Apart from a very cold week in late December, and two snowy-ish days (around 1 inch each time), winter was non-existent this year.
I believe we had a relatively normal amount of precipitation for this time of year but it all fell as rain because of the mild temperatures.
The silver lining was that I was able to get out on my bike more often this winter, which was a huge positive.
Some highlights from this season:
8 December 2022: Winter SUP Session
A few hours of cold-weather paddling on the Potomac River with my friend Chuck. Great fun! We put in at the River Riders campground boat ramp and explored a few miles upstream before returning.
I’m prioritising the bike this year, so I’ve been making an effort to get out for long rides along the canal and neighbouring roads solo and with friends.
1 Jan: 50 miles along the canal upstream from home to dam 4 and return. Cold!
7 Jan: 44 miles, climb of Mar Lu ridge, behind Point of Rocks.
18 Jan: 36 miles downstream along the C&O canal with Paul.
25 Feb: 60 miles along the canal upstream. Cold! Snow flurries on the return journey. Rode with the only 2 other cyclists I saw that day – Eddie and Hannah – for 10 miles or so, in the middle.
3 March 2022: Raven Rocks in the snow
The only other snowy hike this winter, a really enjoyable climb up to the Raven Rocks lookout on the A.T. with Lexi.
The idea is to leave after a normal work day, head out for your overnight adventure, and then return the following morning, so you can go back to work without missing a beat. Theoretically, it doesn’t eat into work time, and only requires a minimal amount of time away from the family.
Day 1: Home to Killiansburg Cave Campsite, 16.8 miles
I left at 3pm — it gets dark by 5.30pm in January — so I could reach camp in the daylight.
It was fun to load the bike up again in bikepacking mode. It’s been a while! I also had a rucsac with me for camp stuff, since the winter sleeping bag took up the whole seatpack.
Cannondale cyclocross bike loaded up, at the steps to Harpers FerryThe ride was a straight shot ~17 smooth(ish) miles along the C&O canalA typical hiker biker campsite along the C&O canal – this one is Killiansburg Cave campsite.Home from home – a Nemo Hornet 1p. Very comfortable and very light weight. I’m looking forward to more field testing soon.Had just enough daylight left to squeeze in my dinner before it got dark……but not enough daylight to also make my hot chocolate. That was enjoyed in the dark!Plenty of time in the tent — there was 14 hours of darkness — to write in the journal and read on my kindle.
Day 2: Killiansburg Cave Campsite to home, 16.8 miles
I slept ok, but not as well as those nights on the A.T. lastyear. The 17 mile ride hadn’t tired me out nearly to the same extent. I sleep best in the tent when I’m completely beat up after a super long day.
I woke naturally as the dawn broke, at around 6.30ish. I popped out the tent and made breakfast in the half-light, then retreated back to the warmth of my sleeping bag to eat the breakfast.
Bizarrely, I managed to tweak my neck during this lying-down breakfast, which made the rest of the day uncomfortable. Curse you, old age!
I got away around 8ish and enjoyed a quiet ride home along the canal, only passing a handful of dog walkers. I was warm and comfortable, despite the temperatures in the low 30’s F (a little above freezing C). It was only my extremities that took a while to warm up.
The campsite at dawn, around 6.30am.Breakfast with a view, even if it was a tad chilly (the temperature, not the breakfast).Miles of quiet gravel trail – buenisimo!The C&O canal and towpath at Antietam CampgroundReflection in the Potomac River, from Antietam AqueductBack at Harpers Ferry, beneath the Maryland Heights cliffs, just before crossing the pedestrian bridge back into town.
After the success of our first bike tour, I was keen to get the boys out for another adventure before the weather got too cold. With a long weekend coming up, and a stable — but cold — weather forecast, it was perfect time for it.
On the last tour, we rode from the C&O Canal Parking at Shepherdstown to lower town Harpers Ferry, over 3 days and 2 nights. This time, we started from the same place but rode upstream, away from Harpers Ferry.
The plan was to ride for 8 miles to Horseshoe Bend campsite, camp for 1 night, then reverse the route the next day to meet Lexi at the parking spot again.
In some ways, it’s an even better route because there are fewer people and less bike traffic. It’s completely in the woods so the scenery is lovely. The surface is good quality crushed gravel with only a few rough patches.
Day 1: Shepherdstown to Horseshoe Bend campsite (8 miles)
We set off after lunch on Sunday. I remember feeling a bit stressed that morning getting ready. But that soon all melted away once we got underway. The boys were really excited again and all smiles as we set off.
Setting off from Shepherdstown
The trail is beautiful, traffic-free, and flat, so it’s ideal for riding with the boys. At points it drops down steeply to the river, so I had to encourage Owen to look forwards and ride in a straight line. He does weave about a bit but he did tremendously well to ride the full distance on his tiny bike.
The C&O Canal trail is ideal for riding with kids since there is only one way to go and no traffic
When I’m out with the boys, my policy is to stop whenever they want to explore. They don’t want to ride non-stop like I do, they want to see things and engage with nature. It’s the best way to keep them happy and break up the day so we can cover the distance and keep it fun.
On this section of the canal, there are tons of caves to explore, so we stopped at just about every one.
Lots of caves to explore along this section of the trail
We also stopped by the river whenever opportunity presented itself. I’m happy to enjoy the stunning river vista and the boys are happy to hunt for shells, bugs, and fish.
Watching the minnows at Snyder’s Landing boat ramp
I had to encourage the boys to keep pedaling, to keep some momentum, to ensure we could get to camp before it went dark though.
Brothers on the trail together
We pulled into Horseshoe Bend hiker biker campsite around 5.30pm, an hour or so before dark. This gave ample time to set up the tent, make dinner, and, you guessed it, explore the surroundings.
Our tent at Horseshoe Bend campsite
It was a beautiful fall evening and the colors along the river were starting to show. In another week or so, it’ll be sublime!
Beautiful fall colors along the Potomac River
We shared the campsite with one other bike tourer, a gentleman named Mike, who was riding from Pittsburgh to D.C. (this is the GAP + C&O combined, that Pete and I did as part of our 2014 NE bike tour).
Full view of the campsite
Mike had a fire going already when we arrived, and the boys enjoyed this as much for the spectacle of the fire as for the warmth. It was a cold evening, a portent of things to come.
Enjoying the warmth of a campfire and hot chocolate (wishing we’d brought s’mores stuff!)
It was dark by 7.30 so we were in the tent before 8 to read books (Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, fantastic story!).
The boys were asleep by around 9, me shortly afterwards.
It was a cold night! It got down to 34 F. The boys slept right through the night but I woke up a few times rather cold, my old summer sleeping bag not quite cutting it. Not a bad night though, I had plenty of layers to put on.
Day 2: Horseshoe Bend campsite to Shepherdstown (8 miles)
We awoke to a beautiful morning, with mist hanging over the river.
Mist on the Potomac River at daybreakWaking up in the tent after a cold night. The boys slept as well as they do at home! 🙂
Owen helped me make peanut butter bagels and hot chocolate (for the boys), granola and tea (for me) on the camp stove. Once made, we took the breakfast back to the tent to eat with Dominic, from the warmth of our sleeping bags.
Packed up and ready to ride, morning of day 2
The riding on day 2 was a reverse of day 1’s route. They were a little tired so I bribed them with M&Ms every time we stopped.
Rough area ahead (but it wasn’t bad at all)Dominic and Owen on the trailMe bringing up the rear
Dominic found a great rocky beach to explore mid-morning. We found lots of river clam shells (some really big ones) and hung out for a half hour or so playing games and watching the river rush by.
Beach combing along the Potomac
Again, we explored some of the many caves in the area. The boys wanted to go deeper than I was willing to go. When Dominic said “Dad, we’ll have to crawl through here” I said that was far enough 😉
I just need to mention “spider!” if I want to get them out the cave quickly
We had a longer lunch break at Taylor’s landing (incidentally where I met Chuck on a paddle board trip a couple of months ago).
The boys were content to balance on this log and jump back to the shore. Everything is a playground at this age.
The Great Outdoors. Best playground in the world.
We passed a (water) snake on the towpath after lunch. The boys were fascinated. Soon after, we saw a couple of field mice, which would have made a tasty snack for the snake.
Snake on the trail! A water snake (I think)
Half a mile further on, we crossed paths with Chuck and his buddy, out on a bike ride going the opposite direction, and chatted with them for a while.
Then all that remained was to ride the last couple of miles back to the parking lot at Shepherdstown, where Lexi met us.
Lexi took the boys and their bikes, the trailer, and all the camping gear home. I rode back home on my bike. It was a nice to ride a light bike again.
Overall, it was great fun and another successful trip together. Way more fun that sitting around the house and watching TV. I think the boys enjoyed it as much as I did. My goal is to have them enjoy it so they want to keep doing these adventures for years to come.
Day 2: SUP 10.5 miles / 4 hrs 48 min & Bike 23.3 miles / 2 hrs 29 min
Day 3: SUP 2.1 miles / 1 hr 3 min & Bike 4.3 miles / 41 min
Day 1: Home to Cumberland Valley campsite
Day 1 route along the C&O canal on the bike
I left home on the bike towing the trailer loaded with camping gear and paddling gear. The portage down the steps at the end of the pedestrian bridge — to gain the C&O canal — was rather strenuous to say the least! It took 4 trips to get the bike, trailer, board, and dry bags down to the canal.
The riding was easy by comparison! Well, at least this first section up to Shepherdstown, where the most notable thing was the number of other bikers and walkers out (it was a beautiful afternoon!).
Past Shepherdstown, the riding was quieter. It’s a really lovely section. I did spy through the trees that the river was extremely low (almost at drought level), so there were far more rocks showing than on previous paddles. This didn’t bode well for the paddle boarding part of the mission.
Rocks, rocks everywhere on the Potomac
Shortly after the Big Woods campsite, the trail deteriorates to loose sandy gravel and ruts. It’s all rideable, but not very easy compared to the trail up to that point.
I fell off at one point. The deep gravel slowed the trailer down, which pulled at my bike and threw me off sideways into the grass. No harm done, the whole thing was quite amusing. Shame I didn’t have a video! 😉
Crash!
Next up was the impressive dam 4 – a low head dam across the whole river connected to a small hydro plant. I remember being here with my brother in 2014, on our tour of the C&O and GAP trails (part of a longer NE USA tour).
Dam 4
Past dam 4 is my favorite section of the trail, where you ride along the side of the river on the towpath. The barges traveled this section of the C&O canal along the river, because dam 4 backs the water up and makes for a deep, slow section, known as Big Slackwater.
Towpath at Big SlackwaterIt’s a lot of gear! But honestly, it’s totally manageable as long as you don’t meet any hills…
Up ahead I could see some ominous red signs, barriers, and construction machinery. Uh oh! The towpath was closed. Thankfully, there was a diversion, so I didn’t have to abandon my plan to continue further along the trail.
The detour turned away from the river and climbed steeply up a dirt trail to a road. It was so steep that I had to face backwards and pull the bike up by the handlebars, right at my limit. It was too heavy to push. This was what I came for though, adventure and struggle. Loved every minute of it.
Detour!Doesn’t look like much but it took a severe effort to pull this lot up the hill 😉
After the dirt road came a few miles of hilly country roads. It was excellent cycling, but hard work with the trailer. I also missed having my clip-in shoes, having opted to ride in trainers (so everything else was easier).
I was relieved to reach the C&O towpath again a few miles later. My quads were screaming with the effort and I was ready to reach camp.
I almost stopped at Opequon campsite because it looked excellent and was empty. But I stuck with my plan to reach Cumberland Valley campsite – it would give me more paddling miles tomorrow.
I made it to camp!
At camp, there were 4 other bike tourers: John, Dave, and Barry (a group from PA) and a younger guy called Mitchell. We had a really fun evening chatting and swapping stories. Dave brought out a bottle of salted caramel Tennessee whisky at one point, which smelt amazing. Even though I don’t like whisky, I was game to try this one and it was surprisingly good. A great night, lots of funny stories.
Day 2: Cumberland Valley campsite to Huckleberry Hill campsite
River Route on the SUP (day 2)
Day 2 paddling route
Day 2 started with a beautiful sunrise over the Potomac. The river looked serene and inviting. The beach was muddy and shallow, so not ideal for launching, but after assessing it for a while, I decided it would go. No way to avoid the mud though.
Early morning on the Potomac River, from Cumberland Valley campsite
Back at the tent, I blew up the board and had breakfast. It takes much longer to strike camp when you have to also transition from one sport to another.
River transport, trail transport, and home
John, Dave, and Barry were fascinated by my setup and plan to travel home via the river. They helped carry my stuff down to the river bank where I lashed the bike to the front of the board, and the trailer to the back of the board.
With that done, it was time to push off into the river!
With the extra weight, the board was definitely a little more wobbly than usual, but I quickly got used to it. I pushed out to the middle of the river kneeling, but then stood up once it was deeper.
My bike strapped onto the front of the board, with the front wheel removedSuper happy to be out on the riverI stopped for lunch at Opequon campsite, 5 miles downstream from where I campedThe board beached at Opequon campsiteOutstanding scenery along the Big Slackwater section of the river
I paddled past the closed section of the C&O canal towpath, where several teams of construction workers were hard at work to rennovate the towpath. It’s a beautiful section of the river to paddle. Wide, deep, and slow moving. It’s more like a long lake than a river at this point. Makes for relaxing, slow paddling.
Floating alongside the towpath at Big Slackwater
I took out at Big Slackwater boat ramp, about a mile upriver from dam 4. These low head dams are super dangerous for paddlers, and an almost certain death sentence if you go over one.
At the takeout
I’d paddled about 11 miles downstream, in four and a half hours. My hands and shoulders were tired, so it was a good time to transition back to the bike.
Bike Route along the C&O (day 2)
Originally I had hoped to paddle this section, but the river was so low, and so many rocks were exposed, that I decided it wouldn’t work for standup paddling. So I hopped back on my bike to ride the canal downstream again, to Killiansburg Cave campsite, where I planned to camp.
Day 2 bike route
Along the way, other hikers and bikers kept mentioning the coming storm (the remnants of Hurricane Ian). I knew that rain was forecast but wasn’t expecting anything worse. But since everyone else was planning to be off the trail, I was open to reconsidering my plan. I got a new forecast as soon as I had reception again, and since it still looked like only heavy rain, I decided to stay out for this second night.
I had an early dinner at Killiansburg Cave campsite but decided to keep going. It wasn’t as nice as some of the other hiker biker campsites.
Dinner – mountain house meal and a cup of tea
I rode all the way to Huckleberry Hill campsite — where I’d camped with the boys a few weeks earlier — and set up just as the rain was starting to come down. There was one other hiker at the camp, so I wasn’t the only mad one camping in the rain.
A wet and muddy camp at Huckleberry Hill campsite
Day 3: Huckleberry Hill campsite to home
It hammered with rain all night, and I woke up to huge puddles outside the front of the tent. The saturated ground couldn’t soak up all the rain.
Everything was wet and muddy, the water had even seeped into the front half of the tent. But I still slept pretty soundly through it all!
Home, sweet homeBoiling water for breakfast
Breakfast SUP session
Day 3 paddling route
This section of the river is just upstream from the remnants of dam 3 so, like it does at dam 4, the water gets backed up. Hence, it’s deeper than other parts of the river and suitable for paddle boarding, despite the severely low river. So I inflated the board and headed out for a morning paddle. Since I wasn’t moving camp, I didn’t have the bike and gear loaded up on the board this time.
Breakfast on the river
The mist and rain showers made for an atmospheric paddle, and the mountains over Harpers Ferry looked magnificent.
Looking downriver to Harpers Ferry
Strong gusts of wind made the paddling upstream arduous, and created small waves on the river to add some extra excitement. All in all, a great paddle.
Taking a break at “shell beach”
Final bike leg to home
Day 3 bike route
I struck camp for the final time, and rolled up the sopping wet tent. Everything was wet and muddy, but I was grinning ear to ear.
Packed up and ready to roll out of camp on the morning of day 3
There were two final obstacles before reaching home. First, hauling all my stuff up the stairs onto the bridge into Harpers Ferry. And then second, riding up the hill in Harpers Ferry to get home. Both were suitably hard and a fitting finish to the tour!
Recap Video
I took a few videos on my phone, which give the flavor of the trip:
A great few days testing out this multisport bike/SUP discipline. After the first bike/SUP experiment proved that the concept works, this one proved that it scales to multi-day trips.
It’s given me enough knowledge to know that the full C&O canal towpath and Potomac river could be traversed in this manner. Starting from HF, I could paddle to DC, turnaround and ride to Cumberland, then float back to HF. I would need to portage the rapids at HF and Great Falls of course, and the dams, but the majority of the river is flat and runable. I think it would make for a great 10 – 14 day adventure. One for the future!
At the beginning of summer 2022, my wife and I sat down with our boys and made a bucket list of summer adventures. We had a great summer and ticked most of them off. But there was one adventure — dear to my heart — that we hadn’t done yet. Camping.
The boys were desperate to go. They really enjoyed last year’s micro backpacking adventure. I was keen too, so it was time for another adventure.
Day 1: Shepherdstown to Antietam Creek campground (3 miles)
I rode from home along the C&O canal to Shepherdstown where I met Lexi and the boys. She picked them up from school and brought their bikes and the camping gear in the car. The plan was to ride back home over the next 3 days.
Super excited as we set off!
I used a Burley Flatbed trailer to haul our camping gear: the tent, 3 sleeping bags, 3 roll mats, cooking gear, spare clothes, 3 days of food, and about 12 liters of water!
We covered the 3 miles to Antietam campground quicker than I expected. The boys rode really well.
I forgot that Antietam campsite required online bookings, so for a short while the success of the trip hung in the balance whilst I booked one of the last remaining tent sites, on my phone with very patchy data.
The campsite was fantastic (apart from the individual shouting obscenities at various times through the night. Drunk? Probably. Thankfully the kids slept through it.)
Day 2: Antietam Creek campground to Huckleberry Hill campground (8 miles)
We were up and away by 8 the next morning. A thick, wet fog hung over the river and the campsite so the grass, the tent, the bikes, and our feet were all soaking as we set off.
Soon after leaving the campground, we arrived at Antietam Creek Aqueduct, so we stopped to explore for a while.
Looking out at a foggy Potomac River
The river looked stunning with the fog.
Potomac River from Antietam Aqueduct
We stopped for lunch at Lock 37. Chicken wraps, fruit, muffins, and tea (for Dad) were on the menu.
Owen’s helmet had a lot of positive comments from other hikers and bikers
Along the way we stopped frequently to explore the river edge, collect bugs, and check out the cave near Dargan.
“Shell beach” near to Huckleberry Hill campsite“Naan” the cicada came along for part of the rideWhat’s more exciting to a 7-year old than a real cave?
The boys rode strongly all day and easily managed the 8 miles. The key was the frequent stops to explore, so that they never had to ride too far in one go.
We arrived at the campsite in the early afternoon, when no-one else was there. By dinner time, a handful of other bike touring groups had arrived and one hiking group.
The evening light over the river was beautiful.
That evening a park ranger visited the campground, to check everyone was ok and ask for more information about the drunk at Antietam the previous night. I was relieved that the ranger was out there, because I was nervous he might show up again.
Another unusual thing happened that night too. We heard a series of loud pops, then a few moments later, heard a tree falling down. It sounded like fireworks going off! Thankfully, it happened some way away from the campsite but nevertheless was a sombre reminder that there are risks to being out in the woods. It was dark when this happened and I meant to look the next morning, but completely forgot 😉
Day 3: Huckleberry Hill campground to lower town Harpers Ferry (4 miles)
We enjoyed a leisurely morning at camp, enjoying the quiet and chatting with the other campers.
Huckleberry Hill Hiker Biker Campsite
We returned up the trail to “Shell Beach” for another explore, before turning our bikes downstream again, and heading down the trail towards Harpers Ferry.
We stopped to explore the river edge by the ruins of Dam 3, where the flat water turns to whitewater, and becomes a section of rapids called “The Needles”.
We reached Harpers Ferry at around 11.30am.
Climbing the stairs up the pedestrian bridge with the loaded trailer was the hardest physical challenge of the trip. It’s a spiral staircase and I was at my limit hauling the loaded trailer to the top.
The boys were tired as we walked over the bridge into Harpers Ferry. It was a hot day and they had reached their limit. We bit off just the right amount.
Lexi picked them and the trailer up in lower town, and I rode the final uphill mile back to the house.
Tired but happy at the finish line!
All in all, it was a fantastic, memorable trip with the boys. Really, really good trip.
They seemed to enjoy it a lot too. I’m looking forward to our next adventure together!
Ben Collins Outdoors 