My buddy and I just did our first big bike packing trip and it was incredible. Rode the entire C&O from Cumberland MD to Washington DC(187 miles) and I am still blown away by the beauty this trail has to offer. We saw tons of wildlife (several different species of snakes, turtles, frogs, birds, lizards, squirrels, and a ton of deer, raccoons, rabbits, and even a tundra swan!), ate black and white mulberries until we were sick, jumped in the river twice a day, got hit with crazy thunderstorms, had a bolt of lightning strike a tree 50 feet away, got covered in mud many times and many miles, and drank the best tasting water I have ever had out of a cave spring that an owl led us to(didn’t see the cave until we tried to follow this barred owl to get a picture of him and he landed in a tree right over the cave). We learned that 40 miles is the best, 50 is rough, we packed too much, but didn’t need anything besides maybe a cold beer. I can’t recommend this ride enough. So much history, cool towns, incredible wildlife and untouched nature, and so fun.
by WizardofWood