This morning four of us stuck to the trail only to split up within the first five miles. Brian and I stopped at Brunswick for breakfast which later I realized was a good decision as I would need the fuel for the final days push down what would be the muddiest portion of the trail. Red clay and limestone sand mired us down to the point of resembling something out of a Amazon cross country expedition. Fortunately it wasn’t as bad as that, unfortunately it seemed so at the time. By the end of the say there were virtual war stories to be told by the members of the group including several crashes as people’s bike slid from underneath them, bro0ken spokes, flat tires, and dehydration.
I had company which kept me somewhat sane during the ordeal and with the only two Surlys we were able tp push out in front of this section of the route. It was a long day never the less and I ended up spending more than eight hours in the saddle spinning my wheels in the mud while keeping control of Matilda with a death grip to keep me from skidding off the trail.
After fifty miles from Harpers Ferry and ten miles before Washington the trail suddenly got much much better with a more packed surface and fewer potholes and muddy patches and it wasn’t long before the two of us were met by most in the group.
The last ten miles went quickly and the canal became actually beautiful to ride through, resembling less like the swamp I had been riding though for the last several days.
Cranes and turtles were all over the canal (as were droves of tourists).
We rode into Georgetown strong and fast but without the expected victory party. One by one riders dropped off to their final destinations within the city. Some of us had cars waiting to take us home while others had hotels to stay in for a day or two. After cleaning up most of the group met for a final dinner before completely going our separate ways. I had one more day in Washington before flying back to the westcoast.
The night after a long day of riding in the suck and muck was spent cleaning and servicing Matilda, giving it much needed oil on chain, derailleurs, cassette, chainrings, and cables. I also prepared myself for another long and mentally challenging day of slop.
Waking up in the morning I prepared myself for the wet and put on full rain gear, this time making sure everything was zipped and secure. However, riding to breakfast showed signs that it might not rain. That however was a ruse to what lay ahead on the way to what I hopped was one of the highlights of the trip, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia!
We decided to skip some of the section between Hancock and HF as there was a large detour from an unmaintained portion of the trail. The road overland was faster with rolling hills which gave us a pleasant break from the constant pedaling on the canal, however the day soon became very hot and the hills steeper. On one particular hill I became very dehydrated but was relieved when we found a road which connected back to the C&O. We figured that the covered trail even when muddy would be safer and easier at that point than continuing in the intensifying heat on the road.
The trail was more of the same as the day before but better with the company of the two who accompanied me. Eventually though, we found the trestle which would cross over the river landing us at Harpers Ferry, though we would need to climb the spiral staircase carrying our fully loaded bikes.
The town which also acts as a way point for AppalachianTrail hikers lived up to my expectations as was a much needed respite though for too short a period. Would loved to had done more exploring if I had, had the energy to climb up and down all the stairs on this hillside town.
The toughest day yet was today. The comparatively easy Allegheny ended in Cumberland and we now continue south on the C&O Canal.
As predicted the night before, it rained that night and then rained all the next day turning the C&O (Chesapeake & Ohio) into a virtual swamp. We rode all day in the deluge on a slick and muddy trail which at times disappeared into a lake sized puddles. Riding through these puddles, we didn’t know if we would glide through easily or hit submerged roots or worse, a pothole which racked the bike and everything on it. All one could do is put their head down and just pedal hard… for 60 plus miles into Hancock.
I rode alone most of the day and at times thought I might end up in the canal which mostly resembled a overgrown bayou. I would emerge looking like Swamp Thing while still holding onto a set of handlebars.
There were a couple of highlights though, including the Paw Paw tunnel which runs several hundred feet. The canal runs through the tunnel with a hanging walkway resembling more like a precarious catwalk running the length along side. Only the brave enter the darkness of the tunnel while the weary take the detour up and over. I chose the fool hardy and rode my bike passed the “bikers dismount” sign with one hand on the handlebars and one on my camera all the while glancing off the brick tunnel wall and the three foot rail which somehow kept me from falling into the black abyss below.
Finally though there’s a silver lining to the end of an almost miserable day when just before being forced off the trail, because of a series of detours, I find the beginning of the West Maryland Rail Trail which,” oh sun-shining day,” is paved, making for a less painful fast 15 mile finish.
Even more fortunate though, the days of camping are over as we had a hotel room to get cleaned up, warmed up and dried. The hotel, bless them, even let us use their hose to wash the slicks and globs of mud off of our bikes and ourselves.
The thirty miles to Rockville was another hot day. Even though chugging water on the trail, I struggled with thirst. That said the 2% climb upwards was slightly easier and a bit more entertaining; Alone somewhere in between the middle group and the last group I saw something big black and hairy enter the water from my side of the river and immediately recognized it to be the biggest black bear I’ve seen in the wild yet and watched it swim across the rapids to the other side and lumber out onto the shore.
Midpoint of the days ride I hooked back up with Andrian and Bruce and shared lunch in Ohio Pyle and getting much needed relief from the saddle and pressure from the handlebars (breaking in a new Brooks saddle is NOT recommended on a multi-day tour btw)..
From there we continued up and up, constantly pedaling until finally we arrived at Rockville, PA, a very Pensylvanian town, quite and quaint where the locals gather at the corner coffee/pizza/local baked goods store called the Opera House. Listening to “horror” stories about the booked campground where the fast group had arrived a few hours earlier, we started questioning whether or not we wanted to stay there. Over heard by one of the cafes owners he recommended that we stay at his hostel which was not officially opened but would take us never-the-less. The three of us jumped on the opportunity much to the chagrin of the others as we were not looking forward to the hike from the campground to the showers which were on the otherside of the train tracks. The hostel was well worth the risk to being left on the side of the road by some of the others (they did it anyway).
