Solace on the C&O Canal Towpath

My hopes for 2022 were high. We all suffered through two years of a global pandemic and I had every intention of starting 2022 off strong. But life had other plans.

On January 1st I was in Grand Targhee, Idaho and Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a week of skiing w/ teammate Austin King and his family. A big dump came through mid-week leading to some of the most incredible powder days I’ve ever experienced. Two nights before heading back to NY I received a phone call from my mother in the middle of the night. My father had suffered a stroke and was currently unresponsive in the ICU. Early that morning I was on a plane to DC.

My father became more responsive and attentive during my first week in DC, but wouldn’t leave the hospital for another few weeks. My mother slept by his side every night that first week as I stayed in my childhood home, alone. I’d visit DC numerous times throughout the year to help my mom and assist in my father’s recovery. He’s getting better, but still recovering.

After the first trip to DC, I was able to bring my bike down from DC by train or automobile. My folks live just across the Potomac River making the C&O Tow Path easily accessible. I found solace on the towpath. Large stretches of the towpath were void of others. I’d ride for miles, just me, the bike, and nature.

The C&O Tow Path was created to bypass Great Falls and now exists as a recreational trail. You’ll find the canal teaming with geese, ducks, and turtles with the occasional muskrat or heron.

A series of locks and lock houses adorn the trail. The locks were used to raise and lower ships through the canal. In recent years the lock houses have been renovated and are available for rent. One day I hope to ride the ~330 miles from Pittsburgh to DC on the Great Allegheny Passage.

Offshoots of the Potomac also serve as a great place for kayakers. If you’re lucky, you can watch them go through a rapids course.