Last Monocacy work day of the year

Our final trip involved removing some blowdowns, checking out a possible reroute, and moving this sign about six feet.

C&O end-to-end, miles 137-143

This section of the C&O was personally notable, as it was the first time in this endeavor I did a section downstream first. More generally, it was a very pretty section, with hills crowding the river into narrow hairpin turns.

I joined up with a trail crew buddy for this section of the C&O. We left from the Fifteenmile parking lot and headed downstream almost three miles, just past mile marker 138, to where the WRMT joins the towpath. This was where I had left off last time. We then headed back, with a side jaunt to look at the big gate over the railroad tunnel entrance. The tunnel is now an important bat hibernaculum.

Upon reaching Fifteenmile, we continued upstream around another peninsula, past mile marker 143, to where the WMRT ends. A short path connects the towpath with the end of the WMRT here. We used the path and the WMRT itself to shortcut the peninsula back to the car.

I am now 3/4 of the way done - which puts me in a little bit of a ract to finish before the end of the year.

Hike Across Delaware, again

We interrupt this endless procession of canal for ... a different canal. For the second year in a row, I participated in the Wilmington Trails Club's Hike Across Delaware. The hike follows the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal from Maryland to the eastern shore of Delaware City, 15 miles total.

T joined me for it this year, despite having to get up at a painfully early hour to make the 8:30 check-in. After driving into the sunrise, we collected our bandannas and got on the bus to the starting point.

The weather was perfect, the pavement was hard, and it was good to have company.

C&O end-to-end, miles 130-137

I parked at the small Cohill parking lot (it is unpaved, without a restroom) and hit the trail, uncertain of how many miles I felt like doing that day. The air was cool and autumnal, and whispers of mist crept along the Potomac River.

Just before Poly Pond, the towpath detoured onto the WMRT due to a bridge damaged in the flooding. I could see that the soil under the bridge footings had shifted, and the bridge sagged in the middle. I might be willing to try crossing it, but I could see why anyone with an ounce of concern of liability would close it. Luckily, this section of the WRMT was pretty.

I considered turning around at the Pearre Road parking area, about mile 136, but I didn't feel ready. Shortly after mile 136, the detour ended. I kept going until just before mile 138, where the WRMT temporarily joins the towpath, due to a closed tunnel. I returned via the WRMT all the way to the eastern end of the detour before towpathing it back to my car.

Ending here means that next time, I can't start exactly where I left off - the first time I have done this on my C&O journey. I either have to repeat the nearly two miles from Pearre Road, or backtrack.

C&O end-to-end, miles 124-130

I headed out on the C&O alone again for another out-and-back and found another section that was surprisingly more interesting than expected. The highlight of it was the Roundtop cement plant and the Devil's Eyebrow, which sit side-by-side after mile 127.

I had considered returning via the Western Maryland Rail Trail, but it is elevated and fenced near the Cohill parking lot where I turned around. One could climb up to it, but it is obviously not encouraged.

Starting with this hike, I am now headed southwest overall until mile 158 - although with a lot of bends in the river, I will rarely be walking southwest.

C&O end-to-end, miles 114-124

I had been dreading this section of the C&O a little bit. T and I did it several times in 2022, as it is also part of the Tuscarora Trail, and we got a bit tired of it. However, we had good weather, and since T joined me for it, I had good company.

The first couple of miles were actually new. We parked at the eastern terminus of the Western Maryland Rail Trail and walked on it to where it connected with the C&O. From there until Tuscarora comes in, a little before mile 117 was all new. Then it was back on well-trod ground.

The highlight of this section is Little Pool, as well as Hancock itself. At Hancock we stopped in at C&O Bicycle before catching a ride back to our car with Smiley's Taxi. (It's somewhat pricy, but there isn't a lot of competition.)

We were surprised to see that, in spite of the government shutdown, the port-a-potties along the trail were freshly serviced; apparently the contract is paid somewhat in advance.

C&O end-to-end, miles 110-114

Sunday's section of the C&O was a shortish one, four mile markers, since coming up is a longer stretch without parking access. It was also one where I wasn't sure what the expect.

The first two miles were very standard trail. At Fort Frederick State Park, I opted to go in and visit the decent restrooms and explore the gift shop. I didn't explore the fort, but did note that there were living history folks walking around in costume.

Right after that is Big Pool, which I had not been to before. It's a lake over a mile long, and it was pretty, even on a very gray day.

I turned around at Ernstville Road. There is no parking right there, so next time I will have to start from the eastern end of the Western Maryland Rail Trail, which starts on the other side of Big Pool.

Thayerville Fire Tower

Bluntly, Maryland has done a rubbish job of preserving its fire towers. There is one modified one at Jug Bay used as a viewing platform; another at a school district site not open to the public; and one at Deep Creek Lake State Park that, until recently, was actually open to visitors. I have seen at least one more located on private land - as in, not even in a private forest, but a random backyard. Clearly, it was not a HOA neighborhood!

The Thayerville tower at Deep Creek used to be open about one day a week in summer, staffed by a ranger, but a couple of years ago it was decided it need repairs, and now no one can go up there. It was refurbished in 2009 and looks fine, so I'm not exactly what the problem is, and no one seems to be rushing to do anything about it.

Nevertheless, it's been on my Maryland bucket list, and T and I finally got to visit it, even though we couldn't go up the tower itself.

We had the advantage of staying in the campground, which allowed us to shave a bit of distance and elevation gain off the hike. Still, it's not a truly difficult hike. It gains about 600 feet of elevation over a sometimes rocky trail, but the stones are well-placed rather than trippers or rockers. 

Not too far from the tower is an observation platform, which probably has nice views in winter. From the base of a tower, there is a sliver of view following the power lines, but presumably the best view would be from the top. 

We returned via a different, slightly longer route, partially using an old road. Our total mileage was 4.25.

C&O end-to-end, miles 108-110

Since we were passing by on our way home anyway, I took the opportunity for a leg stretcher on a short segment of the C&O. This was the first segment of my quest T had joined me on, although we have hiked parts of the C&O together in the past. 

From Four Locks to McCoy's Ferry is 1.5 miles, with no significant points of interest along the way. It's pretty, of course.

Wandering the Rock Maze

We finally got our first vacation of the year (I know) in September, when he headed out to Western Maryland for several days of camping at Deep Creek Lake. Our first day there was plagued with small problems (like the car battery dying, oops), but we got past those and were finally able to do a small hike later in the day.

Rock Maze was perfect for this, as it's a third of a mile in, then wandering around giant boulders for a while. It's suitable for anyone capable of doing any hiking at all, not difficult. My understanding is that at more popular times, it can get busy, but we only saw two other people.

The giant boulders, and the patient trees with very long roots on top of them, are impressive. 

C&O end-to-end, miles 99-108

I finally got into double digits on this hike! Picking back up from scenic Williamsport, I headed out for a hike of uncertain length. I wasn't sure how many miles I had in me, or if I'd be able to do it one-way with an Uber.

Hiking out of town, the first point of interest was the aqueduct over the creek, which I think is the only one that is still watered.

Up next was a campsite. Then the next parking area, which is very, very small.

Approaching Dam #5, the trail detoured to a low-traffic road due to construction around the dam. The detour was longer than the actual construction, as that's where the convenient road access is. This was only the second detour I've encountered - and the first one where I hadn't previously done that section of trail. Because of the detour, the parking lot was closed, although some cars were parked along the road instead.

Partially because neither parking situation is great, I opted to continue on rather than turn around. This brought me to Four Locks, a nice, big lot 10 miles from my start. With three bars of service, and proximity to Williamsport, I was confident I would be able to get an Uber. Alas, the app didn't work, nor did Lyft's, so my only option was turning around and doing 20 miles. Could I? Yes. Did I enjoy it? No.

However, it was at least a beautiful day, not hot, and I had the time, food, and water needed.

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.

C&O end-to-end, miles 77-84

This next section of the C&O was a very typical section, with the only scenic standout being Dam #4 at the turnaround point. Otherwise, it was a forested tunnel with the river to the left and the dewatered canal to the right.

The weather was hot and humid, making a 16-mile (round trip) hike a bit much for my body, but I am eager to catch up to where I should be at this point in the year. 

The other notable thing, and I am not sure if this is seasonal or a result of recent flooding, was that the sycamores were shedding bark in massive quantities. Not only did it litter the trail, I could hear and see it falling. 

This section was still suffering a bit from flooding overall. It was totally walkable, but earth-moving machinery was parked along the trail. One of the campsites had a broken picnic table and a port-a-potty that hadn't been serviced since May 13. The next site had a port-a-potty that had evidently been flooded, was full of trash, and had a very full tank. I would be cautious camping, as limbs could still fall, and the port-a-potties may have left the ground less than sanitary.

My trip highlight was Dam #4, which I had few expectations of. It's very obviously man-made, but it is still an enjoyable roar. And the towpath has a cute covered bridge leading to the parking lot. 

I did this one as an out-and-back, so while I walked 16 miles, I covered half as much trail. The next hike will be a relatively short one, since after that is an 11-mile stretch with no parking.

C&O end-to-end, miles 72-77

Today we had a break in the heat wave, so I got back out to the C&O to do a few more miles on my end-to-end quest. I was lucky enough to get a spot at the small Sharpsburg parking lot, so I picked up where I left off at the beginning of the month.

This section was pretty, with most of it having a tall cliff on the canal side, and close views of the Potomac on the other. It also passes Killiansburg Cave, which I did not explore. My turnaround spot was just past Snyder's Landing at mile 77.

On the way back, I took an alternative side path near Sharpsburg for variety. It added some steep elevation gain. In winter, there are likely good views, but in summer they are blocked by leaves.

The year is half over, and my hike is not half done. Halfway would be 92 miles, and I'm 15 short of that. I'm not too concerned, as I suspected I might slow down through the hottest summer months. June is certainly proving to be that.

Sugarloaf on a hot day

Local monadnock Sugarloaf is the closest place to get any real elevation gain, so I headed there to get some uphill in. I started by first doing the peak, before it got crowded, then did a loop down and back up to the parking lot. 

My total was only five miles, less than I had intended, but it was too hot to do more.

Northern end of Seneca Greenway aka Magruder Branch

I hit up the tail end of the Magruder Branch trail on a hot and muggy Juneteenth. Starting from Damascus Park, I first walked two-thirds of a mile in to where the unpaved Lower Magruder trail leaves off. From there it is north to an unprepossessing terminus in a townhouse complex.

This entire section is paved, bridges, and boardwalks. It stays in the stream valley, crossing over frequently, and it is obvious that floods are not unusual. A dirt trail would be high-maintenance here.

It's a pretty section, and heavily used by both cyclists and pedestrians. (Most of the cyclists were families out for an excursion, rather than serious cyclists clad in spandex.) Round-trip, this section is six miles, and quite flat.

I have now walked the entire Seneca Greenway. Much of it I liked quite well! The section immediately south of Damascus Road remains the worst part, but the rest I would happily do again.

C&O end-to-end, miles 60-72

I headed back to the C&O for the first time since the End to End hike. In the week after that hike, storms had badly damaged some parts of the trail, so I'd stayed away. But some repairs had occurred at Harper's Ferry, so I returned to continue where I had left off.

I actually parked at the canal across from Shepherdstown, crossed the bridge to West Virginia, and took an Uber to my start. (Crossed off another bridge on my Potomac list!) Parking is expensive at Harper's Ferry, so this enabled me to do a one-way hike for a little less. From the train station, I headed back across the railroad bridge - this time, not in a thunderstorm - and headed north.

This section of the trail really does primarily head north, snaking east and west with the river. It's an attractive section, especially near Harper's Ferry itself. There was only one badly washed out section, easily avoided.

I really enjoyed just hiking one-way. I can't afford to Uber it every time (and there is no transit alternative), so it feels like a real luxury.