I'm going to be riding from DC to Pittsburgh starting this weekend, camping along the way. A couple main questions for the folks who've done this:
1) Fenders or no fenders? I currently have fenders on the bike, and it seems like a good idea to keep them, especially given the potential for mud on the C&O. Any reason to leave them at home?
2) We're going to finish in Bloomfield. Any thoughts on the best route to get there, given that the Sandcastle portion still isn't done (sigh)?
Any other tips or suggestions are welcome, or even if someone has the link to an old thread on the subject (I had trouble finding them all).
FENDERS! Parts of the C&O are like riding through Dagobah to yoda's house, so if its rained in the last week, you will get muddy. And if it rains on the PA portion of the trail, you'll get that trail grit all over your legs and back, and you'll have a crunchy drivetrain all the way home.
Definitely keep the fenders.
Have you camped on the C&O before? If you haven't the campsites have wells, and the water out of most of them is actually pretty good (all of the ones with handles have past recent safety tests, but some taste better than others).
I'm thinking that you would probably want to go over teh Mon on teh Rankin Bridge to get to bloomfield without going over Squirrel Hill.
The most efficient way to get up to the Rankin Bridge from the Trail might the Whitaker metal road - but I don't know how to find that , or even if it is acessable, brom the steel valley trail.
I still have some hopes of doing this in the next month or so, but not this weekend unfortunately. So, the "any other tips" part is certainly welcome.
What all should I take? I've got a spare chain, a couple fiberfix's, a tire boot, a couple tubes, and some tools - anything else essential?
I'm planning to camp but not take any food aside from some snacks, assuming it's easy to find some kind of stores near the trail.
I'm hoping to do this next year, Pittsburgh to DC (or maybe just Cumberland the first time), using B&Bs and hotels.
Here's my list so far:
sunblock
bug spray
first aid kit
tylenol
emergency blanket
earplugs for sleeping near trains
hand sanitizer
maps of surrounding area, including road detours for C&O in case of mud
bike headlight and charger
cellphone and charger
cash and credit cards
rain gear including helmet cover
maybe jacket/long pants for cold
2 spare tubes, patch kit, tire levers, multitool
fiberfix replacement spoke and spoke key
emergency tire boot
chain repair: chain splitter and chain connector or spare?
clothing
I'm not sure yet how many sets of clothes to bring. Do laundry every other day? Then 2 bike shorts and shirts, plus a set of regular clothes should be enough.
Keep all your food in one pack that you can hoist up into a tree.
True even if you plan on doing the B&B's and you "only have snacks."
Steven's lsit seems pretty good. I cut of the relevant pages from the Delorme Gazetteer maps and they ahve come in handy.
Every time I've been on the C&O, I've gone off-trail at some point. Even in the best weather, I'd leave the trail at Williamsport and go through Sharpsburg to Antietam.
Mick, can you clarify about the detour at Williamsport? Which travel direction does it pertain to? We're probably going to take a detour over to Antietam anyway to see the battlefield, so this would be good to know. Also, is the food thing a bear precaution?
Either direction.
If you are coming from DC, leave the trail at Antietam (not sure how to recognize the place) or a few miles earlier at Lock 37, where there is only one road out (more like a driveway), named "Mountain lock Road".
Take Harper's Ferry Rd to Sharpsburg, then Rt 65 through the battlefiled to Bakersvile Rd to Rt 63, to Williamsport.
In the other diredction, just reverse it.
The trail takes a detour that is unnecessarily hilly a few miles East of Williamsport, anyhow, might as well skip it.
Cool, thanks for the tip.
