The Yockatomac Trek   ™

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Yockatomac Trek 2005 - Frequently Asked Questions

 
Just what is this Yockatomac Trek thing anyway?
What is the Drill?
Where do I sleep?
Where do I eat?

An average of 40 miles a day seems like a lot!
An average of 40 miles a day doesn't seem like much!

Who comes on this trip?
Is my bike Okay?
Is the whole trail finished?

Where is the start?
How do I get there from here?
Can I do just part of the trip?
Will there be a T-Shirt?

What does it cost?
What else can I read about the trip and the trail?
How do I sign up?

 

General Information
Itinerary
Registration information

Registration Forms

 Pictures from previous trips

 polo shirt and/or a bike jersey 


OK, Just What Is This Yockatomac Trek Thing Anyway??  In the mid- to late- 90’s, a trail lover’s dream was taking shape across western Pennsylvania.  The rails-to-trails movement had gathered steam, and several trails projects on abandoned rail right-of-ways were becoming reality.  A time was envisioned when these trails could soon be linked up to form a long-distance trail that would connect Pittsburgh, PA with Cumberland, MD, and also enable access to the 184 mile Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath trail, which would provide the ability to extend a long-distance ride to Washington, DC.  In 1997, a handful of trail supporters decided there was enough trail completed to attempt a bicycle ride from DC to Pittsburgh as a demonstration that the trail was indeed becoming real and viable.  There was such interest in the trail community in this endeavor that in 1999 the first loosely organized trip was held for several hardy adventurers.  That early trip was so successful that an informal core group of trail supporters and trail lovers has staged a repeat tour every year since, with lots of variations.  The Yockatomac Trek name arose some years ago in recognition of the route along the Youghiogheny and Potomac rivers.  2005 will be the seventh running of what we affectionately call “The Trek.”

 So What’s The Drill?  Each day you’ll be free to ride an average of 40 miles on the trail at your own pace, stopping along the way to take in the sights, sounds, smells, and experiences of bicycle travel through a natural and traffic-free corridor, arriving at each night’s lodging when you wish.  Camaraderie and riding in large or small groups is certainly encouraged, and is indeed a primary attraction of our tour, but you are also free to strike out on your own and do your own thing.  Our support van will deliver your luggage to each night’s lodging, and also be available at selected points along the way for cold drinks and snacks.  We’ll usually gather for a picnic lunch at a pre-selected point of interest along the day’s route.  Evenings may be spent at your leisure strolling through the small towns, chatting with your new-found friends on the porch of a B&B, or wandering in solitude along a nearby riverbank.  It’s your trip!!  Our agenda is fun and relaxation!

Where Do I Sleep??  Wherever possible, we’ll stay in quaint bed & breakfasts and historic hotels and inns along the route, lodgings with unique character and charm.  Most times you’ll be able to bike right to the door of your night’s lodging.  We will have designated lodging for each night’s stay, with rooms held for our group.  You will be responsible for making your own reservations at each place of lodging and taking care of your own bill.  We encourage you to share your room with a roommate. Indeed, some of our overnight towns are so small and quaint that they have only a few lodging rooms, in these towns we really, really need to double up in order to accommodate the whole trip (we won't ask you to share your bed, but please help us use all the beds).  It’s a cooperative trip….remember?

 Where Do I Eat??  This group rides to eat….or maybe we eat to ride!!  Sometimes we’re not completely sure if we’re a biking group with an eating problem or an eating group with a biking habit.  For sure, you’ll eat well if you so desire.  We’ll dine each evening in a local restaurant, or a catered meal will be provided courtesy of our B&B or inn hosts.  Lunches will be on your own, usually we carry a sandwich with us from a local convenience store.  You will be individually responsible for your own tab for your own meals, with the exception of some group dinners and the final celebration at ride’s end, which will be prepaid and clearly indicated as part of the registration process.  Eat a little or eat a lot, it’s your choice.  Your calorie expenditure may exceed your calorie intake, but not by much!!

 Hey, An Average Of 40 Miles A Day Seems Like A Lot!!  (…Or….Man, 40 Miles A Day Doesn’t Seem Like Much!)  You can bike 40 miles on these trails in 4 to 5 hours of actual biking time, leaving plenty of time for exploring, sightseeing, absorbing historic sites, chatting with your companions, and just general wandering.  You won’t ride as fast on these trails as you do on pavement.  This is not an endurance ride and we expect to start out easy and taper off from there!  You will, however, want to have a foundational familiarity with bicycling and a fair amount of cycling experience.  Check the recommendations for pre-ride conditioning in Linking Up.  We don’t have many “hammerheads” on this trip and you won’t be checking your averages and seeing who gets dropped.  The emphasis is on just plain fun and relaxation, camaraderie, and a well-rounded outdoor adventure.

 Alright, So Who Comes On This Trip?  We’ve had participants as young as high school students who came along with Dad or Mom for a week’s bonding time, to an 80-year old gentleman adventurer who kayaks, runs marathons, and has gone on the Trek for the last several years straight.  For the most part it’s mature folks who may have their families reared, careers accomplished, or lives settled, and who now have time for and crave a bit of soft adventure with like-minded folks in the great outdoors.  Accomplished cyclists to occasional riders, trail lovers and supporters, couples, singles, young-at-heart and not-so-young, we usually have a convivial and lively mix.

 Is My Bike Ok?  Probably.  The Towpath is a bit rougher than the well-groomed trails of the GAP Trail.  It will puddle up in the rain, and mud can become a concern.  We recommend a multi-geared, better quality bicycle, hopefully not of the department store variety, either a mountain bike or a hybrid.  If you’re inclined toward a skinny tire bike, we suggest you take a day trip on the towpath ahead of time to gage its suitability for the surface.  There are some bicycle and tire suggestions in Linking Up.  And of course, you’ll want to be sure your bike is in top mechanical condition, and comfortable enough that you can stay on it for eight days.

 Is The Whole Trail Finished?  Nope.  We are of course anxiously anticipating the day when we can run the Trek the entire route on two wheels, on the trail.  The trail gaps, however, are getting smaller every year, and the new trail sections are part of the mystique that draws trail lovers back year after year.  Out of Cumberland, MD, we’ll enjoy a 15-mile scenic interlude up the mountain on an excursion train, the Western Maryland Scenic Railway, paralleling the planned rails-with-trails route yet to be completed.  And this year, we’ll be able to travel some newly completed sections of trail on the Allegheny Highlands Trail.  There will still be some sections that we’ll need to detour around on lightly traveled country roads, probably less than 15 miles.  But except for the train ride, we’ll cover the entire route on bikes!

 Where’s The Start??  I Can’t Get There From Here!  Yes you can…!  We’ll start from Milepost 0 on the C&O Canal Towpath in Washington DC on the afternoon of June 11.  You’re pretty much on your own to get you and your bike to the starting point (or to get back from the ending point), but there are many workable options.  Many participants join up in car pools, and we try to facilitate that.  Maybe some of your family or friends will want to drive to DC (or Pittsburgh) for the weekend.  Amtrak has scheduled service on the Capitol Limited, but departs Pittsburgh in the wee hours of the morning and is notoriously unreliable in staying on schedule.  There are private shuttle providers who specialize in getting you and your bike to either end of the trail.  Greyhound has scheduled service, and of course rental cars can be rented one-way.  Our support van will have a limited number of seats available for the trip on June 11 from Pittsburgh to DC, for a nominal additional fee.  And if you just need help in getting your bike there, we can handle that.  You can get there, people do it every year, and we’ll help all we can.  Be inventive and collaborative!!

 Squeezed For Time??  Some folks for various reasons can’t join us for the entire week.  That’s OK, you can ride with us for the portion of the week that fits with your schedule.  The registration fee can be prorated for the days that you ride.  Of course, you’re on your own for transportation to and from your starting and ending points.

Will there be a T-shirt?  No! but there will be a polo shirt and/or a bike jersey available for extra costs.  When we dress up for dinner on the trip, the polo is what we wear. These are high quality polo shirts -- with collars and buttons, not T-shirts.  The jerseys are the same kinds of jerseys you see in the bike shops, with breathable wicking fabric, a hidden zipper, and three pockets in the back.

 OK….Um….So What Does It Cost?  The Yockatomac Trek is undertaken in the same spirit of cooperation which built the trails it traverses.  It is organized as a cooperative, self-supported, non-profit tour by a group of people who love trails, history, and the great outdoors.  Your registration fee will cover shared costs incurred by the group, such as the support van and driver, insurance, administrative expenses, and supplies.  Also, limited specific individual costs for a few group meals and activities will be pre-paid at registration.  Beyond that, each individual rider will be responsible for their own expenses at designated lodging, meals, snacks, and miscellaneous expenses.

            

Preliminary Trip Cost Estimate:
   Shared Costs per Rider (based on 20 riders)      $250
   Lodging at designated B&Bs and hotels      $400
   Dinners, lunches, snacks       $250
   Miscellaneous personal expenses      $50
   Approximate Total Trip Cost            $950

 You Got Me!!  Wanna go?  Sound like fun?  It is!!  You'll need to fill out the Registration and Release Forms , and send them along with your registration fee ($250 for entire trip). You'll also need to make your individual reservations at the designated lodgings at the time of your registration.

 Uhh…Lemme Think About It……What Else Can I Read?  Explore the Allegheny Trail Alliance website, and the C&O Canal National Historical Park site, as well as other links which will lead you to a wealth of information about traveling the trails along this route.  You can get a flavor of the trip from last year’s itinerary, however, this year’s itinerary will be quite different.  Also, a great source of information on trips along these trails is the booklet Linking Up by Mary Shaw and Roy Weil.  We highly recommend anyone considering this trip should get a copy from a local bike shop in the area of the trails, or from the ATA Bookstore.  Mary & Roy also wrote up a trip report after riding this route for the first time in 1997.  See also Yockatomac Trek in 2003Yockatomac Trek in 2000, and the original Yockatomac Trek in 1999.

Good C&O Canal guidebooks are Thomas Hahn’s Towpath Guide to the C&O Canal, and Mike High’s C&O Canal Companion.  Read the more recent High before the trip for background, but bring Hahn in your saddlebag for an on-the-path explanation of the canal’s operating features.  The authoritative guide to the GAP Trail is Bill Metzger’s The Great Allegheny Passage Companion.  All are available through the ATA Bookstore.


We will use email for most communication about the trip.  Join our email list to receive more information as it becomes available and be notified of future postings by sending an email to:

join-yocktrek@listserver.atatrail.org .

For specific questions about the trip, feel free to contact the Yocktrek 2005 Coordinator, Don Sullivan, at yocktrek@atatrail.org .

[ Yockatomac Trek Intro ] [ Yockatomac FAQ ] [ Itinerary ] [ Registration Information ] [ Registration Forms] [ Pictures from previous trips ]
 
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You are visiting The Yockatomac Trek, copyright © 2006 by Mary Shaw and Roy Weil. We encourage you to link to these pages or print copies for personal use. However, if you want to copy the material for any other use, you must ask us first. Other outdoor publications by the authors.