Back in the Saddle

As long as I have been aware of its existence, I have dreamt of taking one day to make a return trip on the Decker’s Creek Rail Trail by bike. The 19-mile trail follows the former Morgantown and Kingwood Railroad from Morgantown, WV to just east of Reedsville, WV. Aside the distance, the other challenge is the grade: over the 19-mile distance is an elevation gain of 1000 feet. By now you’re likely judging me. That’s alright. I understand. Until this past weekend, I hadn’t been on a bike in over three years.

Grad school has not been kind to my waistline. It happens to the best of us. There are long hours behind the computer screen and it is often just so much easier to throw something in the microwave and chew it down in front of the computer. But I have tried to free up one day a week where I try to avoid my research, research of my classmates, and classwork. With this time, as I’ve shared on this blog before, I love to geocache.

On Sunday I took the opportunity to merge geocaching with my interest in getting back on the bike. As soon as they opened, we stormed Dick’s Sporting Goods in Morgantown and found the perfect bike rack, the Yakima MegaJoe Elite 3-Bike Trunk Vehicle Rack, which was on sale no less! We wanted a rack that could hold three bikes because we frequently go on road trips with one of our good friends and wanted the flexibility to bring an extra bike with us. Installing the rack wasn’t too bad, though there’s a little scratched paint on Chris’s Honda Civic. The rack carried the bikes flawlessly.

We had our sights set on GC2X9BN NOTICE Cheat Haven Hiking Trail, which is at the far end of a 3.6 mile trail stretching out from Cheat Lake Park. Chris, our friend Brian, and I set out on the trail along the like which, a long time ago, was a railroad (it’s a trend in this part of the country). Within minutes, I could feel my wrists straining and my thighs burning with the unfamiliar movements of riding a bicycle.

About two-thirds of the way to the geocache we took a brief break on the side of the trail to allow a service vehicle pass us and I could barely extract myself from the seat. The pain was intense. But, whether we kept going or returned to the cars, the only option ahead of me was to get back on the bike and pedal. In case you were worried, we found the geocache.

 Through the trees, Cheat Lake

The ride back seemed so much easier. In fact, when we returned to the trailhead near the parking area, we decided to head the other direction on the trail to pick up two other geocaches. The soreness never disappeared and the pain in my arms persisted, but I felt like I accomplished something great: 8.6 miles, total.

On the drive back to our home, we were excitedly planning future bike trips to help build our abilities up so within two or three months we will be able to conquer the Decker’s Creek Rail Trail. Two days out, the pain my shoulders is intense and the stiffness in my neck persistent. To me, it is motivation to get back on the bike until multiple days of muscle pain aren’t the reward for attempting to make a solid life decision.