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...