Eric Magnan from College Park, MD on 12/27/2016 6:23:59 PM:
Hi everyone,
Here is a quick story of my recent GAP and C&O Canal experience. I went from Pittsburgh to D.C. between Dec 22 and Dec 26 (2016). I did it on my own, on a race bike (equipped with 700x35c tires), with two bike bags and a backpack. The objective was to be completely autonomous, so I was carrying my food and everything needed to camp. In particular, I had a down sleeping bag + 2 fleece blankets to be able to sleep comfortably in cold temperatures. I also had a handmade jet stove (“P3RS”), but I did not really use it.
I’m not quite sure how I feel about the experience: it was physically hard and not very interesting in this season (it’s just 330 miles of desolated landscape). Also, it was very complicated to find water. Since it’s winter, all the pumps are down, so I spent five days drinking most of the time river water. I should also mention that the trail follows train rails and that the noise from the train is loud: if you want to sleep tight, take some earplugs with you!
- Day one (Dec 22 – 72 Miles) : my train arrived at a stupid time (Amtrak no. 29, arriving at midnight in Pittsburgh), so I started riding the GAP by night. I encountered big pools of ice during the first hour (between Pittsburgh and Homestead) and ended up with frozen feets. The path is very easy to find, there is no way to get lost, even at night. I took a 2 hours nap in Dravo’s Landing campground. This place is well equipped, with a functioning water pump, shelters and fireplaces. I then resumed biking and stopped in Ohiopyle campground in the hope to find water. I could not find any working pump, so I drank water from a nearby creek. I was exhausted and ended up sleeping there. The campground (which is not a free one) was closed, so the ranger let me sleep there for free (thanks !).
- Day two (Dec 23 – 78 Miles): I realized a bit late that there is a visitor center in Ohiopyle city (one mile after the bridge), where you can have tap water and a proper bathroom. The path was pretty easy to ride until Confluence. Between Confluence and Rockwood (and especially the miles 57-58-59), there were a lot of fallen trees blocking the path. I went to Deal (it went uphill most of the day) and had to leave the trail here to go Cumberland (Big Savage Tunnel is closed). The road to Cumberland is fairly easy: one needs to take Road 160 over 25 miles, and that’s it. The road goes through Barrelsville, Corriganville and finally Cumberland (and it goes downhill, so it’s a pretty easy end of the day). In Cumberland it’s fairly simple to find the trail again (just try to follow the train rails, and the trail must be nearby). I stopped at the Crabby Pig (a restaurant right on the trail). The food was good, but I guess after two days eating garbage, any food would feel awesome. The hot chocolate was really appreciated, though! I slept in Ewitt’s Creek, which is not far from Cumberland.
- Day 3 (Dec 24 – 61 Miles): The path conditions were very easy until the Paw Paw tunnel. One needs to be careful while crossing the tunnel (no light, potentially slippery especially if frozen), but crossing was not particularly difficult. I stopped in Hancock to buy some snacks (at the gas station) and fill my water bottle. The city is right on the path. I intended to sleep in Jordan Junction but encountered terrible mud around mile 122 which forced me to go back and sleep in Little Pool.
- Day 4 (Dec 25 – 44 Miles): After spending two hours cleaning my bike, I went back to mile 122 and switched to the Western Maryland Trail for a few miles (there is a small bridge that connects the two trails around mile 120). That trail is tarred, so it is super easy to ride on. After a few miles, I went back to the C&O Canal. I slept in Killiansburg Cave.
- Day 5 (Dec 26 – 75 Miles): I wanted to find some snacks, but I had to climb a hill to go to Sheperdstown or cross a bridge to go to Harper’s Ferry, so I waited until Brunswick. There I stopped at the Potomac