The Halter’s Challenge is over, that was a ton of fun, but now that it’s over I get to have some bigger fun. I started sprinkling in some Fat Rides during the Challenge but have been itching to spend a lot of time on that bike, because I love that bike.
Thursday I drove into work with all my gear and packed the bike. Left the GTI at the shop and rode home. My plan was to leave the shop at 6 after work and arrive back at 10am Monday morning.
Friday I left the shop and headed north to Harriman State Park. Glenn was racing the Silvermine TT on Saturday and I wanted to be there to see it. It took some time for me to adjust to the speed difference going back to the fatty, I’ve been spoiled and lazy using my fancy new road bicycle.
It was pretty late when I got into NY Friday night. I was tired from work so I ended up riding East of the park and stayed at a ghetto Motel in Stony Point. Stayed up late charging all my poop and watching a National Lampoon’s Vacation Marathon.
https://www.strava.com/activities/359966203
Saturday I finished my route up to Harriman and rode the course in reverse to run into Glenn.
Rode the whole TT with him, which was completely awesome. Hung out with the Elite Endurance Crew for a while before heading out to start my day.
Went north around Harriman and then stayed in NY to Port Jervis where I stopped for lunch. Stayed on the NJ side of the Delaware and crossed back into PA at the top of the McDade Trail.
Rode/walked a bunch of the trail but broke one of the support brackets for my handlebar bag so I had to tie it up and get back on the road where it was smoother. Started to get tired after the sun went down. I was aiming to make it to the top of the D&L Trail in White Haven. There was a good bonk and a push towards the end but I made it into Hickory Run State Park somewhere before 11pm. Minimal time was taken to get from the entrance and into my Bivy. I was out cold in no time.
https://www.strava.com/activities/359966224
*Bike Packing Tip* Pack your spare clothes in a soft bag (like a Zipp handlebar bag) as it will double as a pillow.
Sunday Morning I hit the D&L Trail and headed south into Jim Thorpe for Breakfast and re-filling of fluids. I packed 4-days worth of food so I wouldn’t have to worry about that for a while. The route through the Gorge is spectacular.
It was a lot hotter on Sunday than Saturday. Somewhere around Blue Mountain the heat really started to get to me. I was just out on the road baking. It was pretty terrible. Then I went over some brutal 2,000 foot climb up to the AT Trail that pretty much knocked a day off my trip. After that it was a survival ride to the next point and less of a fun adventure.
Eventually I hit the D&L again and the legs started to go around nicely as the miles ticked by.
Crossed back into NJ in Milford where I stopped for my final re-supply before rolling over into Round Valley.
My master plan was to stay overnight at Round Valley and then ride into work on Monday from there but I was pretty shot. The thought of wrestling this bike down to the camping area didn’t seem like it would be fun after 9+ hour day. Instead, my wife met me and I bailed on the last day.
https://www.strava.com/activities/359968078
Ended up with 325-miles in 3 days, 1 of them being a full work day. I may try to do a similar version of this ride over Labor Day so I have a little more time to screw around and explore.
