Katy Trail: The Official Plan

Q and I have been discussing biking the Katy Trail for over a year now. Five or so months ago we decided we were officially going to do it this summer. Then we picked the actual dates (May 18-22). We started planning and training and now we are 3 days away.

Three days.

And I am in panic mode, I am not even going to lie.

What am I doing? Why did I think this was a good idea? 

My Bike.

Because. It is a goal of mine. This has been a dream for quite some time. Would I ever truly feel ready and prepared? No, probably not. Am I freaking out about feeling ill prepared for doing such long distances at a time? Yep. 

But, it is an adventure. And I will survive it, even if it isn't perfect. 

Here is our plan, so if you decide to ever bike the entire Katy, you have an idea. Also, props to Q for the plan's title. That is what he named our google document we have been writing information on. 

The Great Katy Trail Adventure
or, How I Destroyed My Legs in 240 Miles 

Pre Day- Drive to Columbia from St. Louis with bikes and supplies to meet up with Patty and the RV. Drive then to Clinton, Missouri and await the adventure to begin. Stay at Cozy Corner RV Park.

Now, since we are RVing and not tent camping, finding a place where the RV can park was a bit more difficult. That sort of dictated our miles each day. 

Day 1 (so first day of biking)- Bike to New Franklin and stay at the Katy Round House. We are starting the trip off with a bang and doing 75 miles. 

Day 2- New Franklin to Jefferson City where we will stay at Binder RV Park. This day is only 45 miles, which will be heaven sent after the killer first day. 

Day 3- Jeff City to Hermann where we will stay at Hermann City Park Campground. Again, we are only doing 45 miles this day. 

Day 4 (The Final Haul) is another whopper of a day with 70 miles. This is Hermann to Machens, which probably means backtracking to St. Charles. 

I know the milage seems wonky, but again we were limited by what places allowed RVing. We will have to just suck it up on those long days and take lots of breaks. And drink lots of water. No getting dehydrated.  

There are tons of amazing cafes and resturaunts along the trail (or so I have been told), but we plan on bringing our own food and picnic-style eating along the way. This means figuring out foods that are easy to travel, don't require much prep, and ideally does not need refrigeration. 

I posted on Facebook requesting food suggestions for when we are traveling and received many awesome ideas, most of which are from Courtney, who is currently hiking the ENTIRE Appalachian Trail on her own. Solo. You can check out her blog here. She has not updated it a whole lot, because shocker, when you are out in the wilderness you do not always have internet connection. However, I stalk her updates and photos whenever she does have a chance to post anything, and you should too. 

Once we for sure know what food we are bringing and the complete list of supplies I will share that as well so people can plan their own trips!