Start:Ohiopyle Stste Park, PA GAP mile marker 72, 12 pm

End: Meyersdale, PA GAP mile 31, 4:45 pm

Elevation change: +1.000 fit

Total miles: 41

Weather forecasting really has come a long way. It started pouring exactly as predicted at about 3 am. It was cozy and dry in my tent, and my replacement Whisoerlite stove (thanks, REI!) worked like a dream in the pouring rain onceI finally decided to suck it up and get out of my cocoon.

I really thought I could take down the tent and leave the rain fly up, but alas it is genuinely impossible. Stuff is wet, but that’s why Sea to Summit makes dry bags.

I was dreading going back down that insanely steep, rocky, leaf-covered trail in the rain. But it was fine! The Crocs provided excellent traction, and the bike was much easier to guide downhill than to push up. Easy peasy!

Today was my shortest day of the trip at just 41 miles. Oh, and a net gain of >1,000 ft did you say? Just 15 miles from the Eastern Continental Divide? Slick, wet surface subsiding under all the rain? Quarter-mile long bridges snd tunnels? All this and more! Adventures aplenty!

Happily, FOR ONLY THE SECOND TIME on this trip (the first being the delightful arrival at the Sabgir’s a week ago), today’s home stretch was drama-free. My adorable B&B was literally across the street from the trail, I had a hot bath and someone to pick me up to shuttle me to a cozy family/run restaurant (it was the owner who picked me up! He dropped me off, went in the side door, showed me to my table and brought me butter) while the B&B owners did my laundry within 90 minutes of getting off my bike. O the joy!

I could get used to this.

Excited for what’s next!