Bruce Friedland at bpfphotography
Three dates marked the march toward spring this year along the 150-mile long Great Allegheny Passage:
Feb. 2 — Punxsutawney Phil poked his head out of his groundhog hole to proclaim more winter.
March 20 — The sun passed over the sun's equator, marking the vernal equinox; commonly known as the first day of spring.
April 3 — Crews pried open the doors to the 3,294-foot-long Big Savage Tunnel, which had been closed for the winter.
The final act marks the annual opening day for a continuous 318-mile bicycle path comprising the C&O Canal towpath and Great Allegheny Passage all the way from Washington DC to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. Tradition holds that the Tunnel Troll accompanies the first cyclist to pass through, bringing blue skies and smooth paths.
The tunnel
The Western Maryland Railrod built the tunnel in 1910-1912 through Savage Mountain, which sits just north of the Maryland-Pennsylvania border. Sitting on the eastern Continental Divide, it's the high point on the Great Allegheny Passage – C&O Canal towpath.
Regardless of whether the first cyclist gets good fortune, the opening of the tunnel marks the third year the combined trail will be open to through cyclists.
The off-road bike path — combining a rail-trail and canal towpath — has become a popular bicycling destination in the East. In addition to being a car-free route, towns along the old railroad line feature many businesses that are catering to the touring bicyclists.
Trips
In addition to the independents making the trip, several organized bicycle tours are planned along the route this year:
Adventure Cycling Association: June 7-14 and September 20-27;
Yockatomac Trek: June 14-22
Venture Outdoors: September 27 – October 4
See more trips at the “rides and events” page at the Great Allegheny Trail website.
Finishing
While most of the GAP is finished, there are still a few connections in the final 9 miles between McKeesport and Pittsburgh that need to be completed.
The plan is for those gaps to be completed by October 2008.
Word to the wise: Although the route is supposed to be off-road, there are a couple of detours that crop up and cyclists have to go onto roads. Check the GAP website and C&O Canal website for local conditions.
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