On Trail, Off Topic

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Counter: 438.9

I spent the majority of this weekend off the bike, spending time catching up with friends, family, and culminating in my nephew's first birthday party this afternoon. When I'm not riding, I generally have a pretty good reason...

That said, I did ride. Saturday was limited to a short lap around my home town with my girlfriend, which included a stop for coffee:

Sunday, I briefly rode my girlfriend's bike around the block before helping her pack it into the car:

I just got back to Philly and did take another short ride after parking my car, but ultimately my bike logged more miles in the car this weekend than on the road:

That doesn't mean I took the weekend off entirely. I mean, I technically kept the 30 days challenge going by simply getting on a bike both days, but beyond that, my girlfriend and I took advantage of a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in Northeast PA to tackle one of my favorite trails I haven't visited since I was in high school:

Glen Onoko Falls Trail near Jim Thorpe has a reputation for being a tough and/or dangerous trail. Living back home, it seemed like I'd hear about a hiker getting stuck or injured there on a weekly basis during the Summer time. Sometimes these would lead to deaths, too. However, it's also one of the most beautiful trails you'll encounter in the state, in my opinion. Basically, you hike next to a series of waterfalls of varying size, some of which are quite large:

Obviously, as you can tell by the fact that I'm writing this, we not only survived, but we also had a great time. The trail gains more than 750 feet within its first half mile or so if you start at the trail head closest to the Lehigh River. As my girlfriend put it, "Quite the way to get in your first hike of the season..."

We were only out there for about 2 hours, but it was a solid 2 hours. The steepness and treachery of the terrain can't be overstated, and I can completely understand how some of the incidents mentioned above could have happened to a novice hiker. That's also what makes it so much fun. I mean, what's life if you don't live a little dangerously, right?

All things considered, I'm glad I didn't have time to ride a bike very much the last couple days, because my legs were ready for a break after yesterday. We'll call it a rest day of sorts. So, with my hiking season now officially underway (and trust me - the lady and I have a long list of destinations for this Summer), I'm looking forward to a strong final week of 30 Days of Biking, which also includes some big plans and celebrations. 8 more days, everyone. Where does the time go?

#30daysofbiking