Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route: Day 5
After a sleepless night in George Washington State Forest, I was so happy to get going in the morning. Unfortunately, it seemed like the toilet had jinxed us.
First, the trail that day was actually some of our worst riding yet. It was very twisty dirt roads, where you’d drive 100 yards, do a tight, very gravely slippery 90 degree turn, then go uphill, do another 90 degree turn, then descend. It went on like this for miles!
Next, less than an hour into the ride, Jim got a pinch flat. It sucked—but at least he flatted out right next to a small country store. So while Jim started fixing his flat, I ducked inside and grabbed an energy drink and some gummy bears. Breakfast of champions! The ensuing sugar high, however, helped my sleep-deprived body get going.
Finally, while Jim was changing his tire, another rider came by and told us that a friend of Jim’s, Kirk, had been in a bad crash in the woods about 40 minutes from us. The rider relayed a message that Kirk was hoping two guys he knew (i.e., us) would be passing by soon and could help. Once Jim’s tire was fixed, we zipped out to help Kirk. When we arrived, Jim and I worked together to get a sling on Kirk’s arm—he broke his collar bone—then helped load his bike into the truck that was bringing him to the hospital.
After helping Kirk, we rode a couple hours with his riding partner. Around lunch, we split up. Our section took us along some streets, then back to windy dirt roads that, because I was so tired, felt endless.
After about 180 miles and probably about 11-12 hours on the road, we finally made it to White Rock Campground in Newport, Virginia. It was the nicest site of the trip and cheap too—just $4. That evening I enjoyed a beautiful walk around the camp before taking a well-deserved shower from the water well.
By: Mickey Spades. If you found Mickey’s post useful, consider sending him a few bucks. (Venmo: @michael-spadea-4). And here are all the posts from all Mickey’s trip:
