Day 5 - Hancock to Harpers Ferry

260 miles down
60 miles to DC

Our dining experiences have been anything but ordinary. This morning, with the hotel offering only a modest breakfast, we opted for a hearty start at Sheetz. Lacking a proper table, we improvised—gathering around a conveniently placed trash can that doubled as our breakfast bar. With seven hungry bikers and limited “seating,” we had to rotate in shifts: first seating, then second. Not exactly fine dining, but definitely memorable.

Humor has been a huge part of the trip. There’s constant banter among the adults, among the youngsters, and between the adults and youngsters. Kevin, our sag driver, gets a steady stream of good-natured teasing. But beneath all the jokes, everyone genuinely appreciates his hard work and respects him as a rider—he pedals up the trail from each rest stop, connects with us, and rides alongside for as much as five miles.

Almost every day, Kevin gets chastised for not making our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. He always has a new excuse for why we have to make our own. Today’s story was that he made sandwiches once, but everyone got sick and had to go to urgent care. He claims he’s just apprehensive about sandwich-making now. Nobody bought it. He secretly told his excuse for our last day will be “I just don’t care”.

Today’s ride was 66 miles long, and one 20-mile stretch of trail was especially brutal. It was covered in packed and loose stones about the size of quarters. Everything rattled—your hands, your shoulders, and especially your backside. It was mentally exhausting too, since you had to constantly scan about ten feet ahead to find a semi-smooth path.

We stopped at Fort Frederick, just off the trail. Built during the French and Indian War around 1760, it was completely empty except for us. As Daniel wandered around, he stepped into an open doorway of one of the buildings, which triggered an alarm that echoed across the entire fort. When the rangers showed up, we all immediately pointed to Daniel. There’s no “No Snitch” policy on this trip. Everyone, including the rangers, had a good laugh.

Before visiting Fort Frederick, Daniel and Kevin decided to race….Daniel on foot and Kevin on bike. We were unsure who won because we were unsure of where the finish line was. See attached video.

Thom is our unofficial marketing guru. Wherever we pause—whether it's a trail break or a roadside stop—he’s striking up conversations with everyone around. With a cold can of Gatorade or a snack in hand, he’s always ready to offer a bit of trail magic and a warm smile. Thanks to Thom’s friendly outreach, we often cross paths with these folks again later in the day or even in town that evening.
Among the fascinating people we've met: a neurosurgeon, a Methodist pastor, and a former director of intelligence for Latin America. The trail truly brings together an incredible mix of stories and backgrounds.

After arriving in Harpers Ferry, we took a little time to explore the charm and history of the town before heading to our hotel to unwind.Meer informatie