GART Day 5 - The Deluge

On the way from our hotel to the trailhead at Paw Paw Tunnel Campground I told the crew I was feeling anxious about today.  Dr. B asked if there was something in particular that was making me anxious.  I gave him a list.

1.     I was very concerned about the weather forecast.  The forecast was showing heavy rain, lightning, chances of hail, strong winds, and to make it even more grim there was a chance of a “brief” tornado.  What the hell is a “brief” tornado?

2.     The terrain was a concern.  We knew we’d have rain, and most likely a lot.  This would lead to puddles, which is not a good thing for a low riding electric vehicle.

3.     The chair did not get completed charged overnight.

4.     My team finished strong yesterday, but I didn’t feel that my chair finished strong.  I was concerned about the performance of my wheelchair yesterday and the issues we were having with the motors.

It was likely we’d get wet.

 Dr.B then asked me to tell him something that was making me feel optimistic.  I said “my team.”

Day 5 Start. Thanks Diestco!

We arrived at the trailhead to a lovely warm and sunny morning.  Before starting out on the trail we made my body as waterproof as possible.  We knew the weather would change.  I was wearing my Arc’teryx pants and rain jacket.  The amount of rain we were expecting required a little more protection, so we attached my canopy and put on my custom chaps made by Diestco Manufacturing.  Dan Diestel, the owner of Diestco Manufacturing has been such a wonderful supporter of Ian’s ride over the years and has become a friend.  His company makes high quality equipment that makes what I do in my chair safer and more comfortable.

It was time to get moving.  I knew that today was going to be rough so I tried to pump up the team with a motivational speech.  Apparently, it worked a little too well.  Before I even finished my speech, Jimmy and Dr. B were grunting and pounding their chests and appeared to be heading straight for one another for a testosterone driven chest bump.  I’m not a betting man, but I would have put money down that Dr. B would knock Jimmy into tomorrow.  Holy crap I would have lost a lot of money.  My mom was filming the event and Jimmy knocked Dr. B clear out of the picture.  Who would have predicted that?  If you’re interested, I highly recommend watching the video on Instagram.  It might be my new favorite short film.

The Paw Paw Tunnel!

After Dr. B recovered, we got moving.  We rode to the Paw Paw Tunnel so we could at least see the tunnel, since yesterday it was closed from the other end.  It was quite impressive to think this tunnel was built in the 1800’s.  The tunnel runs 3,118 feet through a mountain and was built between the years of 1836 and 1850.  I wonder what the workers who built this tunnel would think if they saw me with my dreadlocks and checkered vans using the tunnel now for recreational purposes.

Turtles were everywhere!

The surface of the trail was good, not as smooth as pavement, but not nearly as bad as some of the surfaces we’ve been dealing with.  We saw a lot of turtles (Eastern Box Turtles and Basking Turtles) along the way.  Earlier in the trip we saw a lot of turtles sunning themselves on logs in the canal, but today they were in the trail.  We had to be careful not to run them over.  At this point it was humid, with the sun making all the plants and trees an intense green.  Many sections of the canal were covered with lily pads.  It was quite beautiful.

The trail was easy going until the storm hit.  We could sense it coming, it started to get a little darker, the temperature dropped, and we felt the first few drops.  Dr. B and Jimmy stopped to put their rain gear on.  Within two minutes it was dumping. We stopped under a large sycamore tree for shelter.  We discussed the best plan of action.  We did not all agree what we should do, move forward and get rained on, or wait this out and ride once the rain let up.  I live in Washington state and Jimmy and Dr. B live in California where it hasn’t rained in nearly a decade.  I figured I’m the rain expert.  I’ll make the call.  We waited out the worst part of the rain, then moved on.  

Shortly after we started riding again the rain stopped all together, it warmed up, and somehow this beautiful trail we have been experiencing for many days and many miles became even more beautiful.  I don’t know how to explain it other than to say the greens were greener, the sky was bluer, and water in the canal seemed calmer and more reflective.  At this point I would like to point out I did not ingest any illegal substances to enhance my senses.

Beautiful yet threatening

Despite the beauty, we had a new concern.  The rain had come down so hard and so fast, that the trail was now a series of puddles, many of which were unavoidable.  While the storm approached we had been keeping an eye on where the access points were in case we needed our support vehicle.  Keeping this in mind, and knowing how long we would have to backtrack to get off the trail, we moved forward cautiously.  As cautious as you can driving a power wheelchair with a lithium battery through deep puddles.  I may have voided the warranty on my chair 143 times within the first mile after we started up again.

We rode for about four miles or so before we felt the next storm front coming in.  Just in front of us was Lock 70, and a tiny lockhouse, with an accessible ramp to a porch.  We were just about to head onto the covered porch when we heard “Ian.”  A couple we met yesterday at our lunch stop saw us and suggested we head to a restaurant located nearby (in a former school house) that had a sheltered area.  They rode with us to the restaurant to make sure we didn’t get lost.

Thanks Larry!

This was very fortuitous.  After eating lunch while cleaning my chair we met Larry.  Larry now owns the building, which has a restaurant, an Inn, and what was most helpful, a body shop.  Larry was telling us about another paralyzed person he had met coming through on the trail a couple years ago, and you could tell by his tone this person meant something to him.  Larry offered us a hose to clean my chair, but spraying water on my chair was the last thing we wanted to do.  He asked if an air compressor would help.  Hell yeah it would, thanks Larry.  It turns out our main man Larry, a proud Ford man, had hella compressed air to share.  We got my chair from being a shit show into shipshape in no time.

 

The transformation!

One last discussion had to happen before we proceeded with our day.  This had been weighing on me, but I felt the best decision was to not get back on the trail.  I discussed my thoughts with the team and they were all in support of calling it a day.  If we were to get on the trail and ride more we would be putting the entire trip in jeopardy if something happened to my chair with all the water now on the trail.  It wasn’t worth it.  We packed up everything into the van and headed toward the hotel.  

On the way back to the hotel we discussed how this decision would affect the remainder of the trip.  Do we simply skip the seventeen miles or so we didn’t ride today?  Do we come back to where we ended today and start here and just ride a little more than planned each day from this point on to make up the difference?  We really didn’t know what to do.  When we got to the hotel the weather had improved.  We knew the first part of tomorrow’s section of the trail was paved or was at least a well maintained hard-packed surface that would most likely not contain any puddles.  

Scenes from the GAP!

We decided to ride as many miles as we could of what was planned for tomorrow and then in the morning ride the section of trail we missed today, trail conditions permitting.  We were able to ride the first 16.5 miles of the Great Alleghany Passage (GAP) Trail, which means we are now overall about 10 – 12 miles behind schedule.  It will take some luck and carefully planned logistics to make up the lost miles, but I am hopeful we can accomplish this.  The first part of the GAP was stunning.  I’ll discuss more about this tomorrow once we have a chance to ride more of it.  I am very excited about what is in store.

Nice handlebar bags, guys!

At the end of the 16.5 mile section of the GAP today we met two young boys (Evan and Gavin) who were riding bikes on the trail.  They heard us trying to figure out how to get into town, and offered us some help with directions.  Hopefully one day they’ll be out on a tour of their own.  

Even though we had just climbed 1500 feet in elevation, there was a short trail, the Frostburg Switchbacks Sculpture Garden. It took us through a series of beautiful art sculptures we couldn’t resist seeing.  They were pretty amazing.  On the way up the trail, we were stopped by a man named Ed.  He asked “did I just read an article about you?”.  He knew who I was because of my dreadlocks.  He told me how much he enjoyed the Sports Illustrated article recently published about my world record attempt.  He mentioned a quote (or a close resemblance to a quote) I had made in the article that resonated with him, “so many of us try to redefine who we are, but I think happiness lies in embracing the loves you always had and finding ways to do them in a different way.”

And here I am doing something I love in a different way than I would have ever imagined before my injury.

Nice to meet you, Ed!

Proud Partner of Invacare

GART Day 4 - I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Today started much the same way yesterday did.  I had a decent amount of sleep considering the travel.  We were checked out of the hotel and loaded up a little behind schedule, but not too bad.  Just between you and me, I tell the team to be ready earlier than I need them to be because I know they will always be a little behind.  I am a genius.

The start! Thanks Invacare!

We were on the trail by 10:15 am, which is isn’t bad for us.  We started today where we ended yesterday, at Fort Fredrick’s State Park which is absolutely beautiful.  I wish we would have had more time to explore this area with its historic buildings.  Due to some miscommunication, yesterday ended about 2.5 miles earlier than planned, which meant today was going to be at least 2.5 miles longer than planned.

 

The first few miles were bumpy and uneven, but shortly after the start we joined the Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) which runs parallel to the C & O Trail we’ve been on for over a hundred miles.  For the most part, the WMRT is a smooth, nicely paved trail so the miles went by quickly.  There were intermittent sections of the trail that were buckling from root growth, which slows me down.

Bike friendly towns along the C&O Canal are awesome!

We took our first real break today when we arrived in the town of Hancock, a “trail town.”  Along the trail there are small towns that benefit greatly from the trail passing through.  There are many touring cyclists and hikers that rely on these towns for supplies, and in turn the towns rely on the hikers and bikers for their business.  We went into the C & O Bicycle shop and bought some memorabilia and some padded shorts for Jimmy.  After three days and over a hundred miles in the saddle his bits and pieces needed some care.

After riding nearly 28 miles along the WMRT we rejoined the C & O Trail.  The trail was beautiful and smooth all the way until lunch at 15 Mile Creek Campground.  This was a beautiful park and a great place to take a break and eat.  Thank you to my mom for finding us food and more importantly finding us.  Parts of the trail are very remote and not easy to access.  Often my mom was driving along narrow steep dirt roads trying to reach an access point on the trail where we might be.  With cell service almost nonexistent for a majority of the day it was even more challenging because she didn’t know which access point we would be at. She also managed to bring us some ratchet tow straps and a couple 3 ft lengths of 2 x 6. After yesterday we wanted to be more prepared for obstacles. I am a grown ass man and chose to carry my own 2 x 6’s.

Following lunch, we took a mile-long accidental side trip.  We’ve become pretty good at making our days longer than necessary.   We got back on the C & O to find the trail conditions were much different from the previous sections we had done today.  The trail was very similar to some of the difficult spots yesterday with the two single tracks separated by overgrown vegetation.  Despite the trail being rough and uneven we continue to be amazed at how beautiful it is, every single mile.

Jennifer!

The penultimate 15 miles or so were interesting to say the least.  During this stretch my chair gave me an error message notifying me my motors were not happy.  Basically, they were overheating.  Sometimes we would stop and let them rest, others times I would drive slow for a while hoping to keep them happy.  This trail and my aggressive riding style are really pushing my chair to the limits.  The casters on the chair are starting to loosen and need to be tightened every so often.  My right arm rest is loose and is currently being supported in part by a bungy cord. This remains a reliable, durable chair. I’m just beating the heck out of it. A bright spot at this point was the sight of a familiar face. Jennifer Hearn was with us at the start in DC, and there she was again!   

I mentioned the difficulty of the penultimate 15 miles, because the difficulties with the final mile was another story all together.  Holy crap!  Since we left DC we knew that the end of this day may provide us with a difficult challenge.  We reached the Paw Paw Tunnel, or should I say we got to where the trail was closed not allowing us to travel through the Paw Paw Tunnel.  We had been told that the detour for this section would not be passable for me and my chair.  Oh yeah, I’ll be the judge of that.

Well…

Nonetheless, we rolled on!

At the site of the trail closure there was a detour sign, which was also a warning sign.  The sign read “The detour is a distance of approximately 1.5 miles of steep and strenuous trail.  Follow signs carefully and stay on the trail. Those using the detour should do so with extreme caution.”  Dr. B rode ahead to scope out the detour.  His reported back, “This isn’t any worse than some of the crazy shit you’ve already done.”  That’s all I needed to hear.  We’re doing it. 

We started up the detour.  We were concerned about my motors due to the error messages earlier.  Because of this, Jimmy and Dr. B would assist by pushing me to help minimize the strain on the motors.  Even with this help the chair would abruptly stop frequently. Amusingly, as the guys were pushing my armrest and had kept bumping the power button causing the chair to stop.   Keep in mind, me and the chair together weigh about 600 pounds.  I remember my younger days back in my thirties when it was more like 590.

My stalwart crew!

My mom had been waiting for us at the top of the hill not knowing if we had even made it to this part of the trail, or whether we had decided to attempt the detour.  When Dr. B original rode ahead to scope out the detour he got cell service and my mom could finally track him and knew we were coming.  She walked down the hill and joined in the pushing.  An hour and a half later, multiple pushes, a lot of sweating and laughing we made it to the top of what turned out to be one hell of a hill.  Dr. B, Jimmy, and my mom were all breathing heavy and sweating.  I looked at Dr. B and told him “that wasn’t too bad”, and he looked at me and said “that was fun.”  And we were both right.

 My TDX SP2 Power wheelchair has continued to get us through some challenging terrain. Once again, we are so grateful for our sponsor of the day, Invacare, for providing high quality durable equipment.

We knew we had an adventure awaiting us.  The whole team has the right attitude about all of this.  The trust we have in one other, and as a team is crucial during moments like this.  If there is ever any doubt in our abilities to overcome a challenge all we have to do is look at one another.  This team is amazing and it has never been more apparent to me that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  

 Proud Partner of Invacare

 

GART Day 3 - Overcoming Obstacles

Today had a smoother start than the first two.  I slept better last night. Not good, but better than I have since arriving on the east coast.  This is probably due to a combination of two factors; one, finally adjusting to the time change and two, having a healthy vegan meal for dinner last night.  I should probably eat vegan food more often.  I also think my skin looks better.

We were out of the hotel and all packed up a little behind schedule, but we were all in good spirits heading to the starting point for the day.  Edwin was able to join us at the start for the first time this trip.  We knew we were going to have a good day when we arrived in Sharpsburg, MD on the correct side of the Potomac River.  Edwin is our good luck charm.

Thanks, Arc’teryx!

It was cold this morning, by far the coldest we’ve had since arriving.  Staying warm is important for any adventure, especially if you can’t regulate your body temperature.  Thankfully, Arc’teryx is a generous partner and our sponsor of the day. They’ve outfitted me and my team with the high-end gear we need.

Obstacle #1

We said goodbye to my Mom and Edwin and were on our way.  The surface of the trail was wonderful as we started to ride.  About two miles in we came across the first of what would be many obstacles today.  Covering the trail was a large sycamore branch that had recently fallen, which seems only fitting since today was the first full day of fall.  At first glance we were a bit intimidated, then Jimmy reminded us of Archimedes who said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”  Using Jimmy’s brain (#sciencematters) and Dr. B’s brawn we were able to move the branch out of the way within a few minutes and we were on our way.

 A few miles further the quality of the trail surface began to change for the worse.  There was more rough gravel and the trail started feeling like a washboard.  We had been warned somewhere around this point we would need to leave the trail and be on the road for a while.  We assumed (incorrectly) this was due to the deteriorating quality of the trail.  We left the trail, and once on the road we saw a bright sign clearly stating there was a trail DETOUR, with an arrow pointing left.  Well, thinking we knew better than the sign, we went right.  Oops…

Obstacle #2

We were on the road for a little over a mile before returning to the trail.  We were feeling pretty good about our navigating skills at this point.  Before long we came across the second obstacle of the day.  This time it wasn’t a fallen branch, but a fallen tree.  This was going to be a much bigger challenge.  Once again, we employed a large stick with lever/fulcrum action and brute force.  This time we were helped by two other trail goers, Dan and Bob.  Together we were able to move the tree out of the trail.  We were once again on our way, obstacle number two behind us.

Thanks, Dan and Bob!

We would have missed this if we didn’t take a wrong turn.

This turned us around.

After another mile and a half of absolutely beautiful trail we came across the big one, the obstacle that would send us back.  We were at mile marker 88 and the trail was closed between here and mile marker 89.  There was no way for us to get around this obstacle without a major retreat.  Jimmy made a couple of suggestions of how we could possibly get around the obstacle.  One of them was unconvincing and dangerous, the other was a felony.  This was the obstacle the big DETOUR sign was trying to help us avoid.  It turns out we should have gone left.  

We backtracked three miles to the detour sign, and this time we followed directions.  The detour was quite nice.  For the most part we rode on quiet farm roads.  At some point Dr. B yelled “car back.”  I realized that was the first “car back” of the entire trip.  Not bad for being nearly 100 miles into our ride.  We followed the detour signs diligently and eventually landed back on the trail about a mile as the American Dipper flies from where Jimmy almost became a felon. 

The trail here consisted of gravel and was rough.  It was broken into two single tracks separated by high vegetation. One track for trail goers heading northwest, the other for travelers heading southeast.  This is great for cyclists, but my chair is too wide to fit into either single track, so I am forced to have one side of my chair in the vegetation at all times.  The biggest problem with this is that roots and rocks are hidden from my view and can abruptly change my direction.  This is particularly unnerving when on one side of the trail is the Potomac River and the other is the C & O Canal.  I am no longer a good swimmer and avoid large bodies of water.  

Accessibility problem solving

At mile 40 we came across the most frustrating and difficult obstacle of the day.  We were feeling good, feeling accomplished, ready to enjoy the last few miles of the day.  We came to a Dam and stopped to enjoy the view.  While resting happily watched an Osprey and a Bald Eagle.  After a while we started moving again.  What we hadn’t noticed while we were in awe of the dam and the birds was that there was a bridge waiting for us twenty feet away.  The problem was there were two steps required to get on the bridge. 

Dr. B looked concerned, I called for Jimmy and said “we have a problem.”  I told Jimmy and Dr. B we can do this, we just have to figure out a way.  Jimmy went off looking for whatever he could find to build a “ramp.”  Jimmy managed to find a well covering, which was a large square piece of cement.  He signaled for Dr. B to come help him carry it and we had the beginnings of a ramp.  Jimmy found some bricks to help stabilize the cement slab, and Dr. B found some sticks and twigs that were useless.

Trail Angels!

If this was going to work, we would need more muscle than Jimmy and Dr. B could offer.  Luckily there were some other cyclists (Ricardo, Becca, Grant, and Miriam) there and they were willing to help.  I had been talking with them while Jimmy and Dr. B constructed the ramp.  I told them we were riding from Washington DC to Ohio and I wasn’t going to let these two steps derail our adventure.  Together they all either pushed or pulled to get me up the steps and onto the bridge.  It wasn’t pretty, but I made it.  

Something that really sticks out about this ordeal is that no one we spoke to during the preparation for this ride or since we began this ride mentioned these two steps.  We have had many people tell us to “watch out for this”, “avoid that”, or “you won’t be able to get through that section.”  No one mentioned the steps.  Most people do not recognize what an obstacle for wheelchairs this truly is.  I could not have gone past this point without help from others.  These two steps would prevent someone in a chair from being able to ride the trail by themselves.  These two steps prevent independence.  It’s just two steps, but to me it’s a barrier.

Every obstacle provides the possibility for accomplishment.  Thanks to my team and others within the trail community I was able to continue on with my journey.  Today presented us with many obstacles, but together with my team we solved each of them and continued with our ride.  I’m thankful and proud of what we accomplished today.

Proud Partner of

GART Day 2 - Autumnal Equinox

One of many trail signs

In 1831, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal became operational with the primary focus of shipping Allegheny Mountain coal to various destinations downstream along the Potomac River. This endeavor included the construction of 74 locks, 39 of which we’ve passed so far on this trip as of the end of day 2. The beauty alongside the banks of the Potomac has impressed all of us on the team, to say the least. We didn’t know anything of the complex history of the C&O Canal, and we had heard that it was pretty up this way, but to begin to see it all with our own eyes has been enlightening, and I can only say that our curiosity has been piqued. Let me back up a little bit to the beginning of the day and try to describe a little bit of what we’ve been seeing.

Attitude adjustment

Unfortunately, I didn’t sleep last night either. Uncomfortable nights are inevitably a part of traveling for me, but the last couple of nights have been particularly rough. The fact that my wheelchair charger tripped two hotel circuit breakers in the night only added to my anxieties for the day. We didn’t notice the first breaker trip until far too late, and the second attempt at charging led to a tripped breaker at 6 am. In short, by the time I decided to get up and into my wheelchair, it hadn’t been charging for long at all. Fortunately, we were able to outfit this chair with a LiFePO4 battery pack that provides me with 75+ miles of range (thank you, Zane). So in the end, my battery held up for the 42 mile day.

Some were more excited than others

This morning was rainy. A first round of rain came through around 8 am. We left the hotel at about 9:30 am. We’ve learned that when you are in close proximity to so many state borders, it’s important to specify the state when you pull up directions to a destination. Along the Potomac, there are often destinations on each side of the river with the same name. So White’s Ferry, Virginia is quite a different destination than White’s Ferry, Maryland. We first arrived at the former only to look at the latter (our desired location) from across the river. 40 minutes of driving later, we were at the right side of the river at our intended destination. For a good portion of that 40 minutes of additional driving, it rained hard. By the time we arrived to the trailhead, the rain had stopped, so it all worked out in that regard.

In the groove

We picked up where we left off yesterday, heading (dominantly) northwestward along the Maryland side of the Potomac. My haggard self started feeling better the instant we started moving on the trail. The rain had beat down the dust and it packed the path making for a faster ride. The smoothness of the trail led to our making good time. At some point, we had to tighten my front right caster mount with tools that my trusty caregiver Edwin had procured yesterday. It had been rattling at times, and the slight tightening completely addressed the issue. Onward we rolled. We noticed frogs hopping across the path or plopping into the canal water. The air felt clean. At times, we smelled the fermented scent of old pawpaw fruits crushed on the path. Occasionally we could smell a dead animal rotting away somewhere nearby. But largely the air smelled fresh behind the morning’s rain squalls. Between Dr. B and Jimmy’s company, the beauty of our surroundings and the passing of miles, I felt better and better.

Chris!

Martha!

I’d like to take a minute to mention a couple of particular people who we have crossed paths with on the trail, one yesterday and one today: Martha, who was on a mobility scooter yesterday, spoke of how much she enjoys getting out on the trail to see turtles, birds and everything there is to notice out on the trail; and Chris, who was in a manual wheelchair today exploring the trail with a good friend of hers. I chatted with each of them, and our common stories resonated between us. We all like getting outside to commune with the greater world around us, and we all are appreciative of each and every opportunity that we get to do so. It was a pleasure to chat with both of these women.

The muscle of our operation

Somewhere between Point of Rocks and the town of Brunswick, we encountered a detour. A bridge was out, so a makeshift trail veered to the left then steeply went down to a temporary bridge before going back up to rejoin the regular trail. I cautiously approached the rocky and pitted descent, unsure that I’d be able to retreat back up if I went down it. Jimmy went down first, scoping it all out. He crossed the bridge and assessed the climb back up on the other side, which was less steep and in better shape. He left his bike over there and came back, and with him countering gravity by pulling on the back of my chair, I started forward. Dr. B was the cinematographer in charge of catching the scene. Jimmy’s checkered Vans held traction on the gravelly and rocky slope, and we smoothly made our way down. I crossed the bridge over the creek, looking for fish while doing so. Then, to be on the safe side, Jimmy and Dr. B gave me pushing hands on the steepest part of the climb back up. Other than that and a couple of very short (several feet here and there) rough spots, the trail today was smooth as a baby’s bottom.

Throughout the day as we rolled away from the Atlantic coast, we noticed that the fall foliage was increasing in intensity, especially on the American Sycamores. But many species are showing more colors as we continue inland. Speaking of fall foliage, this evening just after 9 pm Eastern time marked the Autumnal Equinox. So as of writing this blog entry, it is now officially fall!

One of many canal houses

At each of the locks along the 184.5 mile long C&O Canal, there is a canal home, a lockhouse of sorts. While the canal was in operation, locktenders lived in these houses along with their families. They would tend to the mule-powered boats that carried coal, lumber and other goods along the canal, closing and opening the lock gates, raising and lowering the water levels so that the boats could pass. The path that we are riding now was used by the mules towing the boats and by the people tending to it all. That’s part of the story. The Baltimore and Ohio Rail Company, which was in conflict with the C&O Canal, built railroads along the canal between Point of Rocks and Harpers Ferry, among other places. The competition was fierce. The Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers both carve low spots in the Appalachian mountains, providing east-west access. Ultimately, the railroads prevailed, and the canal fell to oblivion. But fortunately, now we can use these paths, and we have this astoundingly beautiful trail system along a gorgeous river in what essentially is a 184.5 mile long park. We are blown away by this. Furthermore, backpackers and bike packers can sleep in some of the canal homes along the way, kind of like a rustic version of the hut systems of Europe.

Celebrating the Potomac

There are layers and layers of human history to add to the complex commerce transportation backgrounds that we’ve been learning about. From Indigenous cultures to the Civil War, there’s much to learn. I’m far too tired to delve into any of this right now, but Civil War battlegrounds and battle camps surround the areas that we have travelled through so far. All I can say is that as we travel through the landscape, we are trying to learn as much as possible about this part of the world.

We are staying the night in Harpers Ferry, WV, not far at all from the confluence of the Shenandoah and the Potomac. Earlier, we rode by this confluence, and it was one of the most beautiful spots we’ve seen in all of our Ian’s Ride travels. Like John Denver sang, it was

Stoked!

Almost heaven, West Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountains

Shenandoah River,

Life is old there

Older than the trees

Younger than the mountains

Blowin’ like the breeze


We’d like to give a special thanks to our sponsor of the day, United Spinal Association. United Spinal is a national organization dedicated to empowering people with spinal cord injuries and disorders to live successful and fulfilling lives. They advocate for disability rights and provide resources and support across the US with over fifty chapters. Thank you for your support!

Proud partner of

GART Day 1 - The Kickoff!

Masterful packers!

I pretty much hadn’t slept at all as dawn began to spread its light across the sky. Through the night my mind kept spinning and I couldn’t find any quiet sleeping space. Day One of Ian’s Ride 2022 was here, and the lack of sleep made it hard for me to get going. But the visceral reality of the moment was such that I shook off the rough night and we all prepared for the day’s activities. Mom and Edwin were as helpful as ever, and Dr. B and Jimmy had all of their bases covered and showed up to load vehicles in a timely manner. Just as we were about to roll out to our rendezvous point at our nation’s Capitol, an unfortunate GI issue (perhaps spawned by last night’s fish and chips) significantly set me back. Suddenly our punctuality seemingly dissipated and we found ourselves scrambling. We fixed the problem, changed some plans on the fly, threw Jimmy and Dr. B and their bikes into the minivan with me and my mom (which required some spatial prowess) and finally took off.

My people!

Despite the unforeseen challenges, we amazingly arrived to the meeting site in front of the Capitol on time. The sunshine was abundant and it was pleasantly warm, but most importantly the group of people who had gathered to send us off warmed our hearts. To be received by such a lovely gathering of people 3,000 miles away from home was truly mind-blowing and immensely gratifying. Amidst mingling smiles and encouragement, Kevin Belanger began the rally. Kevin is the Great American Rail-Trail Project Manager and he came to Port Angeles a few months ago. It was great to meet him and spend time with him then, and it was great to see him again today here in his neck of the woods. He did a wonderful job kicking the event off and introducing me.

Preaching to the choir

I spoke briefly of my past, of how I became a quadriplegic man, of the dark times that immediately followed my injury and of how getting back outside and onto trails brought me out of my shell and ultimately precipitated in me traveling the country in advocacy of increased trail access for all.

After I spoke, Monica Riley graciously stepped up to the microphone and provided background information regarding her spinal injury and spoke of how she came to be the D.C. Chapter Advocacy Coordinator of United Spinal. She was only 8 years old when she was severely injured in a drunk driving accident that tragically killed the rest of her family members. She touched upon how she rose from this hardship to promote greater infrastructural accessibility, better equipment and more community support for people facing spinal injuries.

Jeremy and Juliette

After Monica’s inspirational talk, Jeremy Buzzell, the National Accessibility Program Team Coordinator for the National Park Service, took to speaking about the importance of greater accessibility in the National Parks and of making trail specifications more available to everybody so that more informed decisions can be made. Jeremy mentioned that the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation is bringing a renewed focus on access and equity in the outdoors.

Finally, the closing words came from Juliette Rizzo, Rails to Trails Conservancy board member and former Ms. Wheelchair America. She wonderfully weaved together all the threads that Ian’s Ride, Rails to Trails and United Spinal are all working toward. She spoke passionately about everything that we are working toward, and by the end of her rousing speech we were ready to hit the trail and get this particular adventure started!

Thank you to everybody who made the kick off to this ride what it was. There were signs that said, “Let’s Go Ian!” and everyone gathered with their signs and cheered us on. The speakers all were great, but it also took the hard work of many people behind the scenes to make this happen. Much appreciated!

Let’s Go!

About 15 people embarked with us from the National Mall lawn and we headed toward the National Monument. From there we headed past the Lincoln Memorial and over to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O Canal). As we went along, folks turned around to head back to whatever duties beckoned, but not before making sure we were well on our way and armed with tons of information about the trail conditions to come.

Soon we left Washington D.C. and crossed into Maryland. Buildings slipped behind and the views of the Potomac grew rockier and wilder. We rolled along Wingstem, Blue Mistflower and Pale Jewelweed. We enjoyed the shade of American Sycamores, Box Elders, Silver Maples and Pawpaws, among other trees. Northern Cardinals provided flashes of red between the branches. Dozens of Eastern snapping turtles and Basking turtles sunned on logs above the canal water. Great Blue Herons lofted about.

The first 15 miles or so of the Canal trail were pretty rough. At one point a pronounced lip on the trail caught my wheels on one side of the chair and spun me 90 degrees in an instant. Fortunately, I quickly stopped and didn’t veer off trail. Another time, during a rocky stretch, my chair just suddenly turned off. Dr. B had to hit a reset button to start it up again. The final 20 miles of the day were very nice and smooth. The trails are heavily used by bikes, so the tire washes are set up on a north-to-south bike traffic basis, and are too far apart for my wheels so I’d find one set of wheels in a tire wash and the other side would be in vegetation and weeds in the middle of the trail. These are minor notes about what I experienced. All in all, the tranquility was amazing and the trail was an absolute joy.

The Great Falls!

The Great Falls were quite impressive, as were the many views of the rocky shores of the Potomac. The views of the rocky river beds along the way were mesmerizing.

It was a long and amazing day. I can’t think of a better start to this ride. We are inspired from what we saw today and are excited to see what tomorrow brings. Special, special thanks to our sponsor of the day, The Rails to Trails Conservancy. Their planning and organization to kick us off with such warm hearted fanfare was truly appreciated. This trail we’re riding is a result of their hard work, and rail trails truly are the perfect place for wheelchairs to enjoy the outdoors. Thanks, RTC!

What a day!

Proud Partner of Invacare