End of 370 miles- Less wildlife more urban campers

Busy final 12 miles. Many trail users including a formal running race. Did see about 15 Double-crested Cormorants.

Mile Marker 2.3

Incline Plane

The Incline Plane was built in 1876 as a way to combat early traffic issues during the heyday of the canal. It lowered boats directly into the Potomac River to avoid boat traffic in Georgetown and delays there. Prior to that, some frustrated boat captains were having to wait two days to get into Georgetown from two miles away because of boat traffic. Since Georgetown was not the final destination for every boat and many just needed to go through Georgetown to access the Potomac River at the tide lock, the incline plane was created to enable boats to bypass Georgetown. A river lock wouldn’t work because the location where the backup occurred was more than 39 feet above the river at low tide. The Potomac Lock and Dock Company proposed the incline plane, which was a caisson into which a boat would float. The boat, encased in the caisson, traveled on the rails of the incline plane from the canal and descended into the river. It was balanced by two counterweights and powered by a turbine supplied with waterpower from the canal. This engineering marvel was the largest of its kind in the world. Unfortunately, it soon became non-essential as transportation on the canal dramatically declined in the following decade. The incline plane was seriously damaged during a flood in 1889 and was never put back into service. Today you can barely make out the incline straight up from the wayside exhibit along the canal. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Mile Marker 1.0

Alexandria Aqueduct

One lone pier, the remainder of the north abutment above the Key Bridge, is all that stands of the once magnificent Alexandria Aqueduct. Also known as the Potomac Aqueduct, it was built between 1833 and 1843, and stood as a technological marvel of early 19th century engineering. Its purpose was to connect the C&O Canal to Alexandria via a seven-mile-long canal for trade and commerce. When the Civil War began, the federal government seized the aqueduct, drained the water, and converted it into a roadway to transport troops and supplies. After the war, it was converted back into an aqueduct with a toll bridge above. By the 1880s, the aqueduct was no longer in use. The wooden aqueduct was removed, and it was replaced with a steel truss structure that could carry heavier traffic to Virginia. When the Francis Scott Key Bridge was finished in 1923, the aqueduct was abandoned. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Mile marker 0.4                     

Douglas Bust

Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas played an integral part in saving the canal from being turned into a parkway during the 1950s. His love for the canal led him to challenge editors from The Washington Post to hike the entire 184.5 miles of towpath with him to see why the space should be left untouched. His efforts provided a focal point for media attention and intensified the efforts of conservation groups who sought to preserve the canal. Thanks to his efforts, the National Park Service abandoned the parkway idea.  (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Mile marker 0.0                     

Georgetown

Georgetown is situated on the Fall Line and was the farthest point upstream that oceangoing boats could navigate the Potomac River. Established in 1751 as a tobacco port town, Georgetown is where the C&O Canal begins. The creation of the C&O Canal provided an economic boost to the area. Transportation of goods such as tobacco, sugar, and molasses from the West Indies, as well as salt from Europe, passed through Georgetown. These shipping industries were later replaced by coal and flour industries, until they declined in the late 19th century. A flood in 1890, coupled with the expansion of the railroads, brought destitution to the canal, and Georgetown’s waterfront became more industrialized. The shipping trade vanished from Georgetown between the Civil War and World War I. In 1967 the Georgetown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Wet spring morning with a beautiful ride (except for detour)

So many egrets! Kept pace NPS truck for about a mile. Nearly done with this C&O adventure. 

Mile Marker 14.4

Washington Aqueduct

Every day, more than 150 million gallons of water from the Potomac River detours into the Washington Aqueduct system to serve the water needs of the nation’s capital. George Washington devised the plan for this system in 1798, but no one took the project seriously for another 50 years. The aqueduct was built in 1859 by the Army Corps of Engineers and in 1864, water from the Potomac finally began making its 12-mile, mostly underground trip to the Georgetown Reservoir. The gatehouse for the original intake system, built from distinctive red Seneca sandstone, still stands next to the Great Falls Tavern. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Mile Marker 13.8

Stop Gate

Stop gates were constructed along the C&O Canal to protect the canal, its structures, and communities built around the canal from flood waters. This stop gate was originally built in 1852 and reconstructed with a modern winch system by the National Park Service in 2009. Located not far from the Great Falls Visitor Center, the top portion of the stop gate resembles a covered bridge but it’s actually a winch house. It stores a winch and planks of wood, just a little wider than the foundation. When the river floods, the stop gate is deployed to create a temporary dam that protects the canal downstream. The winch is used to lower the planks, one at a time, through the floor and into grooves that have been cut into both sides of the stone foundation. Some water does pass through, but the majority is stopped from rushing downstream into the canal and causing damage. The use of seven stop gates reduced flood damage and prevented additional devastation throughout the canal’s history. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Mile marker 7.6                     

Glen Echo Park and Clara Barton House

The bluffs above Lock 7 were the site of a Chautauqua, an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This one had only one successful season in 1891. Glen Echo Amusement Park then occupied the site, becoming the area’s premier amusement park for many years, until 1968. The National Park Service acquired the site, removed some of the amusement structures, and opened the park to the public in 1970. Since then the park has offered cultural and educational programming, and visitors can ride the historic Dentzel Carousel.

Just upstream from Glen Echo is the Clara Barton House, where Clara Barton spent the last 15 years of her life. Barton, known as the “angel of the battlefield,” was a volunteer nurse and relief worker during the Civil War. She later founded the American chapter of the Red Cross. Barton lived in the house, which served as a working headquarters for her relief operations, until her death in 1912. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Fun training day with friends

 

Spring temp swings

It was 26 degrees when we began and 28 when we finished. We certainly were not the most hard core as folks were putting in their kayaks.

Saw many deer, ran along an egret for 3/4 of a mile, and saw many tweeties including female Cardinal.

Mile Marker 22.8

Seneca Stonecutting Mill

The Seneca Stone Cutting Mill was the center of one of the industries associated with the canal. It operated from 1837 to the early 1900s, milling stone from Seneca Quarry for many structures on the canal and public buildings in Washington, D.C., including the iconic Smithsonian castle on the National Mall. The mill’s water wheel, and later a turbine, were powered by water from the canal. The Seneca Stone Cutting Mill also cut granite and stone shipped from neighboring quarries. Granite and marble used in the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument were cut here. In 1901, the mill closed its doors for the final time, and in 1972, the state acquired the land and it became a part of Seneca Creek State Park. Today, the mill ruins are all that remain. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Forgot to account for daylight savings time when planning

So didn't have enough light to make 20 miles to next parking area but had nice 14 mile run as the sun came up. Saw a tent camper, other cyclists, joggers, and dog walkers. Several squirrels were cheering us on by running alongside us.

Mile marker 35.5                   

Whites Ferry

White’s Ferry is a one-of-a-kind on the Potomac River. Until it closed in 2020, it was the last operating ferry on the river, transporting vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians from Maryland across to the Leesburg area of Virginia. The ferry dates back to the early 1800s and gets its name from former Confederate Lieutenant Colonel Elijah White, who owned a nearby farm and purchased the ferry after the Civil War. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Mile Marker 30.9

Ruins of Jarboe’s Store

Close to Lock 25 are the brick ruins of Jarboe’s store. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, Eugene E. Jarboe ran a grocery and feed store, while also serving as postmaster at Edward’s Ferry. Gene’s sons, Sam and John, ran the store after their father tragically drowned in the lock while loading cattle. The store closed in 1906. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Nice training at Slate River BDC

Trained Friday with a point, honor, and double point. Was bird planter on Saturday and ran as bye dog. Good training for each of us. 

Spring has sprung on C&O canal

Saw five herds of deer moving across and adjacent the trail. Saw lots of flying waterfowl- mallard, woodies, and a common Merganzer. Also saw fat squirrels, egrets, blue jays, Cardinals, and some other passerines.

Mile marker 35.5                   

Whites Ferry

White’s Ferry is a one-of-a-kind on the Potomac River. Until it closed in 2020, it was the last operating ferry on the river, transporting vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians from Maryland across to the Leesburg area of Virginia. The ferry dates back to the early 1800s and gets its name from former Confederate Lieutenant Colonel Elijah White, who owned a nearby farm and purchased the ferry after the Civil War. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)