Day 58: I'm On a Boat

Course: Pittsburgh, PA to Uniontown, PA

Distance: 50 miles

Terrain: Hills

Conditions: Low shoulders

Total climbing distance: ~3000 ft.

Max Speed: 42.2 mph

We started out the day with a sponsored Chick-fil-A breakfast. People have been raving about wanting Chick-fil-A for weeks, so the chance to overload on chicken sandwiches for breakfast was a great start. I rode with Jack and Austin. It was sort of our “goodbye” ride for each other since we had ridden together a lot early on. We took it pretty easy despite the many hills; we were just trying to enjoy our surroundings and have fun talking to each other. The ride went well and we finished at a local YMCA.

After everyone arrived and we got our stuff together, we ate lunch and then headed out to go white water rafting. It was set up by a Pi Alpha from last year’s North route that works with the rafting company. I was in a boat with Colin, Austin, Jack, Jeff, and Saurabh. We called ourselves the Trail Blazers since we would always try to take the paths that no one else would. We ended up being the only raft to ace every intense rapid without tipping or sending at least one person overboard. I think I found my new calling. The only bad part about the rafting trip was that a lot of us (including me) didn’t have shoes. When we had to unload the rafts we carried them up a giant gravel path, and it was painstaking to say the least.

The team had dinner at a Uniontown Knights of Columbus facility. They fed us pasta and meatballs – a fan favorite. We played volleyball, horseshoes, and cornhole. Volleyball was a huge hit since we never actually get to play. For some reason volleyballs always show up at our outdoor dinners, but the nets never do. There were just enough guys to do a 6v6 match, and we did a best of 3 tournament. The team that I was on won in the third game. No big deal, it was a tight match. I coached from the court, which was a pretty tough job. I suppose you could say I put the team on my shoulders. This is going to sound ridiculous, but after I made a really bad play I instinctively ripped some grass off of the ground and shoved it in my mouth. I guess it was a self-punishment kind of thing, but I’m still tasting dirt every once in a while. Just a heads up, if you ever feel the urge to put the earth into your mouth, don’t do it.