Central PA duo bike more than 7,000 miles in 6 months

On any given day between April and this past week, you may have seen Joe Rebar and Carol Walter biking along the Pine Creek Rail Trail. And while the two have a natural love for biking and being outdoors, they set a challenge for themselves.

The two wanted to see if they could bike more than 5,000 miles in a six-month span.

It's a daunting challenge for any biker, let alone for two bikers who are retired and aged 78 (Rebar) and Walter (66).

"We started biking together in 2006. We started to increase the miles starting in 2017," Rebar said. "It is extremely rewarding."

But, this isn't their first rodeo either. In 2022, the two got together to bike and compile miles. That's when they biked 6,234 miles between the Pine Creek Rail Trail and the D&L Trail.

This year, they focused simply on the Pine Creek Rail Trail. The trail goes 63 miles between Jersey Shore and near Wellsboro, ending in Pagomar.

When all was said and done with, the two central Pennsylvania residents -- who reside in Shamokin and Middleburg, respectively -- reached an impressive 7,465 miles when they biked their final day on October 13.

The long, six-month excursion had come to a close, and what a trip it's been for them.

To illustrate just how far the two biked along Wellsboro area's Pine Creek Rail Trail, it would be as if they biked from the East Coast, across the Midwest and central United States to southern California, down across the lower southwest border through Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana, up to Illinois, back east to Virginia, then back north to Pennsylvania.

In other words, they've biked quite a lot these past six months together, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

"Many ask us how do we bike that many miles? I don't have an answer. I tell people it's like a job," Rebar said, noting they get up at 6:30 a.m., leave around 7:30, bike and return by 4 p.m. "I go to bed and do it all again the next day. People say we're amazing. I amaze myself. I'm 77. I really don't know how I do it. A doctor told me I have good genes."

Rebar and Walter became friends years ago when they met on an African safari. From there, the two would hike and bike with one another, sharing interests in the Outdoors.

The Pine Creek Rail Trail is a 62-mile long trail which goes through Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon in the north-central region of the state.

Rebar and Walter have put in a lot of miles over the years since starting together in 2017. That first year they biked 5,466 miles. And then every year since, they've been on the trails biking to accumulate miles. They biked just 2,670 miles due to traveling that summer; 3,765 in 2019; 7,839 in 2020; 5,620 in 2021; 6,722 in 2020 and then 7,465 this past year, the second-most in a single year.

And the two hope to continue it year after year.

"We hope so. It is not only rewarding, but a challenge and good for our health, physically and mentally. What else is rewarding is the many, many friends we've got to meet and know by biking the Pine Creek Rail Trail," Rebar said. "We could do our ride in six hours pedaling. Some days it takes us 7 1/2 hours because we stop and socialize with our many friends. May invite us into their homes and camps and want us to visit."

Both Rebar and Walter are in good shape given how many miles they bike daily during their six-month challenge, but as Rebar joked, it's better than just watching TV.

"I'm sure it's better than sitting around doing nothing and watching TV. We'd rather be outside than being inside," Rebar said. "We both have excellent medical reports."