Finding the Trail

Last May, I started hiking the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) trail. I completed the first hundred miles in two stretches. The greatest part of this trip is planning and preparation. Plan for stops, how much food to bring, and where more supplies can be obtained. Well water service on the trail begins in "mid April" and runs to October; without such amenities, more pack weight would be allotted to carrying bottled water. Preparation also includes the physical aspect of 15-20 miles per day with a backpack. Such naievity kept last year's hikes to two-day jaunts. By joining and detaching the trail at various towns, I have a little experience on how we have, and have not, maintained our transit infrastructure. The easiest entry points were those served by Maryland's commuter trains, specifically thr MARC Brunswick line, which serves Washington, DC and intersects the trail at Point of Rocks and Harper's Ferry (yes, John Brown's Harper's Ferry). More challenging, but doable is Williamsport at Canal Milepost 100. An airport shuttle known as the Bayrunner stops in nearby Hagerstown, and there is a city bus that connects to Williamsport, or more likely, one would take Uber or Lyft to maintain a schedule. Cumberland, the western end of the trail at milepost 184.5, has a daily Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, that runs between Washington, DC and Chicago. I hope to provide a review when I ride it in several days' time.