Pigman's Ferry

 This was our first campsite, and to be honest, I overestimated our abilities.  We went 16 miles on our first day, and it was four miles too many.  We were fine until mile 12, but those last four were torture.  We should have stopped at Irons Mountain after 10 miles, but there was a pretty sketchy homeless guy squatting there, so we pushed on.  There was a pay campsite at mile 12, but we didn't have a reservation so we had to push on.  My feet were destroyed by this point.  Very disappointed in my boots, as I had pretty bad blisters, despite them fitting well and tending to hotspots as they developed. After we got our camp set up, an upstream biker asked if he could share the site.  There was plenty of room, so of course we had no objection.  We told him we just walked here from Cumberland, he said, "What?  Did you lose a bet?" 

Lock 75

 Lock 75.  Its in pretty good shape!  Downstream gates restored, water in the canal prism, masonry intact.  

Lockhouse 75

This is the first lockhouse we came to, at lock 75.  Squared timber construction.  I found it interesting that a variety of construction techniques were used for the lockhouses, it seems there was no standard design for them. 
 

Turtles! (and a secret otter)

 The sections of the canal that still have water in them have quite a bit of aquatic wildlife.  We saw lots of turtles, some snakes, and a rare treat, an otter!  Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it.  The otter swam out onto a log and was watching us curiously.  As I reached for my camera, my daughter was so excited to see the otter she screamed and dropped her trekking poles, scaring the critter off.  

What Have The Romans Ever Given Us?

 The aqueduct?   

What Is This?

 I have no idea.  There are brackets attached to it, perhaps for a platform.  Maybe it was for loading cargo onto the canal boats, or fodder for the mules?  

Ruins

 One of the first canal structures we came upon was this small lock.  I believe its a guard lock, used to control the amount of water in the canal prism.  Its much too small to be a lift lock.  

On The Way

 This is what the trail looked like for much of the journey.  Basically crushed gravel.  Other parts were two dirt ruts.  However, the Canal Trust and NPS are working to improve the trail.  Near Oldtown the trail is improved with a cambered surface that helps with drainage and is comfortable for both walking and biking.  

Mile 184.5 (or Mile 0 as we're going west to east)

I met up with my hiking party the day before we stepped off. Our group consists of me, my 14-year old daughter, my co-worker, and her friend. We took this picture at the mule statue at Canal Place in Cumberland, at the start of the towpath.  

 I found it very difficult to post from the trail, as cell service was spotty at best.  So get ready for a series of posts from the trail while off the trail!  

When we got to Cumberland, my daughter and I took this picture from the western terminus.  Its 184.5 miles from here to Washington D.C.!

Cumberland!

 We’re in Cumberland!  The hike starts tomorrow morning!  Now, I need to figure out how to post photos from my phone. 

Itinerary!

 Here's the trip itinerary, with each day's destination.  If you're in the area and want to walk a few miles with me, or just drop in to camp to spend some time (pizza and beer are much appreciated) you'll know where I'll be at the end of each day.  I have a hotel stay in Hancock, and B&B's in Shepherdstown and Harper's Ferry.  At Swain's Lock I'm staying in a restored lockhouse.  Hopefully, I'll make the entire route, but if not, due to injury or exhaustion, I do have bug-out options.  

6/7:  Leave Cumberland, destination Pigman’s Ferry

6/8:  Sorrel Ridge

6/9:  15 Mile Creek/Little Orleans

6/10:  Leopard’s Mill

6/11:  Hancock, MD

6/12:  Zero mile day, Hancock

6/13:  Fort Frederick

6/14:  Cumberland Valley

6/15:  Big Woods

6/16:  Shepherdstown, WV Thomas Shepherd Inn

6/17:  Zero mile day, Shepherdstown

6/18:  Harper’s Ferry  The Town's Inn

6/19:  Calico Rocks

6/20:  Turtle Run

6/21:  Swain’s Lock  Lockhouse  

6/22:  Georgetown, D.C.  End trip  The Georgetown House

Almost time to step off!

 We're in  the final phase of prep work!  I have my pack sitting at 33 pounds right now after doing some further adjustments and gear swap pouts.  My daughter's pack is just over 16 pounds, but will be a bit heavier once we get her spare clothes and sleeping bag on.  She should still weigh in at under 20 pounds though.

   We've already had one unfortunate change.  One of my hiking buddies had to drop out due to illness, so our party for the first week is now four.  This required some changes with the support teams, but everyone is now on the same page, so I'm looking forward to some happy hiking!

What I'm Taking

 Here's my gear list:   Backpack, tent, sleeping pad, headlamp, trekking poles, lantern, inflatable pillow, compass, change of clothes, hiking boots, liner socks, outer socks, poncho, slides (for camp), Jetboil stove, extra fuel can, collapsable bowl, spork, camp soap, water bottles, bear sack, tp, wipes, toothbrush/toothpaste, hat, sunscreen, lip balm, extra moleskin, knife, small axe, first aid kit, lighter and matches, emergency fuel/fire starter, small chess set, leather cribbage board, pack of cards, water purification filter, Life Straw, water purification tabs, sports powders, food for five days, garbage bag, 20' of twine, 25' nylon rope, cook pots, duct tape, tablet, solar phone charger. I'm sitting at just over 35 pounds.

So that's everything all laid out. Here's what it looks like packed up:

I think I'm going to swap out the self inflating sleeping pad for an accordion style one. Its a bit lighter and can be strapped to the outside. The self inflating one takes up too much pack space, in my opinion. I was trying to stay under 35 pounds, but the pack rides comfortably when I wore it around the neighborhood. Of course, things will get lighter as I eat my way through some of the food! The adventure begins in 19 days!

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.