One of the best things about the C&O are the campsites. Not only are they flat, scenic, and spaced about every 5-10 miles along the route, they're FREE! Did I mention no cost? That's a bonus, and provided you're camping along the C&O, your lodging is gratis! How's THAT for a bonus?
I was certainly looking forward to the 2 nights of free camping, but not looking forward to the day of rain coming on Saturday - forecasts kept getting worse and worse. So, since I could choose any one of the campsites on the trail, I chose to put extra miles in on Thursday and Friday which meant I had less miles in the rain on Saturday. To put this plan in motion, I departed Meyersdale by 6:50 and after getting breakfast at the convenience store, was promptly held up by a passing train.
My early departure foiled by a passing train causing ~10 min delay.
The first 9 miles of today's ride are uphill to the highest point of the trip - the Eastern Continental Divide. For me, the divide meant the rest of the trip is an overall downhill, losing around 1760' in 24 miles. Then, it's 180 miles of basically flat, losing around 150' in that entire distance.
Keystone Viaduct on the way to the Continental Divide
8:00 I'm at the top of the world as it were. Three riders I passed earlier on the trail are still behind me out of site as I make my way up and over the high point of the trip 8 minutes later, I begin my descent into Cumberland and the start of the C&O trail. At this point I'm not making bad time on the day, even with stopping and starting for the video and putting on the windbreaker on this cold morning (and warmer gloves, too). Remember, my plan is to cut my last day of 78 miles (in which rain is forecast) into a 56/57 day. That means today and tomorrow are bigger mileage days, so looking forward to downhill and flats.
Barely 5 minutes out of the high point, the trail flies through the Big Savage tunnel
I arrived in Cumberland a little before 10:00. I took a slight detour to ride past Washington's HQ and the beginning marker of the national road, and then made my way to the official endpoint of the GAP and passed the gateway to the beginning of the C&O. I had 35 miles under my tires so far today, and the rest of the day to see where I landed campsite-wise. Because there are little/no services for food prior to the next campsite, I grab a sandwich from a shop on the trail and throw it in my panniers for the campsite. I refill my 1/2-gallon water container at the park service building, and then I'm off on a flat ride 180 miles away to Washington DC.
Where the GAP and the C&O trails connect in Cumberland.
As a result of stopping in the park service building, walking through the farmer's market, resupplying at the sandwich shop, my dawdling cost me about 30 minutes on the day. Well, maybe not dawdling but it wasn't the quick stops I'm used to. No matter - I have all day and nowhere else I'd rather be.
Bye, bye, Cumberland. Love this view departing the town (city?)
The next 30 miles are basically trail through wooded area until you get to the Paw Paw tunnel. Again, it puts you back into the serenity of crunching gravel under the tires, sound of distant trains in the background, and wind and wildlife making their noises throughout the day.
The trail was so easy to follow that I didn't even have to stop and ask this resident for directions. Good thing, too, as he wasn't very talkative.
It's a really nice roll on this trail, and somewhat different than what I remembered 8 years prior. Back then, I remembered mostly double-track and dirt, roots, and rocks. Now, it's more crushed limestone, maybe not to the extent of the GAP, but still, much better condition than I remembered.
Rolling along the crushed gravel, listening to the sound of the passing train clattering over the bridge, and smelling the tar from the railroad ties - what a great Thursday.
It's 1:45 when I reach the Paw Paw tunnel, at 65 miles in my ride. I know it's only numbers, but that means I've already accomplished a metric century, AND 450 miles for the trip. And I'm still ready to ride more today. I sometimes fear I don't have enough miles on the bike to be able to do these big days, and then the big days come and I feel great. Sure, my legs get tired, but it's "accomplishable."
Just 2 weeks prior to my ride, the park service opened the Paw Paw tunnel after two years of work, and I was able to walk through rather than take the "push bike uphill and ride the brakes on the suicide downhill" detour.
Remember my plan from paragraph 2? I was putting on more miles today to be able to have a shorter day on Saturday. Well, I arrived at the Devil's Alley site 3:15 which was my original overnight stop at 75 miles, but I chose to do the 5.1 additional miles to Indigo Neck, which I arrived at a little before 4:00.
I decide to push on to Indigo Neck which saves my 5.1 miles on tomorrow's ride.
I retreat into my tent for dinner, and here I'm explaining how I packed a Thermacell but when packing I must have inadvertently turned the control knob which releases the butane. So, it was empty and useless for sitting outside at the picnic table.
