Hiking the C&O: Day 12 Finish (July 1, 2019)

Arrival into Cumberland, Maryland. The end of the road for me.

End of the C&O towpath and canal.

I was eager to begin the day on July 1, 2019. It was the last day of my hike, and I had 4.5 miles to go. My feet were ready to be done. The walk into Cumberland, Maryland was enjoyable. Had a brief conversation with a woman near the end. I used to live just outside of Cumberland many years ago, just for about a year. There were several familiar sites that were lost in my memory, now brought back to life. The whole time I lived in Cumberland, I never stepped foot on the towpath, which I thought was strange. Anyhow, before I knew it, the towpath and the canal ended, signaling my hike was done. The Potomac River continues to flow out into the western reaches of Maryland, where it begins from a little trickle of a spring. The bike path continues north to Pittsburgh PA I believe.

From the end of the towpath, I hiked a short distance to my hotel room which was already available. After a cleansing shower, I walked a short distance again and bought some pizza and snacks. I stayed holed up in my room the rest of the day, binge watching a show called Fast and Loud.

The next morning, I had another short walk to the Amtrak Station, and took a 3 and a half hour ride back to D.C. I felt great. There I met my mom and my sister and her two kids who were in town visiting from Texas. They had spent the day visiting the new dinosaur exhibit at the Smithsonian. We all took the Metro back to the car and then to home. The trip was over. Logistically, the easiest hike I've ever done...

Hiking the C&O: Day 11 (June 30, 2019)

Low humidity morning

Someone sending positive vibes

Big oak

towpath passing through backyards

Last hiker/biker site of the trip

I slept pretty good after the severe thunderstorms left the area and had positive dreams. I woke up to a beautiful, breezy, sunny, low humidity day. My goal was to only hike 12 miles to the last hiker biker campsite near mile 180. I took it real slow in the morning breaking down camp. Making breakfast, coffee, taking a quick swim in the river. I finally started hiking close to 11:00. My feet were in terrible condition. Blister bad. I hobbled most of the day. The weather was great though, reminded me of a Colorado summer morning.

I crossed paths with a park volunteer near midday. He said he rarely sees backpackers anymore on the C&O. Mostly bikers and day hikers.

I ate lunch in a nice quiet park along the river. I enjoyed the nice farm and mountain scenery once I resumed walking. As I was getting close to my destination for the day, the towpath literally took me through people's backyards. I passed an elderly couple sitting outside, enjoying the summer afternoon. A nice warm breeze rustled through their cottonwood tree. Their neighbors had a nice swimming pool filled with cold blue water. It looked so inviting.

Finally I made it to the campsite. No one else was there. Only 4 more miles and the hike was over. I booked a hotel room in Cumberland for the next night at the Ramada after eating dinner. It was a nice evening, birds chirping, still a nice breeze, and the occasional train passing on the other side of the canal...

Hiking the C&O: Day 10 (June 29, 2019)

Spring with ice cold water

Boardwalk approaching Paw Paw tunnel

Paw Paw tunnel: 3,118 feet long

Comprised of over 6 million bricks!

Hikers passing by

Big sycamore

Crossing another aqueduct

Towpath separates from the Potomac River for a bit

Interesting bend in the canal

First sighting of blooming rhododendron on the hike

Blistered Feet screaming in pain at this point in afternoon. The damage was done. Thankfully, the hike was almost done too.

One of the most peaceful spots I camped, until the storms came.

I woke up on June 29th feeling tired and low energy. Frogs were croaking throughout the night, at times sounded like people talking. It was going to be a hot humid day, perhaps the hottest of the trip. Thank God for the river and the mostly shaded towpath. I took a swim with my clothes on again before starting out which woke me up briefly. Otherwise I fell into a daze during the morning walk. My feet were not doing good, and I had to alter my walking to limit the pain.

Every hike has a unique experience or experiences that sear themselves into the memory bank. On this hike, it was the Paw Paw tunnel. I reached the tunnel just before lunch. There was a spring of ice cold water nearby, the only one that the towpath crossed. It was so hot outside and the water so cold. The contrast was too good to pass up. I collected a bottle full of the water and my bottle immediately frosted up. It tasted delicious. (On the other side of the tunnel I read a sign that said do not drink the spring water in the area. Ooops.) When I reached the tunnel, I did not grasp how long it was. I could see light from the other side. It's 3,118 feet long. I entered the tunnel and savored the cool air inside. The canal was full and to my right. The towpath narrowed and a wooden guardrail separated me from falling into the canal. However, it quickly became extremely difficult to see. It was dark! I didn't bother putting on a headlamp and it was too late to try and find it. I had to trust my feet were landing where they were supposed to and I gently held the guardrail to keep my bearings. Suddenly I heard people approaching from the other side. I whistled a few times to let them know I was approaching, otherwise there was no way to know I was coming. A few minutes later, I finally crossed paths with them after whistling a few more times. One guy warned me of a pothole on the towpath that was 6 to eight inches deep. Thank goodness he told me. I could easily have tripped into it and injured myself. Finally, I reached the other side, and emerged into the light and heat.

I ate some lunch in a nearby park, just outside of the town of Paw Paw West Virginia. I met a woman there who had hiked the AT a few years ago and she asked me if I needed anything. I was good to go, but enjoyed the conversation. There weren't many encounters like this on this hike.

The afternoon hike became a daze again. It was one of the few times I remember not even having the energy to enjoy the plant life. Just zombie walking. My feet were screaming at me to stop. I tried stopping a few times to see if camping was available but nothing felt right. I was caught in between hiker biker sites as well. Finally, just as I had resigned myself to push another 3 miles to the next hiker biker camp, a spot emerged that I just had to take, right by the river. It was so peaceful, nobody nearby as far as I could tell, on the Maryland side as well as the West Virginia side. I set up camp, took a swim, cooked dinner. Watched a raccoon and a deer on the other side of the river. Enjoyed the evening light off the trees, clouds, and river. Watched bats fly above the river, and fireflies emerge from the forest.

Then thunder. Almost a low grade, constant rolling. I was camped right next to the river. Probably a spot that was under water just a few weeks ago. It hadn't really rained heavily in two weeks so the river had been receding daily, plants sprouting in spots where fish once swam. A big problem I had was that I simply did not have a grasp of the behavior of the Potomac River. From my post work day hikes during the school year, I definitely saw firsthand how the river could transform itself into a violent beast after significant rains. Areas where a person could stand one day, the next day would be under several feet of rushing water. I knew camping next to the river felt dangerous and almost foolish, especially if a freak storm arrived. Another problem is that river communities know that from experience, which is why ideal real estate was already developed, and I couldn't just trespass and camp on some person's property.

The thunder increased as I weighed my options. I was so tired and just wanted to crawl into my tent and hope for the best. Years of experience told me that wasn't a wise decision. It was always better to play it safe. I decided to break down camp as the storm approached and moved to higher ground. I knew this was the best decision for a comfortable sleep. I picked a spot a little higher, I was still on the flood plain, but at least I had a few feet in elevation to weigh my options if things really got bad overnight. After pitching the tent in a different location I crawled in just before the storm hit. The next hour I experienced the most lightning and thunder I've ever seen and heard while camping. Inside my tent was like a strobe light, it seemed flashes were every other second. Rain came down heavy, and I was unable to fully drift off to sleep. Thankfully after an hour, the storm began to subside, I felt comfortable enough to fall asleep...

Hiking the C&O: Day 9 (June 28, 2019)

Nice spot for lunch and a swim

Lots of interesting plants growing on rock walls

Had a deep and dream filled sleep. One thing I was grateful for on this hike was peaceful dreams. Often on hikes, my dreams will be very vivid some nights, and can be very bizarre and sometimes disturbing. I don't know if it's common among other hikers, but on the AT, my hiking friend Camo experienced the same thing. It was always a source of entertainment to hear in the morning if anyone had a nightmare.

Had another slow start out of camp. I was back on the towpath around 9:00. My body was feeling pretty good overall, but my feet were becoming really sore at this point, as blisters were forming under the medical tape. The towpath is composed of tiny rocks in most places, and the 20 mile days, along with the constant pebble walking was taking a toll. Also, mosquitoes were really bad in spots again. Since I had no bug spray, I had to resort to wearing my bug netting over my face and my rain jacket on in 85-90 degree heat. Thankfully the towpath is mostly shaded which kept the heat lower. When I could take it no more, I had to take the rain jacket off. Thankfully the bugs came in waves, and I seemed to be able to escape them if I was next to the river.

Mid morning I ran into an interesting site. About 8 male horseback riders with giant flags. I asked them what they were doing. They said they were horseback riding down the C&O and were going to march in the 4th of July parade in D.C. "We're cowboys for TRUMP, and we're marching to support our president..."

I was happy to be hiking in the opposite direction.

After that, the rest of the morning was a daze. I found I real nice spot for lunch, a nice bend in the river surrounded by mountains. Unfortunately, someone on the West Virginia side also knew it was a good spot and pulled up in a camper with his family making all sorts of noise. Before I finished eating the man plugged in his radio and was blasting cheesy 80's rock with reverberated all throughout the river valley. At least the view was nice.

By afternoon, a quick thunderstorm rolled in overhead. No rain, just a few sprinkles and some lightning and thunder. Eventually I made it to the hiker biker campground at mile 149 called Stickpile Hill. I took another bath in the river before cooking dinner. I was the only one there for the night and again enjoyed watching all the fireflies before falling to sleep...