October 2-day light tour

[fallstoclimb]

kmehrzad, do you mind talking a bit about your experience on the c&o canal? i'm thinking about doing this but i have no equipment. i'm thinking it might be nearly as cheap to stay in hotels along the way since i don't have the camping equipment but even then i assume i'll need to carry a small pack. i know the surface is crushed gravel so i assume one would want to use a hybrid and not a road bike on it, right?

[owlice]

fallstoclimb, yes, use a hybrid on the C&O. I did the C&O a couple of years ago; here are two threads I started, the first about the prep (lots of good suggestions from folks here, which I really really appreciated!!) and the second about the ride itself:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=33287
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=33697

Catrin, define "light" in this context, please! For me, a good two-day trip would be from ... oh, Catonsville, MD, I guess it is, to York, PA, overnight, then back. It's 40 miles in one direction on the Northern Central Railroad/York Heritage trail. Might not be long enough for you, though!

[Catrin]

Catrin, define "light" in this context, please! For me, a good two-day trip would be from ... oh, Catonsville, MD, I guess it is, to York, PA, overnight, then back. It's 40 miles in one direction on the Northern Central Railroad/York Heritage trail. Might not be long enough for you, though!

Fair question, knowing me Am hoping to ride the GAP with Kmehrzad in the fall if all of the planets align properly. If that doesn't happen, I am thinking that - depending on where I would go - something in the 40-50 mile range a day would be nice depending on the route I chose. This would allow a nice leisurely pace and no pressure to not stop the bike if I see something I want to stop and look at.

[kmehrzad]

kmehrzad, do you mind talking a bit about your experience on the c&o canal? i'm thinking about doing this but i have no equipment. i'm thinking it might be nearly as cheap to stay in hotels along the way since i don't have the camping equipment but even then i assume i'll need to carry a small pack. i know the surface is crushed gravel so i assume one would want to use a hybrid and not a road bike on it, right?

Hi, DivingBiker from TE and I rode the C&O in October. It was a wonderful time of year, good weather, cool temps in the morning that warmed up nicely throughout the day. We rode approximately 60 miles each day for 3 days and went from Cumberland, MD (mile 185) to Washington, DC (mile 0). DivingBiker pre-arranged B&Bs along the way and it worked out perfectly. We brought our own food for breakfast and lunch and had dinners in town at night, and we carried our gear in panniers. The trail surface is quite rough, you'd definitely need a hybrid. The trail is bumpy with imbedded rocks, exposed roots, and ruts left from other cyclists during wet rides. I don't think I'd do the ride if I had to camp, especially if you were to go in the summertime. Even though it's shaded, the mosquitoes are very bad since you have water on one side, if not both, during most of the trip. I've ridden portions of the C&O during warmer months and was attacked by mosquitoes when I stopped for just a few minutes.

Catrin - I still owe you a response and will get back to you shortly.

[fallstoclimb]

Thanks guys! Sorry to hijack the thread a bit, but I'm eager to hear first-hand from people who have done the C&O. owlice, it sounds like you had a lot of fun!