C&O Home  GAP Home
The C&O Canal Towpath Trail and Great Allegheny Passage

Four Things I Learned Riding the GAP & C&O


Go to Forum
Matt from Charlotte on 7/26/2020 5:49:56 AM:
1. The body is way more capable that we think it is. I haven't ridden 350 miles in six days since I was in my 20's, I'm in my 50's now. There were moments when I though I had dumped all I could into my ride... there was always another 10 or 15 miles still in my legs.

2. You don't need all the stuff you think you're going to need. I could have lightened my load and made due with less.

3. Stop and take in the views. I stopped often just to admire the beauty of the land. In hind site I should have stopped more. There were a number of moments were I saw something in the forest and said "wow." Now that those moments are just memories I wish I had taken a moment to pause, take a photo, and just breathe in the beauty.

4. Stars are amazing. Living in a large city I don't get to see the night sky in all its splendor. If you're camping on your journey, take a moment at night to look up.


 
Rivnuts from Homestead,PA on 7/26/2020 6:36:54 AM:
Another suggestion for this trip would be:

5. Take a few minutes before and during the trip to learn and appreciate the history of each of the trails and imagine what they were like and how people lived in their eras.