Day the Final: Sunday - It Was All Downhill From the Start, In a Good Way - Great Allegheny Passage Trail Revisited - Weather Strikes Back

August 5, 2018

Day the Final: Sunday - It Was All Downhill From the Start, In a Good Way

Confluence to Cumberland - 37 miles of slight uphill then 25 miles of wheeeeeeeeee!

The weather Sunday morning started out foggy but ended up being perfect for the traditional Sunday ending to the Camp John biking experience: a group ride enjoying the 1800' downhill ride over the 25 miles from Deal PA back to mile zero of the Great Allegheny Passage trail in Cumberland. Ken and Felicia made an early exit to head back to their place at Deep Creek Lake.

For the third year in a row, I biked from the Parker House in Confluence to meet the downhill bikers at the top in Deal, 37 miles away. It is a slight uphill all the way, only gaining about 1000' feet in elevation (about .5% average grade) but enough to make you earn the right to glide down the hill to Cumberland.

My 27 year-old Schwinn beater bike on the Casselman River bridge before the Pinkerton Tunnel

I left at 0730 and it was still foggy when I reached the Pinkerton Tunnel and the 2 Casselman river bridges at the 10 mile mark. Many bunny rabbits and one ground hog cheered me on and the sun started to burn off the fog.

Meyersdale Visitor Center, Rest Stop and Railroad Museum

At the 30 mile mark, after passing a rafter of about 12 wild turkeys and a half dozen feral cats, I was a bit ahead of schedule. I stopped at the Meyersdale Visitors center to recycle some coffee and refill my water bottles. This is a great place to spend some time - many interesting bits of history and interactive exhibits. Train activity was starting to pick up as well - freight trains were going in both directions on the active tracks.

The seven miles from Meyersdale up to Deal are a bit steeper uphill and alternates scenic sections where short bridges allow the GAP to criss-cross Flaugherty Creek with bleak sections that look like the remains of strip mining or more recent clear-cutting. The fog was gone and there wasn't a cloud in the sky - beautiful cycling weather as the increase in altitude offset the building temperatures.

Cumberland Trail Connection Shuttle Delivers the Downhill Bikers to Deal

The downhill bikers (Andi/Dan, Kathy/Mike, Rick, Debbie) packed up and left the Parker House at 0900 and met the Cumberland Trail Connection shuttle at 10am in Cumberland. I reached the Deal trailhead at about 1015 and got my light ready for going through the Big Savage Tunnel, and the CTC van pulled up right on time at 1030. There is about a 1 mile level/slight uphill to the Eastern Continental Divide mini-tunnel.

Once you see this view, all your sweat will flow to the Atlantic Ocean

A few miles later the downhill bikers reached the Mason & Dixon line that finally decided what is in PA and what is in MD.

Rick, Dan, Debbie, Mike, Andi and Kathy on the Mason side of the Mason & Dixon Line markers

From there it was a 7 more miles to Frostburg and a brief rest stop to refill water bottles. The MD side of the Big Savage Ridge has seen a lot more rain and in general the MD portions of the GAP trail don't seem to get the same high level of maintenance as the PA sections - there were numerous washouts and rocky/sandy stretches that required careful riding and even some walking of the bikes. All the water did make for some scenic shots on the uphill side of this section.

Water is your friend when falling down the rocks, not so much when it washes away the trail

On the final 15 miles down from Frostburg, the temperature gradually increased and the Frostburg-bound Western Maryland Scenic Railroad train (diesel locomotive, not sure if the steam engine runs anymore at all) tooted its horn at us as it chugged uphill. In short order, we reached mile zero at the rail station in Cumberland and another Camp John adventure was in the books.

Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 150 miles (241 km)

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