Oct 142017
Shaking It Up on the C&O: Days 6 and 7
Old locks and aqueducts appear every so often along the C&O, with the lockmaster’s house always painted white with green shutters. .

As we racked up the miles on the first half of our trek, five days on the Great Allegheny Passage, we heard it again and again from the owner of Confluence Cycles, from B&B hosts, from little old ladies in quaint lunch spots: “The C&O isn’t like the GAP.”

They got that right.

Every day on the trail Eric hosed off the muck, lubed the chains, and made sure we were ready to roll.

The Great Allegheny Passage was developed by volunteer trail groups that worked hard to get the funding and turn a number of shorter local segments into one long, amazing connection promised for its modern uses. The C&O Canal Towpath, by contrast, is managed by the National Park Service in keeping with its history. That is to say, bumpy.

And on our first day in particular, right after the torrential rain that we slogged through the day before, full of muddy, gluey patches and puddles that grabbed our front tires. Eric reminded me about the trick of easing back on the seat to sort of float the front tire rather than burying it with my weight and that helped a bit, but those vibrations and the slewing of the tire that you have to wrestle under control really add up over a long day.

My advice: Wait for the reopening of the Paw Paw Tunnel unless you want to train for cyclocross.

Day 1 was made longer by the closure of the Paw Paw Tunnel for repairs after a rockslide. We hiked for over a mile and a half, wrestling our bikes up and then down a really steep rocky hill with tree roots everywhere. I struggled and Eric grabbed first one of my bags, then the other, so I just had to get myself and the bike through this bit. My hero!

Once we were off that bit the next trail section seemed better, possibly only by contrast. We pedaled helmetless, enjoying the freedom far from unpredictable drivers.

Our reward at the end of the day was a stay in the Town Hill B&B, really more of a country inn. In a fun twist, the structure was constructed in the earliest days of car travel to cater to this new-fangled automobile thing. Today the hosts see business from weddings and events but 60% of their annual business–75% during the peak months April-September–comes from bike travelers. They pick travelers up with a trailer to haul bikes five miles up a steep, narrow, winding road with no shoulders, then haul them back down to pick up again where they left off pedaling–much appreciated!

Built for drivers, now profiting from bicyclists.

I was wiped by our 47 miles but the toughest section was now behind us and it didn’t rain so yay for that too. The heavy fog prevented us from seeing the outstanding views from the mountaintop, which provides a great excuse to come back for more of the baked oatmeal made with grains grown by the Amish neighbors and more Alabama tomato pie, among myriad delicious treats.

Eric coined the term “terra pava” for paved trail sections. We were sure happy to take the Great Maryland Rail Trail segment.
…and then it was back to the butt buzz….

Day 2 after a fabulous and justifiably famous breakfast we rode four or five miles before jumping into the parallel PAVED Great Maryland Rail Trail. No trail vibrations for 20 miles–woohoo! That big breakfast fueled us much of the ride, supplemented with yet another Clif Bar, the 45 total miles to Williamsport and a refueling stop at the Waffle Houser next door to our motel. Again no rain, with an improving forecast the last few days of the trip.

A frequent and very welcome sight along the C&O: hiker/biker campsites for a pit stop. Carry your own hand sanitizer though.

You know you’re really on vacation when you only know how many days you’ve been riding, not what day/date it is, and you eat because you’re hungry, not because the clock says to.

Day 6: Cumberland to Little Orleans, 47 miles

Day 7: Little Orleans to Williamsport, 43 miles

Total miles to date: 251

(Total mileage per day includes getting to and from our lodgings so it doesn’t match the trail mileage)

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Reader Comments

  1. Love the Western Maryland Rail Trail as a welcome sight after the C&O. Have enjoyed reading your blog. We have ridden parts of the GAP and C&O now to plan a ride from North to South. We like to camp so would most likely do a combination since camping is nit so easy on the Gap.

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