Harper's Ferry to Washington, D.C.
about 62 miles of C&O Canal Trail, MM 62 to 0
Started around 9:30am and arrived in Georgetown around 7:30pm. 10 hours.
Breakfast at the Angler's Inn was a scallion, tomato, goat cheese, prosciutto ham omelet, poached grapefruit, and date bread. One of my top 3 breakfasts. Inn was very nice, as was most of the Bed and Breakfasts. We had the suite which included a king sized bed, a sun room, and a bathroom with claw foot tub. As with the entire trip did not get to really use everything, relax and explore the town of Harper's Ferry which I could probably spend an afternoon or day in. Harper's Ferry is also the half way point of the Appalachian Trail (something I do not plan to walk the entirety of, please stop me if I try)
Went down the big hill, went up the walking path along railroad (Appalachian Trail), and carried bikes down the stairs. Did I mention carrying bikes sucks? Luckily I had a good PIC (partner in crime) who helped a lot.
Was sore as always, but after a few minutes muscles start working better. Passed our first MM, 61. First stop was Brunswick MM 55 which looked like a cute little town but too early to really stop for food. Saw a lot more people walking and biking the trail which was great.
Then we went on to Point of Rocks MM 47 and couldn't easily find a place to eat so we stopped for a big snack: beef jerky and left over oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from the Angler's Inn with soda. I was pretty worried because the guides do not show many places to eat for the rest of the trail.
Onward with the hope of eating in White's Ferry MM 36. The snack shop is closed!!! Noooo! was getting worried because we were down to our last 3 or so protein bar/energy snacks. Not good. This was also a test of will as there was a ferry across the Potomac River to Leesburg which was so close to home! (Looks like Hurricane Sandy had flooded the store and they lost power). Defeated, we ate more beef jerky and went onward. This was around 2pm and I was very worried about the food situation.
Grinded for 20 miles to Potomac/Great Falls MM 14. Goal was to get there before darkness, and it was one of the goals we actually made. Around 5pm arrived near the parking lot of the Great Falls park. Again it was nice to see people along the way especially other bikers. But I heard some clunking, more than usual and my pannier is falling off! Turns out a screw on my rack came off at some point and the rack was barely hanging on. Luckily bike parts are compatible and with quick thinking we took a screw from extra slot of bottle holder and screwed in the rack and things are saved. Called dad for the pick up in D.C. The end is near!
The 5 or so miles through Great Falls is pretty good terrain, this crushed limestone (I think). For the most part the last day had fairly good terrain except some muddy parts (but short) and some rocky/bumpy parts (about a mile or so). We did fairly good time, and overall it was downhill especially near the end having dips after each lock. Of course many times we just felt like we were going uphill.
Starting around milemarker 10 I started to get really sad and nostalgic. Is it really going to be over? Since the beginning I was worried about not finishing, giving up, or just simply falling down and curling into a fetus having someone rescue me. But now we were near the end and there would be no more biking and I was sad! I actually felt like going slower to savor it. Weird. I guess that's why I keep going on these adventures. Maybe it is like childbirth, painful but once you see the product you forget all of that.
The last miles into Georgetown we see a good amount of bikers for pitch dark, all going really fast in comparison to us. People seem less friendly. We see signs of the city. We actually drive past cars in traffic (score!). We see the Washington Monument in the distance. Home! We pass MM 1 and am happy! We go to near the end of the trail (there was another foot bridge to carry bikes over about 0.5 miles so we just stopped...but we came back and walked it the next day to say we did it) and luckily dad is nearby. Was somewhat anti-climatic because all the people we see are just city people who are probably thinking we are freaks and keeping to themselves. In my head I was dreaming of a cheering section and more high-fives. Oh well.
We did it.
The last day was one of our best riding. Maybe driven by adrenaline? Maybe the downhills finally kicked in? I know it was very hard for my muscles to work after each little break. I feel like if it was an "Alive" moment and someone took out my muscles for some food it would already be like human jerky. Really reaching for the reserves.
Post-ride meal: Five Guys Burgers and Fries. So good to eat someone warm, sitting in a warm room. Strangely we were shivering walking even though we biked in colder weather.
NB: Did not actually go to the beginning of the C&O, maybe a half mile off, because it involved going up another set of stairs and crossing the canal which we just couldn't do anymore. The next day we actually drove back here and walked all the way to the end. It would have been bad to even attempt that night, crossing bridge and some poor city terrain. Crazy enough I actually thought about renting one of the DC city bikes and taking it for a spin. WHY??
Angler's Inn:
http://www.theanglersinn.com/
C&O Canal:
http://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm
Georgetown:
http://www.thewashcycle.com/2012/06/walk-bike-on-the-georgetown-waterfront.html
http://dc.about.com/od/nationalparks/a/GTWaterfrontPk.htm
Five Guys:
http://www.fiveguys.com/locations.aspx?fAddress=georgetown%2C+dc&radius=5&units=mi
Great Falls:
http://www.nps.gov/grfa/index.htm
White's Ferry:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whites-Ferry/79695133660
Point of Rocks:
http://www.pointofrocks.org/
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