C&O- Day By Day

With just three weeks to go, I’ve been doing some deeper dives into our itinerary. In my usual obsessive way, I have plotted out our course mile by mile on a topographic map and gathered information on each of the places we will stay along the way. Maps, elevation profiles, mileage… it’s all here. (For viewing these maps on a phone, try turning it to landscape for a larger version)

We start in Cumberland, MD and ride 43.5 miles the first day. Looking at the graph of the elevation on the left above you will note we are headed mostly down hill, except for that spike about 2/3rds along. Turns out that spike is where the PawPaw Tunnel is and instead of going up and over the mountain, we go through it for 0.6 miles. We won’t have to do the spike unless the tunnel is closed. And if it is, that spike represents only 60 ft of elevation gain, anyway. Then it is on to Little Orleans, where we will stay at the historic Town Hill Inn, a restored 1920’s hotel.

The second day is another forty plus mile day. On the elevation profile, the last third of that day appears to have a lot of ascents and descents, as we work our way around the base of Fairview Mtn. But once again, most of it is in increments of 30-40 foot gains and losses. It’s “not nothing” as they say, but should be manageable. We end the day in Williamsport, MD and stay at the Bay Farms B&B right in town. Their building is ca. 1850.

On the third day we arise and set off on a mere 27 mile ride. An interesting note is that, even though we continue our downward drop along the canal, we actually gain more altitude than we lose today by 50 feet. Most of that we pick up in the last mile into Shepherdstown, WV, which sits on a hill. Our spot for the evening is the Thomas Shepherd Inn, built in 1868.

At least we should get to coast back down the hill to the towpath the next morning before heading downstream toward Harper’s Ferry. We will pedal about 20 miles into Brunswick, MD. This is our shortest mileage day, which is good because we have a pretty serious hill right at the end, as you can see from the graph. Our lodging for the night is at the Travel Lodge ca. 2014. But it does have a quirky little diner next door.

Well, the final day will be a bit of a test. We have 55.7 miles down into Washington, DC. Our longest day by far. But, it is “all downhill” except for a short detour we may have to make. And we are headed home, usually a significant incentive in my experience. Also, being near a major city there are always shuttle options we could use. But, I think, if we get to day 4, we will probably be able to finish the ride on day 5.

In other news, I’ve started breaking up my training rides into shorter rides a couple of times a day. Doing it that way, instead of one continuous ride, is more like what we will be doing on the C&O. With multiple rides a day I’ve gotten to 40 miles in a day, which was my goal. Now I need to be able to do that two or three days in a row, something I have not yet managed. Always good to have a goal! 😁

Until next week, Happy Trails…