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

Trek 7200s

With winter coming to a close, it will soon be time to take the bikes to the local shop for a tune-up, all in hopes of getting into some kind of shape for this June’s Cumberland to Georgetown bike trip.  I’m excited, but I’m also a bit bummed out by the fact that Big Slackwater won’t be finished until later in the summer.  Hey, it only takes a half hour or so to get through the detour, so I’m not about to let it ruin the entire trip.  Maybe I can join a spin class and let somebody a whole lot younger and healthier than me whip me into shape for the ride.  We’ll see.  In the past I’ve found that 200 or so miles of preparation is more than enough to get ready for the three day trip, which is about 195 miles counting the various excursions away from the towpath.  My one piece of advice is to cross over the river and catch a ride home at Reagan International.  Meeting your driver and loading up the bikes in Georgetown can get pretty crazy, and I’m putting that mildly.

There are a number of bikes that are suitable for the trip, and Candee and I both chose the Trek 7200.  It’s a big, heavy hybrid that makes up for its lack of speed by being tough and durable.  In the picture above, the bikes are both relatively new and have the original Bontrager tires.  Since, I have switched to the Specialized Armadillo 700 x 38, while Candee rides a smoother Michelin City tire (700 x 35).  In 2009, we did the trip with a guy who rode a street bike with 700 x 23 road tires.  He didn’t have any problems, but the owner of the bike shop in Hancock thought it was a bit risky.  I’m inclined to agree and think our friend was very lucky!

There are a couple of options for completing the C&O bike trip.  Many riders pack tents and stay and the hiker/biker campsites along the way.  Candee and I split the trip into three relatively equal parts and stay in motels in Hancock (first night) and Harpers Ferry (second night).  After a long day on a bike, a bed tends to feel pretty good.  Besides, the continental breakfast at the Harpers Ferry Comfort Inn gets us off to a good start without stuffing a lot of extra food in the saddle bags.

A typical day on the trail!

I can’t count the number of times that I’ve left the towpath with a brown streak running up the back of my shirt.  After a hard rain, the mud puddles are numerous, and some of them can be pretty deep!  Last year, we encountered a muddy trail and literally dozens of fallen trees after a real humdinger of a storm, and we rolled into Hancock looking much the worse for wear.  That, however, was just the beginning of our problems.

Here’s the thing about mud: it gets onto the chain and into the gears, and the caked-on mess can make pedaling a bike feel like towing an elephant.  Even on a dry day, using a heavy chain oil can cause dust to collect on the moving parts of the bike, thus making the trip a lot more difficult than necessary.  Fortunately, there are a couple of car washes in Hancock, and for a few dollars everything comes out as good as new.  Please be sure to lube the chain after hosing it off–preferably with a wax lubricant.  Let’s just say that we’ve learned from our mistakes.

For a novice biker, like myself, up to sixty to seventy miles in a day on a bicycle can seem like a daunting task, but it’s important to remember one thing.  Getting off to an early start can give you a full ten hours to accomplish the task while still rolling into town in time for a good meal before checking into the motel.  I’m not a math major, but the last time I checked sixty-five divided by ten equals 6.5 miles per hour, and that allows for more than enough time to eat, drink, and soak up plenty of scenery along the way.

This isn’t the first time that we’ve done a website or blog pertaining to the C&O Canal, and somewhere along the way we’ve left several pictures scattered around the internet in near oblivion.  Many of these go back to our earliest days on the canal, and some even help to fill our current void of photos and text pertaining to miles 0-50.  These shots bring back a lot of memories.  In fact, I can remember the day that Candee suggested that we should take up biking as a hobby.  It sounded like a good idea, but our first ride between Williamsport and Fort Frederick in 98 degree heat left me wondering about my sanity.  Imagine what I would have missed!

Lockhouse #8

Over the years we have seen a number of interesting sights and creatures.  I can’t say that either of us have fancy camera equipment, so many of the critters we have seen have escaped posterity in a blur.  However, I do have to brag a little: we’re both experts in turtle photography, and on more than one occasion we have managed to capture an image of a Great Blue Heron posing on a wall.  However, one missed opportunity stands out more than the rest.  We were riding on the Western Maryland Rail Trail just above the Devil’s Eyebrow when a rider sped up to us and stammered, “B…b…b…bear over th…th…th…th…there!”  Candee armed herself with her camera, but the bear was long gone.  So…I’ll leave you with a picture that we did manage to get.

Great Blue Heron

Sometimes it’s great being out on the trail.  You never know what you’re going to see.  Other times the river is the star attraction.  For example, in March of 2010 a heavy rain fell on the Potomac Valley, and it melted what was literally feet of snow in the mountains of western Maryland.  Needless to say, the river became very angry and threatened the towns along its banks and the C&O Canal NHP itself.  We headed out to assess the damage, which fortunately was minimal, but one picture stands out…

Generally, it’s about a 15′ drop from the top of the arch at the Sideling Hill Creek Aqueduct to the creek itself, but that day water filled the entirety of the structure.  It was an impressive sight, as was our first ride into Great Falls.  It’s hard to imagine such a large river near a metropolitan area containing a massive and dangerous set of rapids.  I understand that the view is even more impressive from the Virginia side of the river, but the Maryland side isn’t half-bad either!

Great Falls, near the towpath

I guess you could say that the river offers up something new around every bend, and sometimes the floods deposit a thing or two that catches the eye.  When we first started riding, we spent a lot of time parking the bikes and hiking down to the Potomac to check things out.  I particularly like a picture we took of some driftwood right below the mouth of Sideling Hill Creek.

Driftwood along the river

In 2009 and 2011, we completed through-rides from Cumberland to Georgetown, but back in 2006 one of our more anticipated short trips was from Great Falls to the 0 mile marker.  As it turns out, we didn’t find the marker until several years later, but we were fortunate enough to see the canal boat Georgetown plowing through the water.

The Georgetown

Of course, we had no idea how many rangers and volunteers it took to entertain the people or to keep the park in good shape.  We were both surprised and impressed to see volunteers in period attire leading tourists and locals on a boat excursion on the canal.  Oh…and let’s not forget the hard work of the mules.  Back in the day, the success of the canal depended upon them!

Mule power!

The last couple of times that we rolled into Georgetown, it marked the end of a really long three-day bike ride, but back in ’06 it was only the beginning.  We love the canal from Cumberland to DC, and one picture in particular reminds me of the way many of us feel about the canal, towpath, river, and mules that powered the old canal boats…

Canallers best friend!

I can hardly wait for the warm weather to come back!  It will be great going on more rides, taking pictures, and seeing all of the things we’ve missed before.  When your favorite park is 184.5 miles long, it seems like there is something new around every corner!

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.

It’s such a beautiful day. I found myself looking out the window at work and wishing that I was walking along the canal. I guess it will have to wait until Sunday!

When the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was in operation, employees known as level walkers plugged leaks in the canal, kept beavers and muskrats in check, and generally reported on the condition of the canal, towpath, and all of the structures along the way. Today, only about thirty miles of the canal are watered, so the modern level walker has a different set of duties.

Today’s level walkers are volunteers who are members of the C&O Canal Association. Memberships are $15 per individual or $25 per family or patron. Association benefits include a quarterly newsletter and numerous opportunities to participate in hikes, picnics, boating, biking, etc. Level walking isn’t a necessary activity for association members, as one can join the bike patrol, volunteer at the many visitors centers along the towpath, or simply enjoy any of the activities listed above.

One peculiarity of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP is that it stretches out over a distance of 184.5 miles. Granted, it’s very narrow, but the odd shape and many miles make the park volunteers a great addition to the rangers and maintenance staff.  For more information, visit the C&O Canal Association’s website at www.candocanal.org