This post was written by Hatchet Staff Writer Katherine Cunningham.

A group of 66 students, staff, and alumni traveled 24 miles on bikes from the Mount Vernon campus to George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate on Saturday.

The trip, known as the annual Mount Vernon to Mount Vernon bike tour, led the bikers over the Key Bridge, alongside the Potomac River and through Old Town Alexandria. Now in its fourth year, the tour has grown tremendously in comparison to the first year when only seven people partook in the event.

“I greatly enjoyed the bike tour. It was an absolutely beautiful route,” freshman Josh Bochner said. “Coming from Arizona, I really like the outdoors, and this was something that almost reminded me of home. Also, I have never seen in my entire life such a vibrant fall season; this for me was a very different experience.”

The trip began around 10 a.m. and was broken up with two pit stops, where water and energy bars were provided.

Sophomore Cameron Smither said he enjoyed the trail’s character.

“It wasn’t just a boring trail…it had all these twists and turns with boardwalks and it went by the waterfront…through forests…through a city and under a tunnel. I really liked the tunnel.”

Despite a larger group than in recent years, Community Director for Mount Vernon Campus Life Kelly Carder said the trip ran much more smoothly this year because there was a lot less stopping and going throughout the ride.

Dean of Freshmen Fred Siegel, who was mingling among participants before they left the Mount Vernon campus, hopes that the bike tour will become a part of the GW tradition, especially in light of the recent death of Professor George Stephens. Stephens participated each year since it started.

Free tickets to tour the Mount Vernon grounds were given to all of the bikers. Although transportation was provided back, a couple of avid bikers chose to bike back, completing a full 48 miles in one day.

Impressed so much with the tour Bochner added, “I think I might even try the ride back next year.”