If My Legs Could Talk

I think my legs are going to fall off...but in a good way. 200 miles of ups and downs on the Appalachian Mountains in less than three days, and I lived to tell about it. Definitely one of the most challenging and rewarding things I’ve ever done, and I enjoyed ever second of it. I met some great people, ate more wonderful food (for free) than I ever knew you could take up a mountain, and have more pictures than I know what to do with.

Day 13:

Not going to lie, I was a little ignorant going into it. I blasted up the first section of mountains in eighth gear, pretending I wasn’t tired. When I finally reached the visitors center at the top, the ranger told me I was crazy (this is a reoccurring theme) and knocked some sense into me when she broke out the elevation profile for the next section. Down to third gear we went...

When I finally reached the campsite at mile 22, I was exhausted, in every sense of the word. 22 miles of pedaling up mountains gets to you after a while...but unfortunately that was just the beginning.

About to register for a campsite, I met a really nice guy named Tim who started talking to me about my journey. After a quick chat, he invited me along to stay with him and his friends and family for the night. They fed me beer, some scrumptious German sausage, a pile of pasta and potatoes, and s’mores before I turned in for the night.

In the morning I was greeted with a cup of coffee, and after I cooked up some oatmeal I was on my way again.

Here’s the whole crew though, thanks again for the accommodations!

Miles Covered: 65

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Day 14:

Now let me tell you something about coffee. First off, I don’t drink it (but since it was free...) Second, I have never pedaled so fast for so long in my entire life. It was like the mountains didn’t even exist.

I ate lunch with a crew of road bikers who were covering the whole 105 mile stretch of Sky Line Drive in one day, and kept going to a campsite 80 miles into the park. Hungry, tired, and looking for some conversation, I found more than I ever could have asked for.

I met Scott and Jon on the road leading up to the campsite. Wondering if I could join them for the night, they led me to where they and five other friends were staying for the night. Not only were they some of the nicest people I’ve ever met, they treated me as if I were a life-long friend. As a bonus, they were packing enough food to feed the entire campground for a week. Nothing beats finishing a 60 mile day of biking in the mountains with beer, fruit, sandwiches (don’t even get me started on the sandwiches...delicious), hamburgers, cookies, s’mores, and so many other things. And that was just dinner.

Before I departed in the morning, we cooked up eggs, french toast, and bacon. THAT was camping at its finest. As an added bonus, they sent me on my way with muffins and bananas, the perfect biking snack. Thank you again for your kindness and generosity, that was one of the most memorable nights I’ve had so far. Here they all are:

Miles covered: 60

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Day 15:

After 25 miles of easy riding down the southern end of Sky Line Drive, I entered the Blue Ridge Parkway. Stopping at the ranger station, I picked up the next set of maps and began planning where I could stop for the night. This is the conversation that took place:

Me: “So Otter Creek Campgound, what’s that ride like”
Ranger: “Otter Creek? Why are you going there?”
Me: “Well, to spend the night. It looks like the only campground”
Ranger: “Haha, you’ll never make it there”

Sounds like a challenge. Of course, the ride covered 88 miles of an even steeper section of the Appalachians than I was used to. Wait, 88 miles...I haven’t gone even ridden close to that far yet. Well, no time like the present, I suppose.

And so I rode, and to my surprise I felt great (for most of the day). On the road by 9:30, in the campground by 7:00. My legs were in shock, but I made it in one piece. Being Sunday night, the campground was pretty dead, which made my next conversation even more surprising:

“You eat chicken? I’ve got extra...”

Do I eat chicken? I would eat anything that looked like food if you put it in front of me. The chef’s name was Dan, who was riding his motorcycle down to Tennessee and stopped for the night. Very nice guy, cooked me some pasta and chicken, gave me a beer, and told me stories until we called it a night.

About 30 seconds after I climbed into my hammock for the night, it started down-pouring for hours.,completely out of nowhere. Thankfully I was under the shelter of my tarp, and slept dry looking forward to my last day in the mountains.

Miles covered: 88!

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Day 16 (part I):

So this is how the day was set up:

The Otter Creek Campground was at an elevation of 650 feet. Most of the Appalachian peaks I was riding were at an elevation of 3,000-4,00 feet. Although that made for a great decent yesterday, it only meant one thing for today...we’re going up.

After a quick stop at the ranger station off the campground, I was left with a few words of caution. They went something like this:

Me: “So what’s the climb like to the top of the pass?”
Ranger: “You’re climbing up the pass?”
Me: “Yeah...”
Ranger: “Haha, you’re crazy...good luck”

And so there it was.

13 miles. 650 feet to 3,950 feet. Straight up. Check it out:

And that was how my day started.

The rest of the ride was a mixture of painful uphills and lovely descents. Now I’m in Brucanan, VA with the mountains behind me. At 40 miles clocked already, my legs are taking a much needed break before going about 20 more. It’s a beautiful day though, and these roads won’t pedal themselves.

I’ll leave you with some shots of the mountains. Enjoy!