Hiking the C&O Towpath 2021: (Day 2) June 18th

Packed up, ready to go

What a relief. First water source up and running.

Great Falls

Canal boat replica

Cormorants

Only sighting of Maryland's only native cactus growing in the wild on a rock wall.

Aqueduct. Canal boats used to cross over these streams on these bridges that were filled with enough water like a bathtub.

Copperhead on the towpath. A reminder of the subtle dangers of hiking along the River.

Camp for the night: Horsepen Ranch at mile 26.1

Slept Ok the night before, not great. Suffered from headaches off and on. Been getting those a lot lately for some reason, a bothersome sign of aging. I've been wondering if all of this backpacking has done a number on my neck and spine. I had some worries about the water situation, but those fears were put to rest when water sources were turned on and running near Great Falls. Noticed an unusual amount of people on the canal and at Great Falls for a Friday morning. I assumed everyone must have been celebrating the end of the school year or something. Later found out at the end of the day that everyone had the day off, Juneteenth had just been declared a National Holiday. 

Somewhat of an uneventful day, just taking in the sites. Thankfully the miles were peeling off without any foot issues whatsoever. I still had a weird aversion to wanting to use the hiker biker camp sites and preferred to stealth camp alone. I had to tell myself that I wanted a different experience this time and that I had to suck it up and use the hiker biker sites. Besides, it would make planning so much easier having an actual destination to shoot for. If I could get comfortable using the hiker biker sites, it would only give me more freedom to choose. I got over my discomfort pretty fast and used the sites the rest of the trip. 

I arrived at Horsepen Ranch at mile 26.1 in the late afternoon. There was a young couple also using the site and a biker who was biking from New York back to his home in North Carolina. After dinner and some conversation, I was feeling pretty exhausted and called it a night. I fell asleep to sounds of owls and frogs...

Hiking The C&O Canal 2021: (Day 1) June 17

Took the Red Line to DC

Supreme Court Building

Capital

Smithsonian Building

African American Museum

White House

WWII Memorial and Lincoln Memorial

WWII Memorial and Washington Monument

On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

Near Vietnam Memorial

Potomac River. Home for the next 12 days.

Looking towards Georgetown and mile 1.

Watergate Hotel

Georgetown

Beginning of the C&O Canal

Green Heron

Heading North

Lunch at Fletcher's Cove

Old Historic Lockhouse

Great Blue Heron

Only saw one of these birds entire hike. He was in the same spot as 2 years ago and I'm assuming its the same bird.

Cicadas were constant companions, although their "day in the sun" was winding down. Lots of carcasses lined the route.

Stealth camp for the night.

 The historic school year of 2020/2021 came to a close on June 16th and it was time to put the hiking backpack back on the following day. It was also time to awaken from the quarantine slumber and begin taking some risks again. I chose to hike the length of the C&O towpath for the second time in 3 years, a 12 day, 185 mile journey along the Potomac River from Georgetown to Cumberland Maryland. Logistically, its so easy, which is a big bonus in my book. Also, I really like the idea of continuing to connect to my home ecosystems. 

I felt better prepared the second time around, and I wanted to make sure I was not just duplicating my trip from 2 years ago. For the most part, I feel like I succeeded, although there were some days that almost felt identical.

Day 1 was one of those days. I was aiming for the same place I camped 2 years ago, because there just aren't many options otherwise. The first hiker/biker campsite was 16 miles north, after hiking through DC after getting off the metro would add another 3 to 4 miles making it a near 20 mile first day. I physically can't to do that. So the spot I aimed for was several miles before that.

My dad gave me a ride to the metro and other than having to buy a new fare card, everything was a cinch. In just under a half hour, I was stepping outside the metro station (I chose China Town this time instead of Union Station to shave off a mile or so) and was walking towards the monuments on a perfect, low humidity summer day. I taped my feet before I left my house and applied sunscreen on the backs of my legs and face which turned out to be a great move. I had zero blisters or foot issues this hike, nor sunburn.

The day unfolded without much fanfare. It was nice walking past the monuments. It was nice walking north on the canal. My body felt pretty good all things considered. I did struggle with some blues by the afternoon. Actually I struggled with the blues, mostly in the late afternoons, almost the entire hike, but I guess it's to be expected hiking solo. I was curious how hard they would hit now that I'm getting older, and I have to say they still hit harder than I expected, but at least now I know. I don't think they will ever go away hiking solo, no matter how old I get.

Found a nice spot along the river to rest in the afternoon. By early evening, I found my campsite. I ate an unappetizing dinner of instant mashed potatoes, and felt pretty congested trying to fall asleep, mostly from day 1 dehydration which almost always happens to me. I fell asleep to the sound of nearby road traffic and the occasional helicopter flying down the Potomac towards DC...

Brood X Cicadas

 A couple weeks ago, the Brood X cicada began emerging out of the ground around here for the first time in 17 years. Its a major natural event around these parts. The cicadas come out in plague like numbers, shed their exoskeletons, climb up into the trees to mate, all the while singing in an alien like tone. Many are deformed, many get smashed under foot, under car wheel, or hunted by birds, animals, and house pets. They hang around for about a month, flying around the trees, landing in people's hair and clothes, bumping into windows and walls. Many love them or hate them. Around the end of the month, the party will be over. The adults will die, the "baby" cicadas will fall from the treetops back into the soil where they will burrow underground never to be seen again until 17 years later. The picture above is what a mature adult looks like after shedding its exoskeleton, and the video is what it sounds like in the forest right now. It's incredible how loud they are at the moment!

Approaching Memorial Day

 Here we are, Memorial Day Weekend 2021. Its been a great spring around these parts this year, with lots of bright sunny days. Unfortunately, my computer suddenly went kaput and I lost all of my photos. These pictures above were from my last couple of hikes in April, that I still had saved on my camera.

The Covid crisis appears to be winding down around here as more and more people (myself included) become vaccinated. Masks have been shed by most hikers on the trails again, and my own confidence in staying healthy increases by the day. What an unbelievable year it has been. With the renewal of spring, and revisiting old hiking trails, it just feels wonderful.

The school year is winding down and I'm contemplating hiking the C@O Canal Trail for a couple weeks again, after school lets out.