Other things to think of before your first trip

My wife, Tampabiker's wife, just reported on our trip.

Before our trip, we read a lot of advice here and other forums about tire sizes, fenders and stuff like that.
Here are some other things to think about before you go that I didn’t read anywhere:

If you are the faster rider in a group, practice riding long distances at a slower pace. Riding off your normal pace is difficult.

Get shoes that will dry out quickly. My shoes dried out in 15 minutes using a blow dryer.

If you have not ridden long distances, besides your legs and butt, you need to strengthen your neck, shoulders, and arms.

Decide if you are going to stop along the way. Do you want to read the historical signs along the path or swim in Ohiopyle? We happened upon an old-time country fair in Old Town complete with a bluegrass band. If your schedule is too tight you may miss these unexpected jewels along the way.

Make sure you have a weather APP on your cell phone. It worked wonders for us. We were able to dodge 90% of the rain.

We packed everything in 2.5-gallon plastic bags. Zip the bags up almost all the way and then roll them up letting all the air out. Then zip it the rest of the way. Also, if you plan on doing laundry once on the trip you don’t need to bring a whole lot of clothes.

Plan your first day based on when you want to start. We flew into Pittsburgh and started the ride about 1:00 pm. This obviously can make your first day hard if you are planning on a big ride that day.

We brought rain coats and started to wear them in a light sprinkle. After an hour, we get more soaked from sweating in the rain coats than if we just enjoyed the cool rain drops.

If you are going to be the lead rider, get a mirror to keep track of your riding partners. I got so tired of looking back that I started yelling “Marco” to which my wife would yell “Polo.” If I didn’t hear the Polo I would slow way down until she caught back up.

If I were to do this again, I would consider buying or renting an EPIRB or satellite phone in case of an emergency. We went for hours at a time without seeing a single person on the trail.

We averaged about 20% slower than our normal 20-mile rides on paved roads.

Lastly, just do it. If you forget something, you can get it along the way.

Excellent tips! It really is “easy” if you are prepared physically and mentally and logistically. We’re still amazed at how much fun it was.
Blow dryers and ziplock bags saved us too. We got some of the extra-large plastic ziplocks at a Dollar Store and doubled everything up. Things get muddy and dusty too.
We also went slower than we thought, but enjoyed stopping when we could. We trained with shorter, hilly distances but loaded the bike with gallons of water. We wore padded cycling underwear with our shorts and adjusted pretty quickly. Chamois cream kept away chafing and doubled as hand lotion. Walking a mile or so every night helped stretch out our muscles and felt really good!
Be flexible (we made a mud flap from some flashing in a trash heap behind the Cobblestone Inn) and know that most stores have Dollar Generals or similar (even Rockwood has an “everything” store).
Be flexible with plans too. Some places closed early or were closed the day we were there. Bill’s Place is closed Tuesdays.
As for leaving partners behind, our solution was a tandem. We took a chance and ordered it from Walmart. It was fully assembled and waiting for us in West Mifflin, not too far from the trail. Two flats the first day, but then no problems! It wasn’t fun getting to Harpers Ferry, going over that big tree in the trail, or pushing over the Paw Paw detour, but we managed just fine. We donated it to a group that works out of Great Falls Tavern. We were surprised not to see any other tandems.
Don’t stay at the America’s Best Value in Hancock if you are allergic to cats or don’t want to be bitten. Shortish version is the county there told me to get rabies shots because the owners wouldn’t admit it was their cat (wearing a collar in the lobby). Fortunately for me, doctors back home overruled health officials in two states- so no shots.

Thanks for great information.
My wife, daughter (20) and me planning to bike from Cumberland to DC later this month. We average 12-14 on flat. If we leave Cumberland at about 10 AM (we need to drive from Delaware), will it be difficult to plan to bike to Hancock that day? We plan 2nd night - willimasport, 3rd - Harpers Ferry, 4th - whites Ferry. Please comment. Thx.

Yes. It is very doable from Cumberland to Hancock. However, the Paw Paw Tunnel is closed. We took a shuttle around the tunnel. Others that have hiked it said it takes 1 to 1.5 hours of tough climbing and descending with your bike and gear. So, at 10 mph you have about 6 hours on the saddle plus the time around or over the tunnel. I think the shuttle took us about an hour (riding to the Wrenwood Inn in Paw Paw, cleaning the mud off the bikes, loading the bikes, and the drive.)

We left Cumberland about 9 and had plenty of time. As I mention in other posts, we're in our mid 50's and pushed our tandem up and over the Paw Paw. Not exactly easy, but not that extreme. We didn't need a break/rest afterwards - only a quick stop for soda at Bill's Place. Still made it to Hancock with plenty of time to clean up, shop the Dollar General, and walk around town. We ate at Buddy Lou's, which was very nice. Having a leisurely sight-seeing ride to Williamsport the next day was perfect.