Wanted to start in April...did the dry run in August...could be worse.
Sunday afternoon, the day before school started, these kids needed to get out of the house. So Ed and I loaded the kids, the bikes, and the bike trailer up and headed out to the towpath at about 1:30. We got to Point of Rocks at a little after 2pm.
Hottest part of the day, no doubt, and while the loading of bikes and accouterments and the subsequent unloading of all said bikes and accouterments was sweaty work, once we got moving on the trail the cover and the breeze made the day seem down right autumnal.
Lily, Shaye, and Lily rode ahead, Ed and I took up the rear, chatting mostly, and I dragged Jonas, snacks, and the water cooler in the trailer behind me.
We did a fairly quick 2 miles...at least I thought so considering the group leaders had a combined age that wasn't even half mine. We stopped a few times, looked at the lock house and the lock, watched some trains, adjusted straps and such.
About 2.5 miles in we stopped at Bald Eagle campground...running off a nice couple who were out enjoying the solemnity of nature until we showed up with our screaming brood. Snacks, water, a couple surreptitiously non-national-park-approved Orange Blossoms, and the kids ran around the campground a bit.
Muddy shoes (and feet and legs and hands...) at the riverside [TRIP TIP: Bring the wipes you left in the van]. Shaye and Jonas fell down the rather steep hill and scraped the bark off their knees a bit for a little bloody drama [TRIP TIP: Bring the first aid kit you left in the van]. And Ed and I watched the mayhem whilst drinking the aforementioned Orange Blossoms [TRIP TIP: Bring FOUR next time instead of two].
After a bit of a rest, we loaded back up on the bikes and headed out, intending to go a little further before turning around and heading home.
However, about 100 yards from the campsite Lily and Lily got tangled up and both ended up being thrown off their bikes...Lily C. onto the path...Lily M. into the briar patch. Plant toxins, skin scrapes and perspiration served to cause an allergic reaction and, after some comical (in retrospect at any rate) figuring out how we were going to get Lily back [TRIP TIP: Remember that BENEDRYL back at the house? BRING IT!] we opted for the "Haul Ass" choice. We hopped on the bikes, Lily M in the lead, and raced, nonstop, the 2.5 back to the van. I couldn't have been more proud of any of them.
Anyway, the purpose of the dry run idea was to see what kind of mileage would be possible with 7 year old legs and how that could be adjusted accordingly based on the ages of those who attended. My thoughts had previously been if we could manage 10 miles over two days, I'd say that would be a good amount and we could finish the through-trip in a couple seasons. However, we essentially did a bit over 5 miles in a bit over 2 hours. While I still think a "10 miles over 2 days" schedule is best to hold on to -- at least starting out-- it is nice to see that things could potentially move quite a bit quicker...
That said, and after a brief recon to the trail head in Cumberland, I think the first REAL leg of the trip (and, coincidently, the LAST real leg of the trip for 2008)will be the first or second weekend of October...weather permitting.
Sunday afternoon, the day before school started, these kids needed to get out of the house. So Ed and I loaded the kids, the bikes, and the bike trailer up and headed out to the towpath at about 1:30. We got to Point of Rocks at a little after 2pm.
Hottest part of the day, no doubt, and while the loading of bikes and accouterments and the subsequent unloading of all said bikes and accouterments was sweaty work, once we got moving on the trail the cover and the breeze made the day seem down right autumnal.
Lily, Shaye, and Lily rode ahead, Ed and I took up the rear, chatting mostly, and I dragged Jonas, snacks, and the water cooler in the trailer behind me.
We did a fairly quick 2 miles...at least I thought so considering the group leaders had a combined age that wasn't even half mine. We stopped a few times, looked at the lock house and the lock, watched some trains, adjusted straps and such.
About 2.5 miles in we stopped at Bald Eagle campground...running off a nice couple who were out enjoying the solemnity of nature until we showed up with our screaming brood. Snacks, water, a couple surreptitiously non-national-park-approved Orange Blossoms, and the kids ran around the campground a bit.
Muddy shoes (and feet and legs and hands...) at the riverside [TRIP TIP: Bring the wipes you left in the van]. Shaye and Jonas fell down the rather steep hill and scraped the bark off their knees a bit for a little bloody drama [TRIP TIP: Bring the first aid kit you left in the van]. And Ed and I watched the mayhem whilst drinking the aforementioned Orange Blossoms [TRIP TIP: Bring FOUR next time instead of two].
After a bit of a rest, we loaded back up on the bikes and headed out, intending to go a little further before turning around and heading home.
However, about 100 yards from the campsite Lily and Lily got tangled up and both ended up being thrown off their bikes...Lily C. onto the path...Lily M. into the briar patch. Plant toxins, skin scrapes and perspiration served to cause an allergic reaction and, after some comical (in retrospect at any rate) figuring out how we were going to get Lily back [TRIP TIP: Remember that BENEDRYL back at the house? BRING IT!] we opted for the "Haul Ass" choice. We hopped on the bikes, Lily M in the lead, and raced, nonstop, the 2.5 back to the van. I couldn't have been more proud of any of them.
Anyway, the purpose of the dry run idea was to see what kind of mileage would be possible with 7 year old legs and how that could be adjusted accordingly based on the ages of those who attended. My thoughts had previously been if we could manage 10 miles over two days, I'd say that would be a good amount and we could finish the through-trip in a couple seasons. However, we essentially did a bit over 5 miles in a bit over 2 hours. While I still think a "10 miles over 2 days" schedule is best to hold on to -- at least starting out-- it is nice to see that things could potentially move quite a bit quicker...
That said, and after a brief recon to the trail head in Cumberland, I think the first REAL leg of the trip (and, coincidently, the LAST real leg of the trip for 2008)will be the first or second weekend of October...weather permitting.
