by Kawbena McGaneyOsei,
Senior Patrol Leader
June 29th, 2018; The beginning of our terrifying yet thrilling adventure. Today is the day that Troop 1959 from Fort Washington, MD would embark on a 90-mile bike ride to Whiteford, MD. A trip that is only 5 miles from the border of Pennsylvania, a total of 10 hours, spread across 3 days. A year ago, Troop 1959 attended Goshen Summer Camp, where we came across another troop who had biked to California and back. Immediately my Scoutmaster envisioned the same for us. From the birth of the idea to days beforehand, Troop 1959 had been training. Once a month we would gear up and prep ourselves for a ride. We would practice 5 miles here, 10 miles there, eventually all leading up to our 50 mile finale. We also needed to make sure our diets were ready. We switched the chips and soda for fresh fruit and water. All the prep would make it worth it in the end.
The first day, our ride was enjoyable! We were able to keep up a reasonable pace and distance. Day two was a different story, the heat and hills were almost unbearable. Our strength, and endurance was definitely tested. Day two was without a doubt the hardest leg of the trip. The final day wasn’t a breeze, but nothing compared to the dreaded day before. Luckily this day gave us downward hills and cooler temperatures. One of my favorite parts of this trip was the hotel nights, after a long day of biking. We were able to make a lot of memories and bond with one another. The trip allowed me to discover my strengths and weaknesses, it gave me a roadmap for how to do even better on our next adventure! I never thought I would do this in a million years. I’m sure a lot of us, didn’t think we would make it (especially on day two). But with every pedal we believed in ourselves! Plus, a great 80s playlist for motivation is a big help!
