Bike/Camping Along Part of the C&O towpath ~ Day 1 of 3

Started at lock 22

Wildflowers everywhere

Aqueduct

Potomac River

Phlox lined C&O towpath

Camp for the night: Chisel Branch

Peaceful, warm evening

 Last summer, while hiking the C&O towpath, I met a young couple on one of my last nights on the trail. They were fellow "trail family" and had hiked several long distance trails around the country and world. When I met them, they were bike touring down the towpath. The guy had mentioned that they threw the trip together on a whim. In fact, there was nothing fancy about their set up. The guy had a beat up little wooden trailer hitched to his beat up mountain bike, with his minimal gear packed into the trailer. It was a "eureka" moment for me. I'd always wanted to attempt some bike touring, but always overthought it, and then eventually gave up on the idea. This couple was proving that you didn't need to overthink it. Just pack up your camping gear onto a bike and go!

Fast for forward to about three weeks ago. Just after daylight savings, I happened to dust off my bike and throw it into my car and took a 30 minute ride down the C&O towpath after work. It was my first time on a bike in a couple years, and my legs could feel it. The following day, I did it again, and then the day after as well. While out there, I remembered the couple, and thought, "I'd like to try some bike/camping." I had a spring break coming up with nothing planned. I had about a week and a half to get ready. In the sprit of the couple that I met last year, I decided not to overthink it. I had a bike. I have camping gear, I just needed some bags to hold it. I bought some panniers from Amazon, and a back rack. I didn't realize I needed a front rack for the front panniers, so I bought one from a local bike shop a day before leaving. After installing the racks, I attached the panniers, threw in my camping gear and was just about ready to go! I was amazed how much space the panniers had. My backpacking gear fit inside the panniers easily with extra space. I bought a couple extra inner tubes and a hand pump in case I got a flat. Threw in a few tools. Bought some food for a few days. I wasn't sure about the water situation along the canal, so I packed about a gallon and a half. My bike was heavy, but ready.

I didn't even test ride before hitting the towpath. The path would be my test. On Wednesday, April 13, I drove to lock 22 on the warmest day of the year so far. Temps were already hitting 80 degrees, and the first buds and leaves were starting to pop on trees. I was nervous. The same way I felt on my first backpacking trip over 20 years ago. Back then I was scared that my back or knees would give out with the weight of the backpack. This time, I was scared that my bike would break or tip over and be completely out of balance from all the weight I was carrying. My back and knees obviously did not give out on the trail 20 years ago, and within 5 minutes I was saying "I love this!" This time, the same thing happened. I pushed off on my bike, took a second to get my balance, and before long, was comfortably cruising down the towpath in the warm breeze, surrounded by wildflowers, looking out over the Potomac River, exclaiming "I love this!"

On day one, I took lots of breaks and didn't go far at all. In fact, I only rode for an hour and a half or so, going 10 miles until I saw an inviting, peaceful camp site, called Chisel Branch. My bike worked wonderfully during that stretch, and I was satisfied with the systems doing their job. I set up camp around 4:30. I explored some of the area around the camp. looking at different plants, and turtles in the canal. Eventually, another bike rider arrived. He had been biking since Cleveland Ohio. After dinner, the sun began to set. It was still warm and comfortable. The forest filled with the sounds of cicadas and frogs, and crickets. It was a great first day.