Feed Me!

 Working on assembling meals for the trail!  Dehydrating some broccoli to incorporate into trail fuel!

New Gear, and an Odd Odor

 I received some gear from REI today.  Nothing wrong with the stuff, its exactly what I ordered.   Some hiking shorts, a couple of water bottles, some socks. However, when I opened the box, I detected the unmistakable scent of the Devil's Weed. 

Gear Test

I think its important to test your equipment.  So this morning I decided to make scrambled eggs using my cooking gear, and having the food packed in the manner its packed on the trail.  Video is at the link.      https://www.facebook.com/JohnTadler/videos/1092282625334208 

Lessons learned:

1:  Matches can be unreliable.  Buy a lighter.

2:  Make sure I'm turning the fuel knob in the correct direction.

3: OvaEasy eggs are pretty tasty!  

The March (St. Patrick's Day Parade)

 Today was the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Pittsburgh, and as usual, I marched with my reenactment unit, the 116th PA.  The 116th was part of the famous Irish Brigade of the Army of the Potomac, and Company "I" of the 116th was the only Irish Brigade company raised in Allegheny County.  In addition to my wool uniform, I carried a cartridge box, waist belt with bayonet and scabbard, haversack, and canteen, topped off with my model 1842 Springfield .69 caliber smoothbore musket.  

All in all, I was probably toting about 15 pounds of gear (the bulk of the weight being the musket), which is probably about half the weight I'll be lugging on the trail, so it's something of a warm-up.  I only covered about 3.5 miles in total during the parade and the walk back to my vehicle.  That typed, I was able to do the route with ease, so I find that encouraging!

To Bear Arms (Or is it Two Bear Arms?)

 I found this interesting blog post via a hiking site about carrying firearms while hiking.  I spent nearly 27 years as a LEO, and I only once had to pull my sidearm and point it at another human being.  Thankfully, the situation didn't force me to pull the trigger.  I'll be travelling in Maryland and D.C., both of which have pretty strict laws on firearms carry.  I carried concealed for many years, and never once had to deploy my weapon.  Once my first born became ambulatory, I decided that having a handgun in the house wasn't worth the risk, and got rid of my SW .38 snubby.  If I had to bring my duty weapon home, I kept it locked up, unloaded in a safe.  I think I'm more likely to be struck by lightning while hiking than to be accosted by a criminal, and besides, firearms are prohibited on the C&O.  

How Am I Getting Ready??

 It's a long walk.  I'm averaging 14 miles a day.  Luckily, it's all flat terrain, and while I'll never say it's impossible to get lost, it's pretty hard to get lost on the towpath.  If I veer left, I wind up in the canal ditch.  If I veer right, I wind up in the Potomac river.  

That noted, I've been doing quite a bit of walking.  I generally am walking five miles a day.  I also do anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes on a stationary bike every other day.  I've also been doing strengthening exercises.  Starting next month, I'll start taking short walks with my pack, gradually adding more gear and lengthening each walk as I build up for the big day.  

Well, Its Time for the First Post!

 I suppose a good place to start is with a bit of background information about me, that's a bit more in-depth from what can be squeezed into a user profile.  I'm a 61-year old retired law enforcement officer, currently working a retirement job at a suburban Pittsburgh school district.  

When I was much younger, I was in my high school's backpacking club.  In addition to hiking in various spots around Pennsylvania and West Virginia, every spring we hiked the portion of the C&O Canal between Paw Paw and Little Orleans.  Ever since my first weekend on the towpath, I've wanted to through hike the length of the canal.  

The towpath itself in 184.5 miles long.  I'm going to start in Cumberland on June 7th, 2024, and will hopefully reach Georgetown on June 21st.  I selected that direction because its nominally "downhill." I've built in a couple of rest and resupply days in Hancock, MD, and Shepherdstown, WV.  The plan is to cover approximately 14 miles per day on average,  Generally, I'll be camping along the way, but I have booked lodging in a few places, like Hancock, Shepherdstown, and Harper's Ferry.  I also managed to book a stay in one of the old lock houses. 

I've been slowly aquiring gear since I made the decision to set off on the journey.  I do have to give a shout out to the fine folks at REI for helping me with equipment and training suggestions!

So I hope you'll follow along with me and some of my friends who are joining me for parts of the adventure and as I prepare for the trek.  Any advice and tips from more seasoned hikers are welcome as well!