Is That a Light Up Ahead ?
Tunnel vision can be a side effect of the ride , whether it ’ s through the spooky darkness of an actual train tunnel like the Big Savage , or within a tunnel of trees . It ’ s been nearly 50 years since this corridor was a working train line and the trees have grown to within a few feet of the path . Sometimes , the tunnel of green , orange , red , and yellow leaves lent a hypnotic vibe to the day ’ s ride . Occasionally , we ’ d burst out onto a bridge or viaduct and the panoramic view was a welcomed distraction !
A Rainy Welcome
Rain is inevitable , and it held off for the first two weeks of our ride . So , when it came , it did so with a vengeance ! Even with our rain gear , within 30 minutes , we were soaked to the bone . Our choices were to set up camp and get dry , or see if we could find a night ’ s lodging in the closest town along the C & O Canal Towpath . Shepardstown , WV looked promising and was only 10 miles away so we pressed on dreaming of a hot bowl of soup at a local diner . Finding downtown was easy , finding a place to shed our wet layers and dry out was not as simple . How do we walk into a restaurant and ask for both a table for two ... and a towel ? The sign for the welcome center caught our eye . “ Let ’ s see just how welcoming they really are !” Shari said . True to form , they allowed us to drip into their public bathrooms shivering and dirty . Just follow the wet , muddy footprints !
The Push that Nearly Did Us In
Cyclists along the C & O trail talked , moaned , and complained about the bypass trail up and over the closed Paw Paw tunnel . We agree , it was a bit of a push up steep single track , but felt infinitely easier than the push up to Ohiopyle State Park from the GAP trail . This trail rises at such a steep grade over a rutted gravel path that riding your bike is not possible , nor even allowed . Pushing a fully loaded bike and bike cart is even more humbling . 100 steps , rest , 100 steps more , “ Another rest !” we cried . So , inch by inch and word by bloody curse word , we climbed to our campsite which was literally at the top of the mountain . Did we celebrate ? A little , but going down in the morning was a tricky walk , albeit a downhill one . So , rest , food , sleep , repeat . We later discovered that you could hire a shuttle for your gear , but then we wouldn ’ t have anything to complain about , right ?
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The Chesapeake & Ohio ( C & O ) Canal Towpath at a Glance
• 184.5 miles of converted canal towpath , from Washington DC to Cumberland , Maryland .
• 11 aqueducts , each used to carry the canal over a creek or river ; one fully restored aqueduct remains in Williamsport MD , near the C & O park office headquarters .
• 1.5 % maximum grade along the path , with the exception of a few construction detours including the 1.5 mile Paw Paw bypass trail which is steep and strenuous
• Surface of the trail ranges from crushed limestone to narrow , rocky , grassy two-track ( not as pristinely surfaced as the GAP trail ) so it ’ s ideal for mountain or gravel bikes .
• 30 free hiker-biker campgrounds right along the trail , most have water and a port-o-john toilet
History Comes Alive
Along the C & O Canal Towpath and accompanying Potomac River , the interpretation signs for the history of the Civil War were a constant companion . So many places found the armies of the Confederacy and Union crossing between Virginia and Maryland during this terrible conflict . Stories of battles , of young men slain during the conflict , of families torn apart over an ideological gulf . With the lens of current events overlaid with these markers of the past , it is a sad reminder that much of what divides us then , divides us now . We found ourselves caught up in thought loops of how history repeats again and again .
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