The C&O Canal Trail Gets a New Detour

We’ve been waiting for this news over two years, since the late Senator Robert Byrd announced he scored some stimulus dollars to refurbish the Knobley Mountain tunnel and trestle to connect the small railroad town of Carpendale, West Virginia, with the nearby C&O Canal path just south of Cumberland.

The realization that this dream was now a reality did not come from a press release or newspaper article, but with old-fashioned on-site reporting.

From Whom All Blessings Flow

We received some good news this week about a groundbreaking on the C&O Canal.   Big Slackwater (don’t you love those colorful names?) lock and dam, closed for several years due to serious erosion from the Potomac, will be restored – thanks mostly to a federal stimulus grant, funding from the state, and hard work from the local representatives and visitors bureau who made getting this segment repaired a priority project.

As has been noted before, the C&O Canal is more than a historic landmark, it is a popular tourist attraction – particularly in the sports and recreation community.  Hundreds of thousand of visitors trek various segments every year.

Unfortunately, there is a bend in the Potomac in Washington County where periodic flooding took out the path. The detour to the next lock a mile upstream was particularly treacherous, but the environmental challenges for restoring the path had a hefty price tag of $17 million. Not something the Friends, County or even State could finance by themselves.

Enter the Feds to do the heavy lifting. With the largest portion of the project funded by Economic Recovery dollars, the ambitious reconstruction will be underway soon and this dramatic scenic byway will again be accessible to trail travelers.

It is partnerships involving multiple entities that make many of our quality of life and competitive facilities possible.   In Maryland, Project Open Space $$$$ are frequently leveraged with Transportation Enhancement Funds (that’s another federal piggy bank) to develop trails, since they are both linear parks and an alternative transportation option.

There was more good news on that front last week, when Governor O’Malley announced the final $4 million necessary to extend the Jones Falls Trail from the Cylburn Arboretum to Mt. Washington had been secured.   It is likely to be at least 18 months before the walking and bicycle route is underway, but community support and financial commitments were two big hurdles to be addressed and both were met.

The trail currently extends 4.25 miles from Penn Station to the Woodbury light rail at Clipper Mill, where it passes a number of historic mills, the Round Falls overlook and Baltimore Street Car Museum. Another segment winds through Druid Hill Park by the Maryland Zoo and around the reservoir, where it is a popular access for the many sports activities that occur there.

When complete, the Jones Falls Trail will extend 12 miles, from the Inner Harbor to Lake Roland at the Robert E. Lee Park.

Which brings another piece of good news, and more largess.

Robert E. Lee Park, a 453 acre gem surrounding Lake Roland, was a favorite of the four-footed set for years. Before falling into disrepair which necessitated its closing, Lee was considered the largest and most popular dog recreational facility in the area.

Lee Park has the curious distinction of being City property (and site of the first municipal water source) but being physically located in the County. It was actually a local community association that suggested the County take over management and restoration of the park.

After working out a lease agreement with the City, Baltimore County needed $6 million to make repairs and improvements to the neglected facility. These include reconstructing the pedestrian bridge, (once a railroad trestle,) restoring existing trails, adding parking, and developing up a secure dog park. (Fido activities will be confined to a specific, fenced area in the future.)

Baltimore County ponied up half the funds; the State of Maryland came through with the other half via the bond bill route. Work has already begun on the pedestrian bridge and addressing some environmental challenges due to erosion.

So when travelers on the Jones Falls Trail reach the Lake Roland terminus, Robert E. Lee Park offers a natural extension and more activities to enjoy.

Let’s give thanks to those On High who help leverage community resources and bring good ideas to fruition for everyone’s benefit.  We couldn’t do it without them.

Embarking the Great Eastern Trail

Now that the sock-burning ritual has occured, it is considered socially acceptable (at least in some cultures) to don flip flops.    (Note:  fashion cops will bust you for wearing sandals before a seasonal pedicure, but flip flops fly.) 

Thus with freed phalanges, my mind turned to hiking and all the opportunities Maryland presents for those who don’t have bunions. 

Traditionally, the vernal equinox is when hard core hikers start their annual migration up the Appalachian Trail.  Starting in Georgia, many are passing through Maryland when summer solstice, aka “Hike Naked Day,” occurs.  Unfortunately for modest Marylanders and au natural hikers, the two frequently collide because the Appalachian Trail through Maryland is a popular and well traveled route.

This is merely one example of the drawbacks that popularity of the Appalachian Trail — the most famous of all long distance trails — has brought to the rugged outdoorsmen who love the solitude of nature.  The Appalachian has become, well, too pedestrian.

Which brings us to the efforts to blaze a long distance trail for the hardiest of hoofers, extending 1,800 miles from Alabama to the Finger Lakes of New York, threading through some of the most remote regions of the mountain chain and connecting nine states.  Of all the states comprising the Great Eastern Trail, Maryland is the only one that has its entire segment (with two options) complete.

(Disclaimer:  Maryland is only one mile wide at this point between West Virginia and Pennsylvania, but that isn’t the reason our portion is complete.  Read on.)

Benton MacKaye’s original vision for an Appalachian Trail in the 1920′s showed a network of “braided” trails running the length of the Appalachian Mountains.  Blazing the original trail was accomplished almost entirely through volunteer efforts.  When a route for a new trail was identified about ten years ago, the same model was incorporated.   Implementation of this path will involve existing volunteer trail clubs, augmented where necessary by new volunteer groups.

Governmental entities are involved, of course (particularly where $$$$ and easements are needed) but the emphasis will be on volunteerism.
 
Maryland is fortunate because the pass through routes were already in place — the C&O Canal towpath in Hancock is accessed via the Tuscarora Trail which splits from the Appalachian in Shenandoah National Park and extends 220 miles into Pennsylvania, and the 43 miles circuit trail system through Green Ridge State Forest near Flintsone.
 

Maryland Department of Natural Resources declared the Green Ridge trail system part of the Great Eastern Trail in 2007.  This map shows the options for accessing the trail and continuing into Pennsylvania.  (Pennsylvania’s webpage brags their Mid State Trail is so wild you are likely to encounter more bears than people, which probably makes it a good choice for summer solstice.)
 
One of the largest volunteer groups responsible for building and maintaining these trail systems in our watershed is the Potomac Appalachian Hiking Club.  They were among the original visionaries who made the Appalachian Trail possible and they are taking the lead in blazing the Great Eastern Trail through our region.
 

The development of this trail is good news for Maryland, as it creates more interest in Western Maryland and our natural resources there.  Hancock is a wonderful destination for exploration because of the hiking trails and the Western Maryland Rail Trail — one of the most beautiful in the country.  Small restaurants and bed and breakfasts cater to trail travelers, so the popularity of these outdoor adventures has a significant economic impact on the communities along the route.
 
So now that it’s officially spring, try hitting the happy trails to enjoy what Maryland has to offer in natural beauty and healthy recreation.

Strolling through Seneca

I was in junior high (that’s what they called it back then) when President Kennedy challenged his White House staff to show their “vigah” by hiking 50 miles in a day. The route of choice was the C&O Canal, a preservation cause embraced by Supreme Court Justice and conservationist William O. Douglas.

I don’t remember how many of those New Frontiersman actually hot-footed up the Canal in the spring of 1963, but I do remember a lot of Americans embraced physical fitness at the urging of their energetic Chief Executive. I was determined to hike the C&O canal myself with a group from my hometown, but was talked out of it by my parents who prevailed with a “wait until next year.”

Sadly, there was no next year for President Kennedy. The 50 mile hike does have an interesting legacy in Maryland, though. Every November, there is a 50 mile ultra-marathon, covering parts of the C&O Canal and Appalachian Trail. Hannah Byron’s husband participates almost every year in the JFK Memorial, considered one of the elite ultra-marathon challenges in the country.

However, I never made it to the C&O canal (frat parties at Shepherd don’t count) until last weekend. Instead of 50 miles (we have to make some concessions to age, after all) I settled for 10K. And in the absence of the New Frontier, I went with the Annapolis Amblers, an amiable group of Volksmarchers who were probably in junior high when I was.

This particular volksmarch, organized by the Freestate Happy Wanderers, took us to Seneca. The Wanders charted 5K, 10K and 15K courses. My fellow amblers opted for the 10K, so we set out from Seneca Park to Riley’s Lock. It was a beautiful day, so the trail and park (which included a boat launch on Seneca Creek) were alive with activity. Motorboats, kayaks, canoes and jetskies were on the creek leading to the Potomac. As we reached the lock, we encountered fishermen who cast from the rocks and the aqueduct. Evidently, the mouth of Seneca Creek is a good place to fish since there were boaters with lines as well. Angus Phillips occasionally writes about fishing on the Potomac in the Post, so I’ll have to check this out.

The beauty of volksmarching is the comradery (we assembled as a group and pretty much stayed together in little clusters) and the interest in the route. This particular one incorporated a lot of history (our Civil War buff was delighted to learn JEB Stuart ran his cavalry through Riley’s Lock, burned some barges and drained the canal in 1863) and natural beauty. The canal was full along this particular part of the trail, and we saw turtles floating in the marshes. The Potomac was visible on the other side of the towpath, and we could see fishermen stationed on the rocks not far from the bank. As a part of the National Park Service, the canal is preserved and protected (thanks, Justice Douglas) and, from what I observed after 5K, very well appreciated. Like the Torrey Brown, the towpath has a crushed stone surface that accommodates joggers, cyclists, equestrians, and strollers (we passed them all between the two locks.) Also like the Torrey Brown, it appeals to families and teams in training. We saw quite a few of them as well.

The second part of our hike took us into the woods. The Seneca Creek watershed we followed is part of a “greenbelt” made up of federal, state, county and WSSC properties. A large turnaround pond (the mules didn’t have a reverse) took us off the canal and into the woods. We passed an old processing plant where the stone for the Smithsonian castle was quarried more than 100 years ago. Some of the dark red stones are still in the woods. Before tackling the rugged part of the trail, we stopped at Poole’s General Store. It’s hard to believe that in Montgomery County, just outside Potomac, there’s a 1901 country store that sells hardware, groceries, bedding plants and animal food. It even has a hitching post for customers who ride horses to the market. (Yes, they do. I saw other evidence of their visits.)

From there, it was over the creek (the Seneca seems to be everywhere) and into the state forest. This provided the real adventure (and exercise) of the day. No nice, level, stone surface here. Instead a narrow footpath up and down steep slopes took us through an old growth forest. My cell still had bars, but otherwise, it was a scene straight out of “Last of the Mohicans”. Can’t believe there’s anything that remote in Montgomery County. Thanks to DNR and WSSC, the protected watershed is likely to stay that way.

When we finally returned (amazingly, the Amblers reunited as a group coming into the home stretch) everyone stopped to get “stamped” by the organizing committee. This is part of the culture of volksmarching. Time is not a factor. Getting marked at various pit stops is. Volksmarchers have something like passports, chronicling where they went and how far they hiked.

Another tradition is swapping stories after the hike. A deli in Cabin John was a particular favorite of this group. (After a cholesterol-free “Clara Barton” wrap, I understand why.) Everyone shared their experiences and thoughts, discussed upcoming adventures and compared bumps and bruises.

(There is always someone armed with band-aids, Tylenol and NeoSporum. Likewise, there is always someone who needs them. Remarkably, it wasn’t me this week.)

It was a wonderful experience all around. Volksmarching is an excellent way to incorporate a regular fitness regimen and a congenial support group into a healthy lifestyle. It’s also a means to discover the beauty and history of the C&O Canal, 10K at a time. Thanks for the inspiration, President Kennedy. Sorry it took so long to get there.