June 26, 2023
Day 3: Washington, DC to Harpers Ferry, WV
In which I experience the C&O trail for the first time
A much better day, today! Less climbing, NO traffic, and a decently maintained trail made all the difference.
I got an earlier start today because there were supposed to be bad storms mid-afternoon near my destination. I didn't want to be caught out on the trail in lightning and hail, so I left around 9am.
After a few wrong turns finding mile-marker 0 of the trail, I found it. It's in a very strange place behind a boat yard, and you really have to know that it's there to locate it.
The marker was right along the Potomac with nice views of the river.
The trail through the edge of Washington and into Georgetown isn't the best I've been on. It was rougher than I expected with lots of rocks sticking up out of the ground. The partial shade made it harder to see them. Not a terrible trail, but a bit more shake, rattle & roll than I was hoping for.
The canal towpath runs between the canal and the Potomac. The Potomac is only visible occasionally through the trees, so your view is almost always the canal. I tried to imagine mules pulling barges from the path back in the day. It must have taken them over a week to go the distance I covered in a day. But they had to deal with locks, trees falling into the canal, tired mules and such.
This was Lock #1. Barges had to enter upstream (or downstream) have the water pumped out to get to the level of the water below (or above) then proceed.
This is the lockhouse, where the lock-tenders used to live. Now, you can rent them as an overnight spot. This one looks charming, but some further upstream were much more rustic.
Sometimes the canal was empty of water, and just had grass and brush growing in it. A few miles later, it would be full of water again. I wondered if the canal's containment was damaged in some spots, allowing the water to leach back out into the ground.
There were a lot of these herons in the canal - this one ate a small fish just as I rolled up.
These vultures didn't seemed bothered by my presence. Probably waiting for something nearby to die...
Turtles were everywhere in the canal. Sometimes when I stopped my bike they would quickly plop into the water. But these must have been sleeping.
I also saw kingfishers in the trees above the canal. I never got a good shot - they seem skittish of humans and fly away when you stop. I also saw a pileated woodpecker - a bird I've only seen a couple of times. It flew across the path right in front of me and disappeared.
At Lock 23, the trail suddenly changed - for the better! It looked as if it had been resurfaced just last week. I'm not sure what this hardpack material is, but it rolled very smoothly and even when wet, didn't stick to my tires like mud does. I was able to hop up a gear or two as it felt like riding on a road!
Occasionally there would be a break in the trees and I could get a good view of the Potomac.
This boat must have given canal tours at some point.
Great Falls was neat - they have a walkway that goes out over the rushing water.
After the falls, I tried to just ride, and get to Harpers Ferry before the rains hit. As it turned out they have now been rescheduled for tomorrow.
About a mile before I was supposed to turn off, I saw a bridge - I thought this was the one over to Harpers Ferry.
There were nice river views from here as well.
I was wrong about the bridge. That one was for cars. There was another for bikes. But getting there involved climbing a bunch of stairs. I had to take my bags off the bike for that. I was behind a guy trying to muscle his 70lb e-bike up those stairs - he wasn't having fun!
Here is the pedestrian/bike bridge over to Harpers Ferry (taken from the WV side)
Lastly, here is the "trail-tan" my legs and knees had at the end of the day. Need a shower to get my beautiful legs back!
The trail tan may return quickly tomorrow. More rain is forecasted, and I feel like I beat the odds today. It could be a wet, soggy day! Stay tuned!
Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 90 miles (145 km)
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