The Unhurried Mile Journal: Joy and Purpose from D.C. to Pittsburgh

Seventy-one years old, seven rides across the familiar trails, still discovering what the journey has to say.

I’ve chronicled my bicycle tours for years, sometimes on blogs, sometimes on social media, sometimes just for myself. Journaling has become as natural a part of the journey as packing my panniers or planning the logistics of the tour. Each journal entry I write tells a story that builds on the prior days and sets the stage for the days to come.

My journaling of a bike tour isn’t about destinations or distances. It’s about the story unfolding on and off the bike: why I ride, what the trail teaches me, and how each mile profoundly connects to where I am in life, much more than just the time on the trail or road.

Telling the Story

I’m also an avid reader of other cyclists’ journals, which appear in every format imaginable, from Facebook posts, Instagram reels, personal blogs, and dedicated cycling platforms like Crazy Guy on a Bike or Cycleblaze. Each bike tourist has their own way of capturing the journey, and every journal adds a unique chapter to the larger story of bicycle touring.

Lately, I’ve chosen Substack as the home for my touring journals. While it’s marketed as a newsletter platform, it’s really a space where writers of all kinds can share stories with any audience. It’s simple, accessible, and ideal for reflective writing.

You’re reading this on my Substack, Tom on the Trails, where I share stories of trails, cycling, connection, and the quiet wisdom the bike has to offer.

Why Bicycle Journals Matter

Journaling is one of the most valuable tools a bicycle tourist can carry. This isn’t about fame or money. There’s no bestseller list for our words. Journals connect us: to people, to places, and to our own experiences. They preserve memories, share stories, and give meaning to life on the road.

Cyclists live fully in the present. A journal captures the day, from the aroma of the outdoors, the satisfaction of overcoming a challenge, the kindness of a stranger with directions, or a granola bar. Later, reading those words brings it all back, reminding you why you set out and how the journey shaped you.

Journaling also builds community. Cyclists read each other’s stories for inspiration or guidance. I’ve always believed it doesn’t make sense to waste a lot of time for no reason. It’s better to learn from those who have ridden the path before so that I can experience it my way, guided by their journals.

Returning to Familiar Miles

Tomorrow, I’ll begin my seventh ride from Washington, D.C., to Pittsburgh, following the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath Trail and the Great Allegheny Passage.

These trails are old friends. I’ve ridden them in heat and cold, in drenching rain, in moments of joy and misery. I always celebrate the times of reflection on the hundreds of miles in the outdoors. I’ve shared the ride with friends many times. I have always found solitude on the long stretches of the trails, particularly on solo credit-card tours such as this tour.

Each journey has its own character. My first tour was a baptism into bicycle touring, shared with a friend, and it ignited my love for touring by bike and these trails. Another year, my journal focused on the people I met along the way. Twice, I cycled for charities raising funds to fund cancer research, rides with a deep purpose.

Sometimes my entries were simple: where I started, where I ended, how many miles I rode. But this time it feels different. At seventy-one, I’m returning to a trail I know by heart but want to see it with new eyes. This tour isn’t about how far, how fast, or how long. It’s about the whys. I want to listen more closely to what the trail has to say to me.

The Style of Journaling

For this tour, I’ll use a prompted template for my daily journal entries, a style familiar to me. I spent time over the past days crafting prompts that make this journal more reflective and meaningful, capturing where I am in life and what my time on the bike truly means.

Prompted journaling works well for bicycle touring. It keeps each entry focused and connected to the day, building naturally on the reflections from the day before. It’s less demanding than the essay-style entries I often write. It still immerses the reader in more than just the miles and cycling stats. It captures the full experience of the journey.

• Spirit of the Day: A thought that captures the day

• The Daily Pulse: One moment or encounter that is the essence of today

• Echo from the Past: What memory from a prior tour resurfaced

• The Trail Taught Me: A lesson or truth revealed today

• Reflection on Life: Feelings on aging, freedom, identity, and discovery

• Bit of Wisdom: Daily insight day for fellow adventurers

This simple structure helps me connect the physical miles with the inner ones, the emotional and spiritual ground I’ve covered along the way.

An Invitation to Ride Along

Over the next week, I’ll be sharing my reflections here on Tom on the Trails. I debated whether to post them, but part of the joy of journaling is the connection, seeing how our experiences resonate with others.

If you’d like to follow along, I welcome you to join me. Leave a comment, share a thought, or tell me about your own “unhurried miles.” I’d love to hear from you.

Even after seven rides on the same trail, I’m still discovering what the journey has to say.

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Author’s Note: There is a quiet peace in moving slowly by bike; in noticing the details we often overlook in the rush of everyday life. There is purpose in paying attention, not just to the miles, but to the people we meet, the lessons we learn, and the moments that leave a lasting mark.

And there is joy in realizing that the journey doesn’t end when the pedals stop. It continues in the pages we write, the memories we revisit, and the wisdom we pass along to others.