Success: C&O Canal Thru-Hike

Memories and reflections from nine days of adventure.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal extends 184.5 miles along the Potomac river from Georgetown in Washington, DC to Cumberland, Maryland. The brainchild of our nation’s founding father, the canal was seen as vital to connecting our fledgling country’s eastern region to its future breadbasket – the Ohio river valley.

I’ve seen many parts over the years. My goal this year: see it all.

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Further

Twenty-two days and 6,000 miles of tent-camping adventure!

Among the fondest memories of my childhood are the long summers spent traveling across the country in our turtle-topped, CB-squawking Dodge conversion van. My mom would pack us in that puppy just after school let out for the summer and we’d travel just about anywhere four wheels and a tent could get us. It has been a dream of mine to do that with Jocelyn and the kids.

Jocelyn’s story is different. Since she was tiny, summers were spent at her grandparent’s place on the rocky coastline of southern Maine. We’ve been going there every summer since we got married, and when the kids came along, we continued that routine. Sadly, in 2020 Jocelyn’s grandmother sold the place. Joce was beside herself. But grieving eventually gave way to possibility, and the stories of my childhood adventures provided encouragement that we could start a new chapter – we’d go beyond Maine. We’d see what other wonders the great United States has to offer. We’d go further.

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C&O Canal Thru-Hike Attempt

Sixty miles of adventure!

I took the second week of October to attempt to thru-hike the C&O Canal. The weather forecast was delicious – 70’s during the day, 60’s at night, cloudy most days with no chance of rain. I made it from Georgetown (mile marker 0), to Harper’s Ferry (just above marker 60). The adventure was amazing, yet I was unable to complete the hike. This post reflects on some of the great parts, how I prepared and executed, why I bailed, and what I will do differently next time.

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Maine 2020 – Episode 2

The adventure continues. A bittersweet end.

The second two weeks were as fun as the first.

The kids still had camp in the morning. I was officially on vacation from work and my mornings were spent doing yard work. I allocated about 1 hour per day for weeding, trimming, and pruning. It was equal measures rewarding and exhausting. 

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Nightmare to Reality

Confirmation bias, or just confirmation?

The apex predator of the sea has been evolving for over 16 million years – by contrast, early humans first walked upright a mere 3.6 million years ago. Found in the coastal waters of all major oceans he is notable for his size, with weight over two tons, and length averaging 11-16 feet, over 20 ft in larger members. He can swim at speeds of 25 miles per hour and descend to depths of 3,900 feet.

This killing machine has rows of jagged two-and-a-half inch teeth. An opportunistic ambush predator, he greets his pray with an initial devastating attack. An attack from below can launch his bulk up to 10 feet into the air. Highly developed senses then detect the electromagnetic field given off by the dying victim’s heartbeat.

He has no known natural predators, and is responsible for the greatest number of both bites and fatal unprovoked attacks on humans.

This is the Great White Shark…

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Lost!

Staying calm in a scary situation turned potential disaster into a rewarding adventure!

For more than a decade Jocelyn and I have come up to Maine for a two week summer vacation. We stay at Jocelyn’s grandmother’s place on the rocky cost of southern Maine. It is right on the water, 8-10 foot tides, cool air, cold water, the whole package. I absolutely love it up here.

COVID-19 has brought great challenges and new opportunities. My employer implemented a remote work policy and Jocelyn and I are taking the opportunity to bug out to Maine for the month of July. I’ll work for two weeks and relax for two. On top of that, being an early riser, I fully intend to “get out there” before work if I can!

The first week has been very busy at work and I have only been able to look out at the grand view. Wednesday, however, I completed two big work efforts that were consuming my quiet early mornings – and Thursday was my day to get out and play!

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