My alarm went off at 6:30 am. We were required to be at Pocono Biking headquarters at 10:00 am, so it was an early start to our day. It was a very early start. I don’t like to feel rushed in the morning, and I have a strict meal routine. I eat breakfast between 6:00-8:00 am and lunch between 12:00 pm-2:00 pm. Crazy but not alone.
While I don’t require a lot of time to get ready, I do need extra time to make sure I have everything. I always have to double- and triple-check my purse or backpack. Forgetting something is in my nature, and I need to account for that in my morning routine. It’s a problem without a solution, trust me.
We had a typical breakfast at the hotel restaurant. We returned to our room to collect our belongings for the day, and then headed out via the unimpressive hallway and out the back of the hotel.
D&L TRAIL TO LEHIGH GORGE TRAIL
We arrived at Pocono Biking HQ at a quarter to ten o’clock. Our tour guides introduced themselves, checked us in, and then asked us what kind of bicycle we wanted. I have always liked bicycles with drop bars so that was my first choice. I mounted the bike, incredibly excited, only to dismount it after having circled for less than fifteen seconds. It was unbelievably uncomfortable. One of the tour guides adjusted the handlebars and seat to no avail. My dream bike, even though I almost killed myself on one when I was twelve years old, was a no-go for this trip.
My next, and final, option was a regular mountain bike with flat handlebars. I rode in a wider circle for longer this time. Much better. One of the tour guides raised the handlebar and lowered the seat slightly, and then it was mine. The bikes we were given were to remain with us for the remainder of the trip.
Once everyone had been checked in and assigned their bicycle, we stood in a circle and introduced ourselves and were given a rundown of the day’s schedule. All married couples except for three people: James, myself, and a lone traveler. The lone traveler was playing hooky; he was supposed to be working from home.
With bikes loaded onto the trailer, we filed into two vans and drove to the 140-mile marker of the D&L Trail.
The D&L Trail is over 140 miles long, one of the longest trails on the east coast, stretching from Wilkes-Barre (Wilkes-Barre to Glen Summit is still in the works as of this writing) to Bristol, Pennsylvania. At the trailhead at Glen Summit, we mounted our bikes and began our 36-mile ride to Jim Thorpe.
I didn’t know what to expect when we set off on the tree-covered path because I’ve never really biked on a trail in the middle of the woods before. Nature (nature nature not Central Park nature) and I have a love/hate relationship. I like nature, but nature doesn’t reciprocate. And if Mother Nature does like me, she sure has a funny way of showing it. She tests my patience more often than I would like.
Riding a bike in the city is different because I know what to expect: crazy drivers, stupid tourists, New Yorkers who don’t give a damn about any moving vehicle, and hardcore cyclists who think they’re racing in the Tour de France. It’s a bicycle lane, folks. Calm down.
Would a bird fly into me (crazy driver)? A few have flown inches from my face with little regard to the consequences for both bird and human. How about a fly or a bee (New Yorker who doesn’t give a damn)? Like that time a bee flew into the right side of my helmet when I was on a Vespa heading back to Sorrento from Positano, Italy. I looked crazy as I tried to get the bee out of my helmet. Crazy and very alone.
I didn’t want to dwell on the possibilities, so I accepted my fate. Whatever was to transpire over the next four days, I hoped it would come about with the avian species and not the slithery kind.
The first mile of the path was covered by tress, providing shade and a nice breeze. Once the trees gave way to an open grass field, I began shedding layers of clothing. When we left our hotel, it was in the low 50s. I had on a light, long sleeve jacket and a gray down vest, and my Eddie Bauer pants. By midday, it was in the mid-60s. It was comfortable enough to ride in a t-shirt for the remainder of the day.
The first 5.5 miles of the trail were easy to ride. It was a flat dirt path. The Lehigh River flowing on our left-hand side and a green grass field on the right. It was quiet. I like quiet but at some point, I decided to put in my headphones and listen to music until we reached our lunch spot.
We reached Renee’s Cold Cut Hut by noon. Due to COVID restrictions, we placed our order at the front door. With food in hand, we biked to the Pocono Biking Shop to eat our sandwiches..
I had been here before. This is the start of the Lehigh Gorge Trail, the same trail I biked in 2017. The trail is advertised to daily visitors to Jim Thorpe, so it’s busier than the stretch from Glen Summit to White Haven. The trail is covered by trees all the way to Jim Thorpe with only two uncovered stretches: the half mile or mile of railroad track that carries the Instagram-able vintage train up the mountain, and the last three miles of the trail beginning at Glen Onoko Trailhead.
The trail has a few must-see stops along the way:
- At mile 17, you’ll come across the remains of an old lock used to transport coal from local mountains.
- At mile 19, you’ll find a lovely waterfall. It can be a trickle, or it can be gushing water like a newly opened hydrant. Your Instagram-able photo depends on the amount of recent rainfall.
- At mile 33, you’ll reach Glen Onoko Trailhead. This is a great area to explore. You can head down to the Lehigh River to take a quick dip and/or explore an abandoned train tunnel. We didn’t do either, unfortunately.
There’s a great photo-op when you reach the last bridge over the Lehigh River. On this bridge, you’ll have a bird’s-eye view of the valley below and watch as the Reading and Northern mainline vintage train makes its ascent/descent, if you’re lucky enough to time your arrival at the bridge with the train’s.
Our pace slowed as we reached the end of the trail and entered the municipal parking lot. The smooth dirt of the Lehigh Gorge Trail giving way to pavement, hordes of day visitors replacing the occasional cyclist.
When we reached our meeting spot, Pocono Biking shop, I felt a bit of hunger and a lot of pain in my ischial tuberosity (my butt bones). Yes, I googled the name. And yes, I entered “name of butt bones” into the search bar. Seeing my discomfort, one of the tour guides recommended I buy padded shorts. I didn’t hesitate. I walked into the shop, picked up a pair of purple padded shorts because that’s all they had, and paid with my credit card.
In case you’re wondering, I budgeted $500 for the trip.
We briefly de-briefed with our tour guides, and then James and I headed off to get ready for dinner.
It was a relaxing first day minus the butt pain. We walked around town to check out the places suggested by the tour guides, but we settled on having dinner at the hotel. The restaurants were overcrowded and being surrounded by chatterboxes was the last thing James and I wanted. Our restaurant was quieter and were able to dine at a table on the balcony.
A good ending to an easy day.