Hiking the C&O Towpath 2021 ~ (Day 13, end of trail) June 29th

Last 5 miles heading towards Cumberland

Breakfast spot while waiting for hotel room

Cumberland Gap

185 miles later

end (or beginning) of the C&O Canal

waiting for the Amtrak to go home and my hotel in the background

 Hot and muggy last night on the towpath. Woke up, broke down my tent, packed up and said goodbye to the biking/hiking couple I met the night before. Hot, groggy 5 mile hike into Cumberland. My hotel room would not be ready till noon, so I spent an hour and a half in the shade right before town eating breakfast. Reached the end of the canal, took a quick picture, and b-lined for the Ramada. Had to be at least 90 degrees. Thankfully, my room was ready when I arrived. Took a shower immediately and had sores all over my body. It was kind of alarming to be honest. East coast hiking always leaves me a bit destroyed. I don't know what kind of bug bites I had, but I had large welts with a single blister all over, very itchy. Terrible chaffing. If I was on a longer thru hike, I probably would have had to take several zero days to recover. Thankfully the hike was over, so I could keep the sores clean once I got home. 

Bought a pizza at dominos, some deodorant and snacks for the train ride home the next day, and holed myself in the hotel room for the rest of the day. Watched a marathon of Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel and then watched the movie Cast Away in the evening. Next morning, caught the Amtrak back to DC and took the metro back home where my mom picked me up. Another hike in the books...

Hiking the C&O Towpath 2021 ~ (Day 12) June 28

old grave right next to canal 

big oak

 Day 12 was my last full day on the towpath. My goal was to hike 12 miles to Evitts hiker/biker site at mile 180, the last campsite before the end of the C&O canal. It was hot as hell overnight. I woke up in the middle of the night to piss, and the fireflies in the field at camp were out of this world. I had never seen anything like it, just magical. When I woke up, it was obvious it was going to be another hot, hot day. I packed up and began looking for a place to eat breakfast and have coffee. The towpath veered far away from the river which didn't help my mood. The river is like a lifeline, it keeps me cool, calm, and clean. Eventually I had to give up on the idea of a river spot for breakfast and had to settle for a picnic bench near Oldtown. Around lunchtime, I began searching for a way to the river as it was always just out of reach, or no good path led to it. I found a small deer trail and had a heinous bushwhack to the river, filled with thorns, vines, and stinging nettles. Eventually, I made it to the river and it was a nice little alcove with a deep pool, perfect for a dip with little current. I stayed there for a couple of hours, as I didn't have far to go. After that, I had another frustrating bushwhack back to the towpath.

The closer I got to Cumberland, the closer civilization revealed itself. Eventually I was literally walking through people's backyards although still technically on the towpath. Storm clouds began to gather and thunder followed me along the way. Eventually I reached mile 180 and the last hiker/biker site. A homeless man was also camped there, but I decided to take my chances. Eventually, another couple arrived who were biking south. They were fellow long distance hikers who were trying out bike touring. It was great to share trail stories over dinner. Eventually, a full blown thunderstorm arrived and we had to retreat to our tents for the night. I fell asleep to the sounds of trains from the railyard close by. I also made reservations for a hotel room in Cumberland where I would finish my hike the following day.

Hiking the C&O Towpath 2021 ~ (Day 11) June 27

ridge trail detour

river glass

Camp for the night

Slept pretty good all things considered in my stealth location, although it was a bit of a loud night. There were a couple birds chirping all night long, not sure what kind they were. Woke up to a warm dry morning with a nice breeze. Once I hiked off the knob I was camping on, the breeze died down and it was clear it was going to be a hot, hot day. I was looking for a nice spot to eat breakfast and coffee but didn't find one until 5 miles later. In fact it was the first 5 miles of trail where I really felt like I was in a daze, zombie walking. The breakfast spot was worth it though. I found a nice side trail, hardly used, that led to the nicest little shady beach spot with a deep, no current pool. I jumped in immediately and felt immediately better. Made breakfast, coffee, and practiced my fiddle. An occasional train passed along the opposite bank, but the spot felt completely private. It was probably the most enjoyable hour and a half of the whole hike. Took another dip before hitting the towpath again. After feeling reborn, the heat dried my clothes pretty quickly and I was developing a bad case of chaffing due to hiking in wet shorts.

By late afternoon, the towpath was approaching the paw paw tunnel, one of the most interesting experiences of the whole hike. However, there were detour signs saying that the tunnel was closed due to dangerous potential rockfall. I was disappointed not to be able to see the tunnel, and wondered what the bikers were doing. (Turns out the bikers used the tunnel anyways because the detour is WAY WAY to steep to take a touring bike over.) Since this was a new hike, I decided to take the detour recommended, called the ridge trail. It kicked my ass, was very steep, and added another two miles to my day, but I was glad I took it. It had nice mountain views and I was happy to see new trail.

I was so hot by the time I hiked over the mountain, once I got to the other side I had to jump in the river again. It was another few miles before I reached the hiker/biker site I was aiming for. It was a nice spacious spot, there was a group of three bikers that were already there. I found a nice quiet spot on the lawn and pitched my tent. The mosquitos came out in full force for the first time here. I was sweating while eating dinner and writing in my journal, and fell asleep a short while later.

Hiking the C&O Towpath 2021 ~ (Day 10) June 26

Round Top Cement Mill

Breakfast spot along Potomac River

Big ol Sycamore

Another aqueduct held together by braces

Stealth camp for the night on a nice dry knob well above the river

 Had dreams the night before of all my teeth falling out and chewing them. Packed up and was hiking by 7:30. It was clear it was going to be a hot, humid day, the air thick and stagnant. The water pumps for the next ten miles had been turned off unexpectedly, but thankfully some bikers gave me the heads up so I could plan accordingly. There was a huge cave to my right, just off the canal that I totally missed that I saw two years ago. Its crazy how sometimes you can be totally in your own head while hiking and completely miss something as obvious as that. Saw several deer, rabbits, and a bald eagle in the morning. Had a nice lunch break along the river, watched several kayakers drift and paddle down. Took a nice refreshing dip afterwards. The river looked really beautiful all afternoon, probably the nicest river spots along the whole path. The water looked cleanest during this stretch too. Many people floating down the river in rafts and innertubes in the afternoon, listening to sad pop country music. Got stung on my knee by a bee while bushwhacking to the river looking for a break spot. First time I've been stung by a bee in years, so I didn't know what to expect. Sting lasted quite a bit while my knee developed a red rash. Wet wipes definitely helped as the sting treatment in my first aid kit was too old and dried up. Will have to restock the first aid kit before next trip. 

I reached the hiker/biker site where I hoped to camp around 6:30 but a family had taken up the entire site with their tents and a couple of bikers had already grabbed the last available real estate. No big deal for me, it just meant I was going to have to find a quiet stealth spot. I filled up my water bottles at the pump and backtracked a quarter of a mile until I saw a nice knob on the canal side. It was technically part of the green ridge state forest. The knob was perfect, as there was a nice flat spot on top. Nice mountainous views with glimpses of the Potomac River below as well. A full moon rose over the mountains right after sunset...