C&O Canal Bike Trip: Hancock to Oldtown
July 13-14, 2002
- My Previous Trip
- C&O Canal Virtual Tour: Mile 124-134, Mile 134-150, Mile 148-156, Mile 156-167
- C&O Canal Biking Guide: Mile 115-130, Mile 130-150, Mile 150-170
- Western Maryland Rail Trail
- Maryland Geological Survey: Round Top Cave #8, Round Top Summit Cave
 My first overnight bike trip went off fairly well despite bad weather for part of it. I fashioned a set of panniers out of two rucksacks, some duct tape and two 18" dowels and the result worked quite well. For this trip, I started near Hancock, MD (milepost 120) and biked up to Lock 68 (milepost 165) on Saturday and back on Sunday (total milage 90 miles). This is one of the most remote sections of the canal and the wildlife, landscapes and geology were all wild. I'll keep this brief and let the photos do the talking. |  The lovely Little Pool at Mile 120. |
Round Top Cement Mill
Near Mile 128 on the towpath, I encountered the ruins of the Round Top Cement Mill. There are a series of spectacular folds visible many of which have caves or mines in their limbs. The rock is very fragile and flakes off easily in the hand. I scrambled around and found at least six of the nine small caves/mines in the area. Most are gated securely.
  Spectacular anticlines seen near the remains of the Round Top Cement Mill. The larger of the two features a cave about twenty feet high and fifty wide. Kilns are perched on a ledge above the smaller one. |
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 Five of the Round Top Caves/Mines. Clockwise from upper left: Mine #2, Round Top Summit Cave, Mine #3, Cave #6, Mine #4. All entrances are gated. Note the schitzophrenic folding and layering in the rock. |
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 Another anticlinal shelter cave, this time in Allegany County. |
The Paw-Paw Tunnel
Between mile 154.5 and 155.5, canal diggers excavated a 3118' long tunnel through solid rock to avoid six miles of cliff-fringed river. If this is the shortcut, the river route must be impressively rugged! The tunnel is straight as an arrow and you can see daylight from either end at any point inside. This does not, however, mean that it isn't really really dark inside. Headlamps are essential. Fortunately, the floor is fairly even clay and there is a solid railing the whole way through. Cycling through was very spooky and definitely the most unique cycling experience I've ever had.
 The eastern approach to the tunnel passes through half a mile of dramatic cut rock. Pins hold the near side to the rock to prevent exfoliation. You can see one of the huge boulders which slid off the far wall lying in the canal. These photo were taken on Sunday morning, thus the wetness. |
 The eastern portal. |
 Inside the tunnel. Note the daylight in the distance. |
 Finally, the surface world approaches! |
 Back out through the western portal. |
Camp
Weary and hungry, I finally reached the Potomac Forks campsite at Lock 68 where I met Doug, Bruce and Dave, three hikers on a two-night trip from Little Orleans. We had a lovely time in the intermittant rain. Eventually, I sacked out in my bivy bag only to discover it was too hot and leaked pretty extensively. The rain had become light but steady. At 11 pm, I relocated to the front porch of the lock-keeper's cottage across the canal and slept soundly.
 The camp at Lock 68. |
 The auxiliary Porch Camp. |
 A nice trestle at Lock 68. |
 Bruce, Doug and Dave headed out in the rain. |
By morning, we'd received something like 3/4 of an inch of rain and it showed no signs of letting up anytime soon. Large puddles covered the towpath. Gritting my teeth, I set out and did the ten miles back to the tunnel. When I emerged from the other side, the rain had pretty much stopped, but the puddles were still there. The weather gradually improved, but I was covered in muddier than I've ever been before, and that is saying something! At mile 135, I bushwhacked over to the recently completed Western Maryland Rail Trail and rode its nice paved surface back to Hancock. By the time I got there, the sun was out and it was getting hot. Plus the mud was drying on everything!
 Mist rises off the slopes of Sideling Hill. |
 Sideling Creek Aquaduct and the Potomac River beyond |
 A properly muddy bike. |  More mud. |
 The Wilderness Journal |  Neithernor |