny morning.  Before starting out on the trail we made my body as waterproof as possible.  We knew the weather would change.  I was wearing my Arc’teryx pants and rain jacket.  The amount of rain we were expecting required a little more protection, so we attached my canopy and put on my custom chaps made by Diestco Manufacturing.  Dan Diestel, the owner of Diestco Manufacturing has been such a wonderful supporter of Ian’s ride over the years and has become a friend.  His company makes high quality equipment that makes what I do in my chair safer and more comfortable.

It was time to get moving.  I knew that today was going to be rough so I tried to pump up the team with a motivational speech.  Apparently, it worked a little too well.  Before I even finished my speech, Jimmy and Dr. B were grunting and pounding their chests and appeared to be heading straight for one another for a testosterone driven chest bump.  I’m not a betting man, but I would have put money down that Dr. B would knock Jimmy into tomorrow.  Holy crap I would have lost a lot of money.  My mom was filming the event and Jimmy knocked Dr. B clear out of the picture.  Who would have predicted that?  If you’re interested, I highly recommend watching the video on Instagram.  It might be my new favorite short film.

The Paw Paw Tunnel!

After Dr. B recovered, we got moving.  We rode to the Paw Paw Tunnel so we could at least see the tunnel, since yesterday it was closed from the other end.  It was quite impressive to think this tunnel was built in the 1800’s.  The tunnel runs 3,118 feet through a mountain and was built between the years of 1836 and 1850.  I wonder what the workers who built this tunnel would think if they saw me with my dreadlocks and checkered vans using the tunnel now for recreational purposes.

Turtles were everywhere!

The surface of the trail was good, not as smooth as pavement, but not nearly as bad as some of the surfaces we’ve been dealing with.  We saw a lot of turtles (Eastern Box Turtles and Basking Turtles) along the way.  Earlier in the trip we saw a lot of turtles sunning themselves on logs in the canal, but today they were in the trail.  We had to be careful not to run them over.  At this point it was humid, with the sun making all the plants and trees an intense green.  Many sections of the canal were covered with lily pads.  It was quite beautiful.

The trail was easy going until the storm hit.  We could sense it coming, it started to get a little darker, the temperature dropped, and we felt the first few drops.  Dr. B and Jimmy stopped to put their rain gear on.  Within two minutes it was dumping. We stopped under a large sycamore tree for shelter.  We discussed the best plan of action.  We did not all agree what we should do, move forward and get rained on, or wait this out and ride once the rain let up.  I live in Washington state and Jimmy and Dr. B live in California where it hasn’t rained in nearly a decade.  I figured I’m the rain expert.  I’ll make the call.  We waited out the worst part of the rain, then moved on.  

Shortly after we started riding again the rain stopped all together, it warmed up, and somehow this beautiful trail we have been experiencing for many days and many miles became even more beautiful.  I don’t know how to explain it other than to say the greens were greener, the sky was bluer, and water in the canal seemed calmer and more reflective.  At this point I would like to point out I did not ingest any illegal substances to enhance my senses.

Beautiful yet threatening

Despite the beauty, we had a new concern.  The rain had come down so hard and so fast, that the trail was now a series of puddles, many of which were unavoidable.  While the storm approached we had been keeping an eye on where the access points were in case we needed our support vehicle.  Keeping this in mind, and knowing how long we would have to backtrack to get off the trail, we moved forward cautiously.  As cautious as you can driving a power wheelchair with a lithium battery through deep puddles.  I may have voided the warranty on my chair 143 times within the first mile after we started up again.

We rode for about four miles or so before we felt the next storm front coming in.  Just in front of us was Lock 70, and a tiny lockhouse, with an accessible ramp to a porch.  We were just about to head onto the covered porch when we heard “Ian.”  A couple we met yesterday at our lunch stop saw us and suggested we head to a restaurant located nearby (in a former school house) that had a sheltered area.  They rode with us to the restaurant to make sure we didn’t get lost.

Thanks Larry!

This was very fortuitous.  After eating lunch while cleaning my chair we met Larry.  Larry now owns the building, which has a restaurant, an Inn, and what was most helpful, a body shop.  Larry was telling us about another paralyzed person he had met coming through on the trail a couple years ago, and you could tell by his tone this person meant something to him.  Larry offered us a hose to clean my chair, but spraying water on my chair was the last thing we wanted to do.  He asked if an air compressor would help.  Hell yeah it would, thanks Larry.  It turns out our main man Larry, a proud Ford man, had hella compressed air to share.  We got my chair from being a shit show into shipshape in no time.

 

The transformation!

One last discussion had to happen before we proceeded with our day.  This had been weighing on me, but I felt the best decision was to not get back on the trail.  I discussed my thoughts with the team and they were all in support of calling it a day.  If we were to get on the trail and ride more we would be putting the entire trip in jeopardy if something happened to my chair with all the water now on the trail.  It wasn’t worth it.  We packed up everything into the van and headed toward the hotel.  

On the way back to the hotel we discussed how this decision would affect the remainder of the trip.  Do we simply skip the seventeen miles or so we didn’t ride today?  Do we come back to where we ended today and start here and just ride a little more than planned each day from this point on to make up the difference?  We really didn’t know what to do.  When we got to the hotel the weather had improved.  We knew the first part of tomorrow’s section of the trail was paved or was at least a well maintained hard-packed surface that would most likely not contain any puddles.  

Scenes from the GAP!

We decided to ride as many miles as we could of what was planned for tomorrow and then in the morning ride the section of trail we missed today, trail conditions permitting.  We were able to ride the first 16.5 miles of the Great Alleghany Passage (GAP) Trail, which means we are now overall about 10 – 12 miles behind schedule.  It will take some luck and carefully planned logistics to make up the lost miles, but I am hopeful we can accomplish this.  The first part of the GAP was stunning.  I’ll discuss more about this tomorrow once we have a chance to ride more of it.  I am very excited about what is in store.

Nice handlebar bags, guys!

At the end of the 16.5 mile section of the GAP today we met two young boys (Evan and Gavin) who were riding bikes on the trail.  They heard us trying to figure out how to get into town, and offered us some help with directions.  Hopefully one day they’ll be out on a tour of their own.  

Even though we had just climbed 1500 feet in elevation, there was a short trail, the Frostburg Switchbacks Sculpture Garden. It took us through a series of beautiful art sculptures we couldn’t resist seeing.  They were pretty amazing.  On the way up the trail, we were stopped by a man named Ed.  He asked “did I just read an article about you?”.  He knew who I was because of my dreadlocks.  He told me how much he enjoyed the Sports Illustrated article recently published about my world record attempt.  He mentioned a quote (or a close resemblance to a quote) I had made in the article that resonated with him, “so many of us try to redefine who we are, but I think happiness lies in embracing the loves you always had and finding ways to do them in a different way.”

And here I am doing something I love in a different way than I would have ever imagined before my injury.

Nice to meet you, Ed!

Proud Partner of Invacare

GART Day 4 - I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Today started much the same way yesterday did.  I had a decent amount of sleep considering the travel.  We were checked out of the hotel and loaded up a little behind schedule, but not too bad.  Just between you and me, I tell the team to be ready earlier than I need them to be because I know they will always be a little behind.  I am a genius.

The start! Thanks Invacare!

We were on the trail by 10:15 am, which is isn’t bad for us.  We started today where we ended yesterday, at Fort Fredrick’s State Park which is absolutely beautiful.  I wish we would have had more time to explore this area with its historic buildings.  Due to some miscommunication, yesterday ended about 2.5 miles earlier than planned, which meant today was going to be at least 2.5 miles longer than planned.

 

The first few miles were bumpy and uneven, but shortly after the start we joined the Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) which runs parallel to the C & O Trail we’ve been on for over a hundred miles.  For the most part, the WMRT is a smooth, nicely paved trail so the miles went by quickly.  There were intermittent sections of the trail that were buckling from root growth, which slows me down.

Bike friendly towns along the C&O Canal are awesome!

We took our first real break today when we arrived in the town of Hancock, a “trail town.”  Along the trail there are small towns that benefit greatly from the trail passing through.  There are many touring cyclists and hikers that rely on these towns for supplies, and in turn the towns rely on the hikers and bikers for their business.  We went into the C & O Bicycle shop and bought some memorabilia and some padded shorts for Jimmy.  After three days and over a hundred miles in the saddle his bits and pieces needed some care.

After riding nearly 28 miles along the WMRT we rejoined the C & O Trail.  The trail was beautiful and smooth all the way until lunch at 15 Mile Creek Campground.  This was a beautiful park and a great place to take a break and eat.  Thank you to my mom for finding us food and more importantly finding us.  Parts of the trail are very remote and not easy to access.  Often my mom was driving along narrow steep dirt roads trying to reach an access point on the trail where we might be.  With cell service almost nonexistent for a majority of the day it was even more challenging because she didn’t know which access point we would be at. She also managed to bring us some ratchet tow straps and a couple 3 ft lengths of 2 x 6. After yesterday we wanted to be more prepared for obstacles. I am a grown ass man and chose to carry my own 2 x 6’s.

Following lunch, we took a mile-long accidental side trip.  We’ve become pretty good at making our days longer than necessary.   We got back on the C & O to find the trail conditions were much different from the previous sections we had done today.  The trail was very similar to some of the difficult spots yesterday with the two single tracks separated by overgrown vegetation.  Despite the trail being rough and uneven we continue to be amazed at how beautiful it is, every single mile.

Jennifer!

The penultimate 15 miles or so were interesting to say the least.  During this stretch my chair gave me an error message notifying me my motors were not happy.  Basically, they were overheating.  Sometimes we would stop and let them rest, others times I would drive slow for a while hoping to keep them happy.  This trail and my aggressive riding style are really pushing my chair to the limits.  The casters on the chair are starting to loosen and need to be tightened every so often.  My right arm rest is loose and is currently being supported in part by a bungy cord. This remains a reliable, durable chair. I’m just beating the heck out of it. A bright spot at this point was the sight of a familiar face. Jennifer Hearn was with us at the start in DC, and there she was again!   

I mentioned the difficulty of the penultimate 15 miles, because the difficulties with the final mile was another story all together.  Holy crap!  Since we left DC we knew that the end of this day may provide us with a difficult challenge.  We reached the Paw Paw Tunnel, or should I say we got to where the trail was closed not allowing us to travel through the Paw Paw Tunnel.  We had been told that the detour for this section would not be passable for me and my chair.  Oh yeah, I’ll be the judge of that.

Well…

Nonetheless, we rolled on!

At the site of the trail closure there was a detour sign, which was also a warning sign.  The sign read “The detour is a distance of approximately 1.5 miles of steep and strenuous trail.  Follow signs carefully and stay on the trail. Those using the detour should do so with extreme caution.”  Dr. B rode ahead to scope out the detour.  His reported back, “This isn’t any worse than some of the crazy shit you’ve already done.”  That’s all I needed to hear.  We’re doing it. 

We started up the detour.  We were concerned about my motors due to the error messages earlier.  Because of this, Jimmy and Dr. B would assist by pushing me to help minimize the strain on the motors.  Even with this help the chair would abruptly stop frequently. Amusingly, as the guys were pushing my armrest and had kept bumping the power button causing the chair to stop.   Keep in mind, me and the chair together weigh about 600 pounds.  I remember my younger days back in my thirties when it was more like 590.

My stalwart crew!

My mom had been waiting for us at the top of the hill not knowing if we had even made it to this part of the trail, or whether we had decided to attempt the detour.  When Dr. B original rode ahead to scope out the detour he got cell service and my mom could finally track him and knew we were coming.  She walked down the hill and joined in the pushing.  An hour and a half later, multiple pushes, a lot of sweating and laughing we made it to the top of what turned out to be one hell of a hill.  Dr. B, Jimmy, and my mom were all breathing heavy and sweating.  I looked at Dr. B and told him “that wasn’t too bad”, and he looked at me and said “that was fun.”  And we were both right.

 My TDX SP2 Power wheelchair has continued to get us through some challenging terrain. Once again, we are so grateful for our sponsor of the day, Invacare, for providing high quality durable equipment.

We knew we had an adventure awaiting us.  The whole team has the right attitude about all of this.  The trust we have in one other, and as a team is crucial during moments like this.  If there is ever any doubt in our abilities to overcome a challenge all we have to do is look at one another.  This team is amazing and it has never been more apparent to me that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  

 Proud Partner of Invacare