C&O Canal Adventures Walking, riding, and cleaning up the C&O Canal

Just the beginning

On first glance, it appears that we were off filming Belle the Wonder Beagle vs. The Giant Blob, but the fact is that the grass that hid much of the garbage on the Potomac River floodplain for the past nine months is dormant for the winter.  As a result, lots of ugly trash has become visible between the towpath and the river.  I don’t recall seeing a kitchen sink on the bank, but we saw just about everything else, including tires, basketballs, and propane cylinders.

During the warm season, we have an antagonist nicknamed MRE Man who scatters meal packets throughout our volunteer area.  We have no idea who he is, but we can’t blame him or anybody else for the garbage located on the river side of the towpath.  The fact is that the mighty Potomac picks up large amounts of human and natural debris during floods and deposits it along the river bank.

Just below Little Orleans the river makes a long, sweeping right hand turn, and between mile markers 140 and 141 we have a natural trash depository.  The winter months are the best time to take care of the mess because snakes and other animals aren’t hidden in the long grass waiting for unsuspecting volunteers.  Okay, I’m being a bit dramatic, but cleaning up the park and safety should go hand-in-hand.  I’m guessing that we’re about halfway done with our winter cleanup, and we’re hoping that our new friend Belle stops by to keep us company again soon.

Thanks Steve! We love our hats!

This morning we attended the C&O Association Fall Bird Walk led by Maryland Ornithological Society member Kurt Schwarz.  Not only were we able to  take part in this great activity, but we finally had the opportunity to meet Steve Dean, C&O Level Walker Chairman and Second VP.  Steve presented us each with  C&O NPS volunteer hat and pin, and thanked us for a job well done.  It’s nice to be thanked for something that we love to do!   Steve is always on the look out for new Level Walkers, so please contact him if you’re interested in helping out.