October 14, 2023
Little Orleans to Cumberland
On every tour the rain shall come and it did
An early riser, I enjoy capturing in the sunrise on the farm. This morning would be something special as my window looked over the mountains at the bed and breakfast. I opened the blinds to trees whipping in the wind and rain splattering on the window. It was a sign of what the day would be.
Lisa at the Town Hill Bed and Breakfast prepares an amazing home cooked breakfast buffet. My group of four joined a group of nine from Colorado in conversion and good eats.
It was soon time to load the bike on the shuttle and head the seven miles down the mountain to the trail at Little Orleans. A damp chilling cold greeted me at the trailhead with the temperature around 50° and a misting rain.
Our group cycled on to the C&O Canal Trail and headed west towards Cumberland. It was not too bad of a cycle at the onset with some misting rain in an occasional shower dogging us to the Paw Paw Tunnel.
The 3,118 foot tunnel built in 1850 took 14 years to construct and cut six miles off the path of the canal by not following the Potomac River but rather tunneling through the mountain. The canal and the towpath share the unlit tunnel. The group for safety sake opted to walk the dark uneven uneven surface.
I mounted my bike with Oldtown as the destination for lunch. The rain picked up. It began to accumulate in pools and ruts on the trail. Cycling became not so enjoyable. The C&O was showing it's raw angry side as I pedaled and surfed the bike. The lock, lockhouse, and bridge at Oldtown was a welcome sight.
Ready for a break and hungry, I headed to the Schoolhouse Kiitchen. This restaurant is the cafeteria in a 1960s era school that has been closed. It has been converted into a restaurant and shares space with a makeshift convenience market with the necessities of life. Oldtown is so small that there is not a Dollar General Store.
Refueled and somewhat dry, I headed back to the trail for the final seventeen mile march to Cumberland. The rain persisted and had accumulated considerably. The trail condition deteriorated nearing Cumberland, mostly double track. The last few miles was single track, wet, and full of ruts and roots. It was not a fun experience. The Cumberland skyline was a welcome sight.
The persistent rain made for quick photos at the arch designating the end of the C&O Canal Trail and the beginning of the Great Allegheny Passage. My group headed to our Airbnb less than a mile away. We unloaded our bikes in the pouring rain. The panniers were caked in mud and soaking wet. The bikes looked like they had been through a mountain bike race on a mud track. It took some time to clean the bikes and bags.
Given the drenching rain, my group decided to shower, stay in, Doordash our breakfast supplies, and order delivery from a local pizza shop.
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Today's Route
It was a wet and stormy day on the trail.
Tom on the Trails
Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 164 miles (264 km)
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