A biking journey on the linked Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga Trails has a lot to supply Southern riders
Cowl: Pumpkinvine trestle on the Silver Comet Path. Picture by Mike Bezemek
We have been driving the Silver Comet Path heading west. There have been 4 of us on exhausting tails and gravel bikes with a plan to cowl about 100 miles over two days. We’d chosen to start out from the Grady Highway Trailhead as a result of it’s roughly the midpoint of two steady rail trails, the Silver Comet in Georgia and the Chief Ladiga Path in Alabama.
Setting a car shuttle allowed us to journey the western half on day one, drive again to our camp in close by Rockmart, Ga., then journey the jap half on day two. We figured we have been sensible to separate up the path this manner. However we quickly found that simply west of our preliminary trailhead was one of many steepest hills on all the journey, with half of the day’s 700 toes of climbing, which we have been now ascending proper off the bat.
“We certain don’t consider in pacing ourselves, can we?” I known as out between huffs.
“No, we don’t,” gasped Boberts.
Our group slowly pedaled uphill into the woods. Upon reaching the summit, and with everybody’s legs suitably burned-out at first of our endurance journey, we coasted downhill towards the state-line. Full disclosure, that is how most of our adventures go.
Making Miles
For years, my faculty pal Boberts and I’ve been in search of out multiday bike journeys within the U.S. and overseas. In Europe, we opted for conventional touring with hybrid bikes, racks, and Ortlieb panniers. From my spouse’s hometown, a tiny village in Baden-Württemberg, we’ve ridden a number of the high biking routes throughout Bavaria, alongside the Rhine, and into nations like Austria and Switzerland. Again within the states, we largely centered on mountain bikepacking on singletrack with light-weight Revelate Designs baggage for the body, handlebar, and seat-post.
In all our multiday biking endeavors, we had three specialties: 1) getting misplaced 2) discovering sudden facet hikes, castles, and ruins by getting misplaced, and three) one way or the other nonetheless discovering the beer gardens and microbreweries regardless of how misplaced we at all times have been.
Then profession and household obligations bought in the best way, and we went a number of years with solely day driving. Earlier than leaping again into week-long biking adventures, we’d chosen the Silver Comet-Chief Ladiga to make some miles and encourage Boberts’ spouse Bridget and our greatest buddy Greg to make the leap to multidays. Now, we simply wanted to persuade our two huffing companions that we knew what we have been doing. Maybe beginning with chilly legs on the toughest hills was a medically sound apply, endorsed by Dr. Boberts M.D., who additionally believes it’s potential to rehydrate with a double IPA.
“Yeah, proper,” retorted Bridget, after we preemptively tried to defend ourselves. “Belief me, I do know you guys.”
The Chief Ladiga Path
A number of hilly miles by way of hardwood forest quickly gave strategy to straightforward driving by way of the countryside. Often, the largely flat path crossed rural roads or paralleled a freeway, however often we noticed farm fields damaged by the occasional city. In Cedartown, we handed a welcome heart in an previous practice station and a few bike-themed murals. After 16 miles on the Silver Comet, we reached an archway that marks the state line, the place we continued onto the Chief Ladiga Path.
The path is known as after Chief Ladiga of the Muscogee, who was compelled to signal the Treaty of Cussetta in 1832. A part of Andrew Jackson’s coverage of Indian removing, the treaty ceded all lands within the south belonging to the Muscogee Creek Confederacy, whose individuals have been compelled to relocate to Oklahoma. This led to the horrific Path of Tears, a compelled march throughout harsh situations that precipitated the deaths of 1000’s of Native People. Nonetheless, some Muscogee fled to Florida the place they joined the Seminoles in preventing a warfare of resistance that continued for a few years.
Resuming our journey, we pushed a gradual tempo for one more 14 miles to Piedmont, Ala. Simply off the path is Pinhoti Pizza, a well-liked cease for cyclists that’s named for the 335-mile mountaineering path throughout the Southern Appalachians. With a number of extra hours left to journey, none of us felt like a giant lunch. So, we stopped inside Shell’s Downtown, a bar and grill, for a chilly beer earlier than persevering with west.
Every of us had been making ready in latest months for our hundred-mile weekend. This largely concerned coaching rides, plus some vital brewery classes, as properly. Nonetheless, one of many largest points on a long-distance biking journey is saddle strain, and everybody was feeling their butts by mile 35.
I’ve slightly mantra to remind myself to keep up good driving posture: keep gentle on my toes, gentle on my fingers, gentle on my seat. As one will get drained all through an extended driving day, it’s widespread to start out leaning closely towards your palms, or pushing down tougher in your pedals, or letting all of your weight relaxation in your saddle. I say my little mantra to remind myself to maintain my weight evenly unfold throughout the assorted factors of contact with the bike. It will ideally scale back strain and ache in anybody spot. Such tips, mixed with common breaks for water, snacks, and stretching our legs, have labored properly for Boberts and me through the years.
About seven miles from the top of our 48-mile day, we deviated off-trail into the school city of Jacksonville, Ala., for a break at Cooter Brown’s Rib Shack. We refueled on Hillbilly Egg Rolls and a collection of home microbrews, together with a superb crimson ale. We ended our first day at Michael Tucker Park, the place we found the Chief Ladiga Path has just lately been prolonged seven extra miles to Aniston, Ala.
Storms and Energy
That night time, we cooked outdoors our campers at The Stunning Rock, a personal campground that’s near the midpoint of the 2 trails. Whereas BBQing beneath a transportable rain shelter, an intense thunderstorm blew in. Bridget neatly went inside their camper. We three guys refused to let slightly climate get between us and an extreme quantity of post-ride energy.
At one level, the rain and wind have been hitting sideways. Greg and I clutched the awning and grill desk, making an attempt to maintain all the things from flying skyward. In the meantime, Boberts stared down the storm whereas bravely rotating the rooster and veggie skewers.
“Is that the worst you are able to do?” shouted some clever man, probably me, like a sailor within the crow’s nest throughout a film storm. Then lightning struck the hillside close by. “You’re a merciless mistress, aren’t ye, Mom Nature.”
We had a scrumptious grilled dinner someday after 9pm, which Bridget described as “fairly good regardless of being slightly bit soggy.”
The Silver Comet Path
The large query for day two was if we may deal with one other fifty miles with about 1,200 toes of gradual elevation acquire. Outcomes have been combined. As we rode east from Grady Highway, our butts have been sore, however our legs felt higher than anticipated. The countryside was significantly humid after final night time’s storm, after which we turned a nook and rode onto a moist picket bridge over a creek.
“Oh, that is slippery,” I stated. “We in all probability shouldn’t journey these.”
Earlier than I had an opportunity to warn anybody or decelerate, catastrophe struck. You by no means need to immediately brake or activate moist wooden. Simply coast to a cease and dismount. Immediately, Greg and Bridget’s wheels went out from beneath them, they usually hit the deck. Fortunately, these have been swift and clear falls onto hips and shoulders. Each have been bruised however okay. Nonetheless, after driving a number of extra miles, Bridget determined to take the turn-off to camp and name it a day.
Previous Rockmart, the Silver Comet Path steadily rises by way of forested hills for a number of miles to the 800-foot-long Brushy Mountain Tunnel. It was enjoyable driving by way of this spooky relic from the heyday of rail journey. The path is known as for the Silver Comet passenger practice, which ran between New York Metropolis and Birmingham from 1947 to 1969. The proper-of-way was deserted for a number of many years earlier than the rail path was established within the late Nineteen Nineties.
About 23 miles into our day, we reached the scenic Pumpkinvine Trestle, a restored 750-foot railroad bridge excessive above Pumpkinvine Creek. We have been squirming in our saddles now, so we rallied for 12 quick miles by way of more and more suburban surroundings on the outskirts of Atlanta.
Our closing cease was a number of blocks off the path at Skint Chestnut Brewing Co. in Powder Springs, Ga. We ended up spending practically two hours right here, speaking about previous occasions, chatting with the pleasant bartender, and sampling a superb lineup that features IPAs, marzens, pilsners, and sours.
In fact, this meant we had ten significantly sluggish miles to achieve the easternmost trailhead at Mavell Highway. Apart from any and all regretful errors, we had no regrets. As we coasted as much as our shuttle car, Boberts’ journey tracker indicated 98.5 miles in 48 hours. One other enjoyable and difficult weekend was within the books.
