The town of Cumberland, Maryland has seen better days. Once home to the second largest population in Maryland, its downtown area turned pedestrian-friendly mall features far too many darkened store fronts with “for lease” signs; victims of a troubled economy and an unpredictable future. It was the Saturday night before Thanksgiving, and the streets were quiet except for a handful of workers fumbling with a tangle of lights in preparation for a holiday parade next weekend. I was with my close friend and fellow adventurer Barry Lawson, and we were in search of a cold beer and a hot meal before beginning our three-day bike trek on the C & O Canal trail which scribbles its way 184.5 miles from Cumberland to the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C.
The “C” and “O” of the C&O Canal trail stand for Chesapeake and Ohio even though the trail doesn’t touch The Chesapeake Bay or the State of Ohio, for that matter. However, it does stretch from the Potomac River (which dumps into Chesapeake Bay) into the “west,” which at the time was about where Ohio is today. The trail follows the tow-path mules plodded along while pulling barges on the canal. This was the primary means of moving goods in this part of the country in the early 1800’s until the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad eventually put the canal out of use. Today, many sections of the canal are nothing more than a wide, overgrown ditch, while others look as though they are ready to be put back in commission at a moment’s notice.
For our journey, we plan to cover roughly 60 miles a day with overnight stays in Hancock, Maryland and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia before making our way to Arlington, Virginia some three miles from the canal’s southern terminus in Georgetown. On our backs, light packs. Under our butts, mountain bikes. And in front of us, 184.5 miles of trail and a low pressure system spitting showers.
The trail started mere pedal strokes from the hotel parking lot and was easy going, flat and empty. Before long we encountered mile marker “184,” and we were on our way to “0.” The upside to mile markers is they tell you where you are. The downside is they tell you how far you still have to go. Luckily today, our goal was mile post 124.4 at Hancock, Maryland or about 60 miles.
For the entire ride, the canal or what’s left of it was off to our left. During a twenty-five year during the early to mid-1800s, laborers sweated, dug, and likely cussed their through dirt and rock to build the canal. Seventy-four locks (24 with lock houses still standing) were strategically placed along the route. The locks made navigation easier because the terrain undulates, and it’s a 605 foot elevation gain from Georgetown in the east to Cumberland, Maryland in the west. The locks made towing a barge uphill, through water, by grumpy mules almost bearable. Almost.
The scenery remained the same for most of the day: a straight flat path under a dwindling canopy of hearty trees. Leaves crunched beneath our tires. Calm winds whispered; the sky, a concrete grey and heavy with moisture. We were alone in our thoughts. It was meditation on the move.
After an overnight stay at the quaint path-side River Run B&B in Hancock, we made our way another 63 miles south to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
Day two followed close to I-70 where we were greeted with the constant hum of highway noise, but there were quite a few nice diversions along the way: At mile post 112, we coasted into Fort Frederick State Park whose stone fort served as Maryland’s frontier defense during the French and Indian War. Today, the park offers a boat launch, campsites, interpretive and educational programs. If you are up for a detour, there’s a 22 mile loop accessible at mile marker 76 which winds you through Antietam Battlefield. We skipped Antietam, because of a barrage of rain flanked us from the west.
We rode through pelting showers into Shepherdstown, WV and made our way to the Lost Dog Coffee Shop which we aptly renamed Soggy Biker Coffee Shop. We couldn’t enjoy the comfort of hot coffee, buttered scones and heat for long because it was pushing 4:30, and we still had twelve miles to go before Harpers Ferry. Approaching darkness and angry grumbles of thunder tried to persuade us to retreat back to the coffee shop. We ignored the warnings and slogged on.
I really looked forward to touring the historic town of Harpers Ferry which sits at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah. Lewis and Clark began their famed expedition here. It was also the site of three civil war battles and countless floods, and home to John Brown’s raid of 1859, which was an attempt by abolitionist to start a slave revolt by seizing the United States Arsenal there. All I saw were dark, wet streets poorly lit by my battery-starved bike light. The last mile was the hardest: a relentless hill made all the more challenging when soaking wet, cold, tired and hungry.
We found Laurel Lodge B & B and approached the front door looking like we spent the last four hours lost at sea, without a life raft. The proprietor happily greeted us at the door and wasn’t a bit surprised by our appearance. He kindly showed us to our room and told us put our wet clothes in a bag so he could launder them which took me by surprise. We found a nice Italian restaurant nearby then returned to hot tea, freshly made cookies, and folded laundry. I was tempted to end the trip right then and there.
Morning came too soon and it was still raining, so we procrastinated over coffee, cheese Danish, and spinach frittata - a first for me and I’m hooked.
To be honest, the last day was a blur. Evidently, a mild case of hypothermia can do that to you. The remaining stretch was 59 long and sloppy miles biking through leaf-strewn puddles the color and temperature of ice tea. Stopping was a double edge sword. We used the time to refuel and stretch, but any stop longer than five minutes resulted in chattering teeth and muscle cramps. Turns out, Gortex had its limits.
I envisioned our arrival in Georgetown to be under warm, autumn skies where we would pedal victoriously into some an outdoor café and celebrate our ride with frosty beers, calorie infused appetizers served by admiring waitresses. Instead it rained like hell as we dodged commuters and horn-honking cabbies for the last three miles to Arlington. I kept my head down and unsavory words to myself and just pedaled like I’ve been doing for the past three days. A torrential downpour practically knocked off our bikes as we crossed the Key Bridge into Arlington. It was almost laughable. Almost.
Finally we pulled into Barry’s driveway, proud and dripping from our achievements. Would I do it again? No. Because of the bad weather and repeated muscle cramps? No. Life is about new experiences, good or bad. It’s what fuels the soul and makes travel rewarding come rain or shine.
WHERE TO STAY:
Cumberland, Maryland: Fairfield Inn & Suites. 21 North Wineow Street. Visit Marriot.com. or call. 1-301-722-0340.The C&O canal is right out the back door. Rooms start at $109 per night. Free continental breakfast.
Hancock, Maryland: River Run B&B. 7 South Taney Street. For reservation call between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST - 301-678-6150 or email riverrunbnb@verizon.net. Overlooks the C&O Canal. Rooms start at $125 per night. www.riverrunbnb.com
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Laurel Lodge B&B. 844 East Ridge Street. For reservations call (304) 535-2886 or email :innkeeper@laurellodge.com . Rooms from $135 a night. www.laurellodge.com
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