It could've been great fun but.....
1-Too many sites overrun by numerous kids. Weren't organized groups supposed to be in the Organized Group specific campsites?
2-Many sites the well pump did not work or were so slow or tasted of the idodine the NPS sometimes puts in.
3-[I] "they chopped down paradise and put in a campsite"![/I] It was difficult to hang in most sites because there are no close trees. NPS did this for the ground dwellers.
4- Bugs don't bother me, but many of the sites I could of used a shotgun to take 'em down. Deet did not help at all.
5- Potholes in the trail. The NPS in their infinite government wisdom are "fixing" the pot holes. INSTEAD THEY ARE DESTROYING THE TRAIL. They put down tons of gravel which makes a real bad surface to ride a bike on. Do they not know what they are doing?!! Its like hitting a quicksand trap and swallows up your tires.
Would I do the C&O again? - NO.
But I did meet many wonderful people on the trail. Stop in Paw Paw, WV on saturday mornings for the local farmer's fruit & veggies. With so many places to stop, you don't have to bring much food.
The Western Maryland Rail Trail runs parrallel to the C&O for 25(?) miles near Hancock, MD. Now I can say its a great paved trail, nicely done and maintained. The trail goes downhill from milepost 0 going west. It goes thru the heart of Hancock, Md. I did it eastbound uphill. About 5 miles in some local homeowner put out a cooler with cold water bottles in it for a $1 donation. He also had a sign for rides back to Hancock. You have to camp on the C&O unfortunately since there's no camping on the WNRR.
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