I felt sick when I woke up. Or more accurately, got out of bed, because it felt like I barely slept a wink all night. A soreness was creeping back into my throat and a nagging voice was growing louder in my head, questioning my ability to complete a 40 mile trail run today. Was …
It's been a while since we had a winter with a much uninterrupted cold than we have this year. While we haven't had a big dumping of snow (yet), there has been some amount on the ground almost continuously since December. Until today, I hadn't ridden anything other than a fat bike since New Years …
I did my longest run ever yesterday -- 22.5 miles, all on trail, in the snow. It was harder than I expected. By mile 11, I was feeling like I would just like to be done. My ankles, knees, and hips were starting to hurt. I was feeling this way earlier than I have on …
Back in early 2019, I got this idea that I wanted to do the entire 42-mile Allegheny Front Trail by foot in one day. I covered 20 miles of it on a cold day that February, a President's Day adventure on a bit of a whim. The spark was ignited. But shortly thereafter, my right …
It began to rain before we'd even left the house. It's not going to last, I said. The forecast called for a high chance later in the day, but only a minimal chance until 3 pm. We were heading north to park at Hyner Run State Park and ride up to Wellsboro, stay in a …
Continue reading "Rain can’t spoil the fun: A leaf-peeping overnighter to Wellsboro."
Cover photo by Ben Carpenter. Nestled against the North Carolina and Tennessee borders just east of Damascus, Grayson County, Virginia is flanked by Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area and George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Grayson Highlands State Park, the Virginia Creeper Trail, and the New River Trail State Park. The terrain is rugged, there …
This story was getting long, so I broke it into multiple posts. The first part discusses my impetus for this ride as well as my bike and gear. The second details Day 1 of my ride. I needed coffee. I had made the decision to go light and forego bringing a stove or coffee setup, …
Continue reading "The Trans-Allegheny Traverse — Day 2 (Dilltown to Home)"
This story was getting long, so I broke it into multiple parts. Part 1 discusses my impetus for this ride as well as my bike and gear. Read it here if you missed it, and here's my route. The sun had come out just in time for me to start riding. Surely this was a …
Continue reading "The Trans-Allegheny Traverse — Day 1 (Pittsburgh to Dilltown)"
I can't remember exactly when the idea to ride home from Pittsburgh took hold, but it seems like it's been marinating in my brain for the better part of 4 years. I'd done the ride from home to Philly a couple times, and I wanted to check off the other half of the state. Then …
Continue reading "The Trans-Allegheny Traverse — The Route & The Bike"
At some point last summer, probably on one of our early morning pre-chemo rides, I asked Whitney if she would have any interest in taking a bike trip with me in the spring. It was a hopeful thought, optimism that I'd be in remission and have regained enough fitness by then to be able to …
helena kotala 