C&O end-to-end, miles 88-99

With this hike, I finally got to where I should have at the end of June - the midpoint of the trail! I've reached milepost 99, soon to hit triple digits. 

I started off at McMahon's Mill, hiking almost exactly 12 miles to Williamsport. The first mile or so was along the Big Slackwater concrete walkway. The trail then returned to the woods, and the (dewatered) canal reappeared. I reached the marker at the middle of the trail, caught occasional glimpses of the river, and passed a campground and a lockhouse. 

Around mile 91, the trail abruptly changed character, as there are cabins between the river and the towpath - right up to the towpath. After another campsite, the trail approached Williamsport. It went under a railroad bridge and and the freeway before opening up to a watered canal section, a lockhouse, an old coal plant, and the Williamsport visitor center. This visitor center is the much-photographed Cushwa Coal Brick building.

I took advantage of plentiful ride shares to get a ride back to my car, so I saved myself a round-trip hike.

C&O end-to-end, miles 84-88

The heat finally broke, so I got off my treadmill and back on the C&O. 

I started at the very nice Dam #4, then headed off on fairly typical C&O towpath trail. To my left, a tree-covered embankment, then the Potomac (here, wide and smooth), then West Virginia. To my right, a tree-covered embankment, then the dewatered canal, then more trees (with some houses). This section north of the dam is called Big Slackwater, and I anticipated the entire four miles would be similar. Thus I was very pleasantly surprised near mile 87 when the left side opened up. 

Here the canal towpath has been reconstructed as a concrete walkway. There are steep cliffs to the right, no canal, and great views. There are also a lot of boaters for whom speed is the point, and perhaps loud music, so it's not tranquil. But it is pretty!

I turned around after four miles at McMahon's Mill (still standing). There is a long stretch without parking, so this was my attempt at breaking it up into reasonable sections.

Along the way, I didn't see milepost 85. When I came to milepost 86, it was on the "wrong" side! All the mileposts between Georgetown and mile 84 are on the river side, not the canal side. But the next few were on the canal side. On the return journey, checking both sides carefully, I still didn't see it. (Funnily enough, milepost 87 is missing on the app, but it was there.)

If you want to hit the highlights here, I'd park at the mill and just take in the rebuilt section, both north and south of the mill. It's only a couple of miles, so easy hiking.