Old Town to Hancock; Distance = 42 Miles; People Met = 2
Here we are in Maryland, a heavily populated eastern state, and in three days we’ve met two people. Part of the reason is being on a bike trail, the C&O towpath to be precise, yet this is supposed to be a heavily trafficked bike trail. The scarcity of people results from this being the western end of the towpath which we are hiking during weekdays of mid-April.
Mike Lockery was doing construction work near the trail
Spring is now in full force. We encounter so many flowers and butterflies along our path it feels like a scene from Songs of the South. I’m likely to break into “Zippity Do-Dah” at any moment. I can also see the reason for the University of Maryland’s mascot. Turtles abound along the towpath.
There is also much history associated with the towpath, which was built between 1836 and 1850. Our tour through Maryland should be heaven for Ky, who focuses on the cultural and historical events along the American Discovery Trail. We reunited with Ky again in Hancock, she having returned from home where she had to say good-bye to her ailing dog Max.
This was the longest of Ky’s four trips back to see family and/or home; she now appears fully rejuvenated. Cindy and I are eager to see our family as well, though right now our daughters are going through the stress of school compounded with struggling to make ends meet. We went back twice during this trip for weddings, the last time being in October, but we did not spend time with family outside of those weddings and a birthday dinner for our son Noah. We are long overdue.
The towpath does not help in regards to our longing. Most people would probably regard the towpath as a recreationist’s dream: slight downgrade with sure footing and frequent campsites with toilets and water, all alongside the Potomac River. Yet there is monotony to the trail once you get beyond the coming of spring and occasional historic site. If I am to be in wilderness, back to nature, then I prefer undulating terrain and more changes of scenery. If I am not to be in wilderness, then I’d like to bump into more people, which is the purpose of this journey after all.
On the other hand, we encountered the longest tunnel of all along the American Discovery Trail, 3118 feet. You know I can’t help myself when that happens.
You’ll meet more people the farther east you travel. Western Maryland is not very populated.