Testing Paths to the Green Belt

I decided I just needed to go ride both paths to decide which one feels better. So, on September 27 I planned to go for a ride to try the Mt. Carmel route (the lower path), and to turn back once I got to the Green Belt segment. I ended up doing exactly this. But, when I got back to the fork I was still feeling fresh and my nerves actually weren’t too fried from negotiating with the cars! So, I decided to try out the upper path before heading back home. This path descended a lot more after its peak, but the climb back up to the fork wasn’t as grueling as I feared. I also found a cool ring road with a great view of the Allegheny River when I passed the cemetery on the way back up.

The total mileage of the ride ended up being more than the outbound eight miles of the final route 😅, but I’ll just chalk it up to practice.

When I do make the journey up to the breweries, I think I’ll take the Mt. Carmel route. It feels less boulevardy than the upper path, since it passes by a bunch of houses, churhces, and a few businesses. This quality made me feel safer.