Allegheny Mountains Loop, Day 5

 

 Day 5: 10/19; 51.4 miles to Greenbrier River Trail campsite at MP 33.8; 998 feet of climbing; TM: 237.9; 12,655.

When we awoke at 7 am as usual, the temperature was in the low to mid-30s.

So we headed 2.5 north back to Cass to get a hot breakfast at the Last Run.

We both got the Railroad Special. Mine came with two eggs, two strips of bacon, two sausage patties, two pancakes, and a biscuit with gravy. I also bought a large cinnamon roll for a snack later on. No wonder I sometimes put on weight during these epic bike tours.

Dave working on the Railroad Special

After breakfast, it warmed up into the 70s as we rolled south on the trail, and we both enjoyed the easy pedaling for a change.

In the the all-services trailside town of Marlinton, we stopped for lunch at a Subway, where I overheard the two gentlemen in line ahead of me discussing the Covid infections they had recovered from. Another fellow they greeted in the restaurant apparently also had a relative who had recently recovered from the disease.

I washed my hands thoroughly with antibacterial hand cleanser after I paid for my meal and exited the restaurant.

As Dave and I were eating our sandwiches at a rickety picnic table on the bank of the Greenbrier River across the road from the Subway, we saw two river otters cavorting in the water. This is the first time I’ve seen a river otter in the wild. Cute.

After we had ridden a few more miles south on the trail, Dave stopped to swim in the river while I continued on toward campsite at MP 33.8.

Neither of us had showered since Friday—five days previously. But I decided to put off bathing until I could take a hot shower tomorrow at Moncove State Park, where we had a reservation.

It was a good thing I skipped the swim. I got the better of the two sites at MP 33.8, shortly before a party of three other touring seniors arrived and claimed the other site.

There was a picnic table, a vault toilet and a wooden shelter at the site, but no potable water. So I spent the last half hour or so before sundown filtering water for dinner and breakfast.

For more trip details and photos, please see Allegheny Mountains Loop, Day 6.

Our campsite at MP 33.8