MOUNT VERNON — Returning to civilian life after deployment is challenging, and many veterans have difficulty coming to terms with their wartime experiences.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, up to 20% of returning veterans experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many suffer from anxiety and sleeplessness and find it difficult to concentrate.
Research shows a connection between outdoor therapy programs and a person’s mental health and well-being. Warrior Expeditions’ Veterans program links outdoor therapy to treating PTSD and, in the process, eases the transition to civilian life.
Program options include the Warrior Hike, Warrior Bike, and Warrior Paddle.
Since 2020, the Great American Rail Trail has hosted over two dozen riders on the Warrior Bike trip. GART includes the Heart of Ohio, Kokosing Gap, and Mohican Valley trails in Knox County.
Last Wednesday, seven veterans left Washington, D.C., en route to Washington State via GART. Six of them arrived in Mount Vernon on May 19. The seventh took Sunday as a rest day.
All struggle with PTSD.
The riders typically hit the trail between 6 am and 7 am. Their target is 50 miles a day.
“I’ve learned more about bikes than I’ve ever learned in my life.”
U.S. Army veteran Michael koehler
“Fifty is a nice easy pace for everyone,” U.S. Army veteran Allen Megginson explained. “Ten miles per hour allows for a few stops and breaks. That’s a good way to take the trail.”
Megginson rides with his friend Brandon Blankenship, who hails from Weeki Wachee, FL. The two served together as cavalry scouts in Iraq.
“This is our 20th anniversary of being in Baghdad. He’s the one who dragged me on this ride,” Megginson said with a smile.
The cyclists expect to reach Washington State in July. The purpose of the trip is recreational therapy.
“What they found with the data is that after about two months of being outdoors, a therapeutic thing happens in the brain,” Megginson explained. “It’s a good way to reset the brain after PTSD. It’s a good transition after being in the service.”
Therapeutic effect
Megginson joined the Army in 2003 and retired in 2007. He was one of the first in his unit diagnosed with PTSD after returning from Iraq in 2005.
“I fought that battle for a long time,” he said.
Finding minimal relief with conventional therapy, Megginson looked for other solutions. He found outdoor therapy and a partner in Blankenship.
“We’ve done two trips every year for the last nine years. What we found is that every six months or so we need to get outdoors. The thought of doing this for three months — I can’t wait,” Megginson said.
Megginson said the outdoor aspect of the ride is good, but the prolonged aspect brings it home.
“For me, it’s all about finding peace and the next chapter in my life,” he said.
“It’s a big confidence builder to come out and knock out the miles,” Blankenship agreed.
For Suzy Williamson, the ride helps her calm down and look at nature. Serving in Army logistics from 1987 to 2014 — seven years active and the rest with the New Jersey National Guard — Williamson deployed to Saudi Arabia and Iraq.Â
“I have always been high-pressured,” the retired teacher said. “I love being on the trail. Sunny days make me happy. It feels so good to just look around.”
Her therapy on Saturday was a random roaming pig and goat. However, she is tired and “can’t get a grip on sleep.”
None of the veterans knew each other before starting the ride. Each applied online and was randomly selected.
Alabama resident Callie Leaver jokingly referred to it as “an arranged marriage.”
“But at the end of the day, we understand. We have that instant connection like brothers in arms often do,” she said.
Leaver served in the Army from 1987-2022. She deployed to Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a member of the military police.
An unexpected email
None of the veterans logged long distances before undertaking the GART ride.
Army engineer Michael Kohler of Josephine, Texas, had a top distance of 47 miles. Blankenship comes at 50, and Wirth had ridden 110 at a stretch.
“The most I have done is 105 miles at one time,” Williamson said. “My body’s good; I just need to sleep.”
“My longest was 69, and that was today (Sunday),” Megginson said.
Leaver started riding in November 2022 and had several weekend rides of 20.
“Then you have this irrational thought ‘let me apply for that,'” she said of learning about the GART ride. “Then I got this email …”
Megginson had a similar experience, noting his reaction when Blankenship told him about the Warrior Bike was that “it sounds fun.”
“And then I got an email on Christmas Morning, and thought, ‘oh, .…” he said.
Megginson and Koehler said friends and family were enthusiastic when they learned they planned to ride from D.C. to Washington State. But that’s because they thought they were riding motorcycles.
“There’s no e-bikes,” Williamson said. “It’s sheer leg power.
Challenges
When they reached Mount Vernon, the group had put 569 miles on their tires since their May 8 start. Blankenship had bike issues, and Williamson broke a chain. Otherwise, the weather is their nemesis thus far.
“I’d say 60 percent have been rain days,” said infantryman John Wirth.
The 21-year veteran served in Afghanistan and Iraq and left the Army in 2022.
“I’m tired all the time, and I’m hungry all the time,” Megginson said. “That sums up the trip for me so far.”
“We burn a lot of calories every minute. I am starving,” Blankenship said as he downed a pizza in Mount Vernon’s Comfort Inn lounge.
“Although I’m tired and hungry, I feel very free on a bike,” Leaver said. “It reminds me of being a child before I knew all I know now [about life and the service.] To get back to that place every day on the bike over and over again, I am finding a release.
“And people are good,” she added. “Our interactions have been nothing but pleasant.”
“You pass them and they’re happy because they are in nature,” Williamson agreed.
Trip highlights
The group stayed in Orrville last Saturday night. Sunday morning, they headed out through Amish country.
“It was foggy. You could hear every little noise, including the horses’ hooves,” Leaver said. “It was pristine and beautiful.
“It was what John calls a ‘serening out’ moment.”
Leaver said she was surprised the Amish folk were so friendly and always waving.
Koehler, who served from 1995-2015 and deployed to Afghanistan, said he did not realize there were so many Amish people in such a small area.
Wirth’s favorite part of the trip so far was Pittsburgh. He linked up with a resident who gave him a city tour.
“I got to see the sights, meet the people, and went to a bike museum,” he said. “It was awesome learning about its community. It was industrial, but it has its own beauty.”
Weirton, WV, was Blankenship’s highlight.
“We called for police escort because a bridge we were supposed to take was closed,” he explained. “They sent two cars, one in front and one in the back, and they had their sirens on. They stopped traffic so we could cross.
“That was a dangerous spot,” he added.
“We never realized how hilly Ohio was,” Wirth said. “Then we got to Steubenville and started climbing.”
He said rails-to-trails routes typically have a 3% to 4% grade.
“And we’re on heavy bikes,” Williamson added. “That’s a whole different animal.”
Warrior Expeditions equips riders with everything they need, including tents and sleeping bags. The bikes weigh about 110 pounds loaded.
“I’ve learned more about bikes than I ever learned in my life,” Koehler said with a grin.
“Long story short, every day has produced something that is memorable,” Wirth said.
That “something memorable” includes a bird pecking the back of Wirth’s head.
Individual journeys
All six riders agreed they were thankful for the opportunity to participate in the GART ride.
“The rails to trails program as a whole is an amazing thing for people to participate in,” Leaver said. “Whether you’re walking, biking or on an e-bike, it’s a good way to get out for everybody to heal. To have these trails connected is a good thing.”
Megginson reiterated the benefits of being outdoors for overall health in general.Â
“They wouldn’t be sending us out if it didn’t have an advantage,” he said. “Walking running, biking — it’s something everyone should participate in to keep their minds clear and their bodies healthy.”
Ohio is the group’s fifth state; they have seven more to traverse before the ride ends. They traveled as a group through Mount Vernon except for Air Force veteran KP Haueter.
The Green Ridge, Missouri, navigator took Sunday as a rest day. He served from 1983 to 2007, with deployments to Saudi Arabia.
After Mount Vernon, Wirth plans to log about 80 miles daily rather than the target 50. He looks forward to reaching Omaha, Nebraska, the halfway point in the ride. There, physical therapists will soothe the riders’ aching muscles, and mechanics will overhaul their bikes.
“The Warrior Expedition has provided us with the tool and the path to find a new path to heal,” Wirth said. “Then as we go on our own individual journey, we’ll figure it out.”
Update
After leaving Mount Vernon on May 20, the veterans split into three groups but are still within days of each other. Here are their last reported locations:
•Wirth, 692 miles, Miamisburg, as of 5/21
•Koehler, 692 miles, Miamisburg, as of 5/22
•Williamson, Haueter, Megginson, Blankenship, and Leaver, 645 miles, London, as of 5/22
This puts Wirth about one day ahead of expected arrival. Koehler is right on time, and the rest of the group is about a day behind. Ride officials expect that gap to grow as they continue their journey.