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Jim Kenney

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C & O Canal Towpath Bike Trip, August 2019

Introduction

I took a solo biking/camping trip along the crushed stone towpath of the C & O (Chesapeake and Ohio) Canal National Historical Park in early August 2019. The canal and towpath parallel the Potomac River for 185 miles bordering on the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. Traveling light with only a medium size backpack and a small tent, I spent three nights and days on the towpath riding from my home near Washington, DC to Cumberland, MD. After completing the full length of the towpath I boarded an Amtrak train in Cumberland and enjoyed a three hour return ride home.

Starting out, photo by Jim Kenney
canal jim start.jpg


My ride didn't begin exactly at the towpath's starting point in the Georgetown section of Washington, but the distance from my home to an intersection with mile marker 4 of the towpath is just about four miles. I think that qualifies for completing the entire route:) It was amazing on this trip how the distractions of modern life lost importance and all my focus quickly turned to basic survival! I planned to ride the full one-way 185 mile towpath in three days. My timetable was fixed because I bought an advance-purchase ticket ($28 for me and $20 for my bike) to catch a 9:30 AM train home to Washington, DC from Cumberland on the fourth morning.
This would be an unprecedented amount of cycling on three consecutive days for me. Could my 65 year old body handle an average of 60+ miles per day riding a slow hybrid bike on the frequently bumpy, and dusty towpath? I ride at about 10 miles an hour and with lunch stops and several short rest breaks, that meant 7-8 hours per day on the move.

The C & O Canal towpath near Great Falls, mile 15, photo by Jim Kenney

canal trail near great falls.jpg


Besides my anxiety about all the saddle time, I'm not the most savvy primitive tent camper and I was a bit apprehensive about the weather, particularly the potential for heavy summer rains which could make for messy gear, soggy days and nights, and extra laborious conditions on the crushed stone surface of the towpath.

Day One

At 7 AM on Tuesday, August 6th I left my house in Northern Virginia. It was a hot and humid day with temps eventually topping 90 degrees. I saw a couple of blue herons near Great Falls around mile 15 and there are always countless turtles sunning themselves on logs along the canal in summer. I packed very little food because there are places to buy it every 10-15 miles along the towpath. However, for the first morning I brought a bagel and an apple and ate them for lunch at White's Ferry, mile 36.

Heron on a log, photo by Jim Kenney
canal blue heron.jpg


Although about 80% of the towpath is nicely shaded because of copious trees along the route, the heat and humidity still made the first day very taxing. I took a cooling swim in the Potomac River at around mile 60. I had an early hamburger dinner at Almost Heaven Pub in nearby Harper's Ferry, WV. It was only a half-mile off the towpath across a scenic old bridge.

The lower town of Harpers Ferry, photo by Jim Kenney
canal almost heaven pub HF WV.jpg


The towpath has primitive campsites every five or ten miles that are free for hiker-bikers. They are usually located between the approximately hundred yard span of ground that often separates the canal from the Potomac River. There are also larger for-a-fee campgrounds located less frequently on the towpath, but I stuck to the primitive sites and always camped by myself. Typically the primitive, free sites are equipped only with one picnic table, a porta potty, and an old fashioned water pump (treated with iodine for bacteria).

This is an example of the type of boats that plied the canal back in the 1800s, photo by Jim Kenney
canal boat .jpg


I slept that first night at Huckleberry Hill campsite at mile 62.9. There was one other tent already there, but I never saw any occupants. I suspected they might have pitched it, then ditched it to stay in a motel in nearby Harper's Ferry instead? I set up my $25 Walmart dome tent (purchased two days before the trip) at around 5 PM. I took another swim in the river at 6 PM because I was still very hot and sweaty.

The bridge over the Potomac River to Harpers Ferry; the towpath is at the far end near river's edge, the town is out of view at near end, photo by Jim Kenney
canal bridge into HF.jpg



I got in the tent at 7 PM and blew-up my $3 Walmart plastic air mattress. 15 minutes later a tremendous thunderstorm passed right over head. There was lightening crackling all around me for an hour. The rain gradually diminished and stopped at about midnight. The cheapie tent kept me wonderfully dry. Whoever invented the rain fly has my sincere appreciation!

Day Two

My smart phone said there was a 70% chance of showers staring at noon on Wednesday with as much as half an inch of rain possible. This gave me an uncomfortable sense of urgency and after a fitful four or five hours of sleep I was up and packing my tent by 6 AM. I ate prunes, peanuts and a granola bar for breakfast and started riding at 7 AM.

Wednesday turned out to be an excellent riding day. It was mostly cloudy, but with no rain. High temps were in the low 80s. I would encounter other hikers or bikers only about once per mile. Interestingly, on this type of longer biker-camper trip I was even more sensitive to weather than on my ski trips. My worst fear was having to endure an hours-long rain storm on a muddy towpath and then setting up a tent in the rain and sleeping in wet gear. The "towpath" is named after the mules that were roped to barges and tasked to haul them along the canal. I had visions of making my own long haul as a soaking wet beast of burden.

I stopped briefly to examine historic Dam 4 at the 84 mile marker. It was built in 1856 and is still going strong. It creates a back-up of the Potomac River called Big Slackwater that extends ten miles or more. Along this stretch of the river there are many sections of the towpath that consist of an elevated concrete walkway with not much of a barrier on the riverside of the path. These sections require concentration, because if you lose control of your bike on the occasionally uneven surface you can easily plunge ten feet into the river.

Dam 4 on the Potomac River, I was moving up-river my entire trip, photo by Jim Kenney
canal dam 4 1856.jpg


On day two I had a nice Reuben sandwich for lunch at the Desert Rose Cafe in Williamsport, MD. It was about 2/3rds of a mile off the towpath, near mile 99. The asphalt Western Maryland Rail-Trail begins at approximately mile 114 and closely parallels the towpath for about 25 miles. I hopped on it and enjoyed the smooth surface for the last ten miles in to Hancock, MD. There I had an egg omelet for an early dinner at a truck stop 200 yards from the rail-trail and towpath.

Conococheague Creek Aqueduct near Williamsport and mile 100. There are several aqueducts on the canal, but this was the only one I saw filled with water and functioning as it would in the old days permitting a boat to pass over a creek flowing under the canal, photo by Jim Kenney
canal aquaduct at williamsport.jpg


I concluded riding for the day at a good campsite along the towpath called White Rock at mile 126. I had a nice, long soak beside the campsite in a shallow part of the Potomac where there was a clear, pebbly river bed and mild current. I went into the tent at 7 PM and didn't come out until 7 AM. I think I got about nine hours of sleep during those 12 hours facilitated by a twilight lullaby from a thousand crickets.

White Rock campsite, photo by Jim Kenney
canal white rock campsite.jpg


Day Three

The forecast for Thursday was for no rain, so I was feeling good that I had gotten over the "hump day" of the trip. I ate peanuts, prunes and a granola bar again for breakfast and got a leisurely start to my riding at 9 AM. This morning I stuck to the towpath for a ten mile section where it parallels the western end of the rail-trail. This was around miles 126 to 136 in an area where the towpath is slightly neglected and/or underutilized. It's reduced to two tire tracks with tall grass growing in between. A deer jumped across the trail here just 30 feet in front of me. He was as startled by me as I was by him. I didn't have enough reaction time to stop pedaling, but the deer was quick and we avoided a collision.

Inside Bill's Place, mile 140, photo by Jim Kenney
canal inside bill's place.jpg


After 14 miles I stopped at Bill's Place (bar/restaurant/general store) for an early lunch at mile 140. I was in luck. A motorcycle rally was forming that day at Bill's and a local men's group was selling fresh BBQ meat sandwiches just outside the door. I had pork and coleslaw and it was the best food of the entire trip. The interior of Bill's Place was a sight to see. It had thousands of dollar bills stuck to the ceiling and reminded me of the Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville, UT.

In the early afternoon I stopped for water at the pretty Stickpile Hill campsite along the towpath at mile 149. The old fashioned water pumps at all primitive towpath campsites are treated with iodine in the summer for potability. There was a friendly biker - camper riding all the way from Pittsburgh to DC who was resting at Stickpile Hill. He told me the pump there put out the strongest iodine-tinged water he'd tasted on the entire towpath. I agreed. Then he wanted to bum a cigarette from me. He was trying to quit and going through withdrawal. I couldn't help him with that, but as I got back on my bike I complimented him for the throwback Roberto Clemente jersey he was wearing.

Entrance to Paw Paw tunnel, photo by Jim Kenney
canal paw paw tunnel entrance.jpg


One of the highlights of the towpath is passing through 3100' Paw Paw tunnel at mile 155. It was a fun change of pace and I enjoyed the cool temps of the interior. The tunnel does not have lights and is very dark in the center. You either have to use a flashlight or walk your bike in darkness along the 5' wide path. The tunnel opened in 1850 and was built for the then princely sum of $600,000. It was still used by canal boats as late as 1924.

Inside Paw Paw tunnel, this is how I rode through the darkest section, photo by Jim Kenney
canal inside paw paw tunnel.jpg


The towpath can be quite bumpy and peppered with mud puddles at times. At mile 177 I had a minor crash when I came upon a 25' puddle. I tried to glide through it, but the bike slid out from under me in a couple inches of mud and crashed into the bushes on the side of the path. I was able to jump off and land on my feet, but my knee was slightly bruised when it banged against the handle bar. Fortunately there was no serious damage to me or the bike because it all happened at a pretty slow speed.

Rounding the final bend to Cumberland, MD, photo by Jim Kenney
canal end of towpath at cumberland.jpg


When you attempt a challenging solo effort like this it can be interesting to find out the variety of things that motivate you. I did a lot of praying, for no rain (!), for family members, special intentions, old coworkers, all sorts of acquaintances and friends in my life, including my ski buddies here at PugSki :-o Over the last ten miles I was quite fatigued, but the skies darkened and I got a shot of motivational adrenaline to try to beat any impending storm.

The rain never came and when I rounded the final bend in the towpath the sight of downtown Cumberland gave me a beautiful feeling of accomplishment. It's somewhat ironic that use of the canal for commercial transportation ended a hundred years ago, but the towpath trod by lowly mules to haul the canal boats has endured as a treasured right of way for hikers and bikers. Wikipedia estimates that the C & O Canal National Historical Park receives about four million visitors per year.

Conclusion

On the third night I camped for $12 on the lawn beside the Cumberland YMCA. This fee included use of the Y's facilities and I took advantage of the shower room and swimming pool. I ate a celebratory cheesesteak sub at a Sheetz of all places (because it was the closest available food) and then called it a day. Unfortunately the YMCA is adjacent to a major railroad line and Interstate 68. It was a noisy night and I was lucky to get four or five hours of sleep.

End of the line in downtown Cumberland, photo by Jim Kenney
canal dowtown cumberland.jpg


Friday morning I caught the Amtrak Capitol Limited train at the Cumberland station. It cost $48 for me and my bike, which I thought was reasonable. Considering it starts in Chicago, I was grateful it was only 45 minutes late. I enjoyed the train ride home and it was fun to cover in three hours much of the same route I had just spent three days pedaling. I felt a little guilty asking my wife to pick me up at Washington's Union station to take me the last ten miles to my house, but I was glad for her assistance.

I camped in this grassy area in front of the Cumberland YMCA, all my gear is in the foreground, photo by Jim Kenney

canal ymca bike tent backpack.jpg


This trip was less of a joyous commune with nature and more of a masochistic test of endurance. My fun meter was pegged each day at about 40 miles, so the last two hours of riding to reach 60 miles each day was downright grueling. I was compelled to keep my nose to the grindstone to maintain even mileage over the three days. In my attempt to travel lightly I neglected proper preparation and made a big mistake by using a backpack as my primary method to carry all my gear. My nether regions where VERY sore by the end of the trip. I never weighed the pack, but it was probably around 15-20 pounds and that extra weight made every bump on the towpath hurt just that much more. Next time the use of some sort of bike panniers would be a must!

Amtrak station in Cumberland, MD, photo by Jim Kenney
canal amtrak station.jpg

View of Harpers Ferry from the Capitol Limited train, photo by Jim Kenney
canal view of HF from train.jpg


I had to be glad at how everything worked out on this trip, including the generally very cooperative weather. I'm sure the trip would have been a lot more fun with a companion or two, but to be honest I wasn't sure I could make it and half expected to call my wife at some point to come rescue me. Next time I'd reduce the daily mileage, stop more often to smell the roses, and maybe even consider sharing motel rooms for a better night's sleep. Happy trails to you!
 
Last edited:

Tony

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Sounds like a great trip that would have been more fun if you'd taken an extra day. Or would it have been easier to ride train uphill and bike downhill and not have to stress on making train?

The campsite my wife and I have stayed at New Brighton State Beach, CA three times in the last year is across from bike campsite where waves are usually much louder than nearby roads. The guy staying there Sunday night that I talked to was riding from San Francisco to San Diego via CA-1 and Big Sur. He and his buddy had taken two days to ride the 84 miles from SF. It seems like people staying in bike campsite usually go to bed early and don't get up that early. You definitely want to do CA coast from N to S to take advantage of prevailing winds.
 

Rudi Riet

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James

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Very cool!
Maybe a small headlamp next time? They weigh almost nothing.

7AE19E29-7016-4EF2-9806-D11AB98F0A18.jpeg
 

Rudi Riet

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Very cool!
Maybe a small headlamp next time? They weigh almost nothing.

Or just a basic LED bicycle headlight. I used a CygoLite unit on the 2013 trip (we needed it after the sun went down), and it didn't weigh much at all - and boy, did it illuminate the Paw Paw tunnel!
 

James

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Is there a mural about John Brown at Harpers Ferry?
 
Thread Starter
TS
Jim Kenney

Jim Kenney

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Or just a basic LED bicycle headlight. I used a CygoLite unit on the 2013 trip (we needed it after the sun went down), and it didn't weigh much at all - and boy, did it illuminate the Paw Paw tunnel!
Rudi's epic through-ride of the entire 185 mile towpath is an insane accomplishment!

Is there a mural about John Brown at Harpers Ferry?
I don't know too much about Harper's Ferry. There is a John Brown wax museum there.
 

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