Decisions, decisions

We are three days out and still haven’t made a solid decision about how to handle the trail closure between Markletown and Rockwood. https://gaptrail.org/ I must admit—I have a bit of an attitude about how long it has taken for this area to be fixed.  The closure is due to rockslides, and the original projection was to reopen at the end of August or sooner.  Now it seems that the closure is expected to continue through “at least October 1st”.  I am sure some riders ignore the signs and ride through the trail.  "Not I," says the Stringent Rule-Follower.  Most of the time, when a trail is closed, a detour is marked so cyclists can continue riding around the problem area.  The terrain in that area does not permit a detour suitable for all levels of riders (read:  you are in the middle of hills and mountains, on the side of a cliff). The section is approximately 7 miles long, on trail or road.  JB's quick search of GAP sites and Strava reviews has revealed several options:

1.  The GAP site seems happy to offer a shuttle. This is not a free shuttle.  The cost is $20 per person and bike.  The only details are the start/end point and the company(s) providing the ride.  (A peek into the mind of Carla....I am barely comfortable riding in a car driven by JB.  I am picky about riding in a car driven by someone I know well.  I have little to no desire to jump in a vehicle I don't know, driven by a complete stranger, on roads that are not safe enough to send a bike detour through.)  Paying for someone to drive me (and the other 800,000 to 1.4 million annual visitors, according to the above website) seven miles of a bike trip I planned to ride is frustrating.  No wonder they aren't in any hurry to get done.  The trail may not be profitting, but whoever is running the shuttle certainly is!  Which brings us to options 2 and 3...

2.  As I started to spiral into despair, JB came up with a (sarcastic) potential solution.  We could strap our kayaks to our backs for the ride.  When we get to this section, we simply slip them down the side of the mountain, use our bikes as paddles to go upstream to Rockwood.  Honestly, after the mild panic attack at the thought of riding treacherous roads in a jalopy driven by "Joe Blow", this didn't seem too bad.

3.  Break the rules and risk penalty, and maybe death, by riding the trail despite the closure...see above for my opinion about rules.

4.  Ride the roads between the two trailheads.  Look at the top of the blog...that is a picture of the elevation change on the road route.  Two and a half miles of climbing, with the first part ranging from 8-24% gradient.  It would definitely be a bikehike and not a ride.  There are different opinions about the road option, and it is hard to know if the opinion holders are giving unbiased facts or are generally uncomfortable with any road riding.  I am getting more comfortable sharing the road with cars.  And I don't mind walking up a hill.  Pushing a 25-pound bike packed out with an additional 20 pounds of gear might be a different story...

JB insists I'm overthinking.  I am, but that is what I do best.  Fortunately, this all occurs on day 2 (fresher legs), which is a short day (only 45 miles) and right before our check-in at the Bed & Breakfast (Rockwood is the stopping point for day 2).  Stay tuned to see the winning option and how we fared.