Day 017 - Indian Springs to Hancock MD

The day was overcast threatening rain all day with temps near 40. Today's walk went thru Hancock, MD which is in the narrowest part of the Western Maryland panhandle. Squeezed into a two mile wide strip are the following from North to South:
Pennsylvania
Mason Dixon Line
Interstate 70 / US 40
Hancock, Maryland
MD 144 (old National Road)
Western Maryland Rail Trail
C&O Canal
C&O Canal Towpath
Potomac River
West Virginia

I could see both Pennsylvania and West Virginia today but it will be later this month before I actually walk thru them. The Western Maryland Rail Trail is a paved bike path that starts east of Hancock and is currently 22 miles long. The C&O Canal Towpath is a 184 mile long dirt path from Georgetown to Cumberland, MD.

Four members of the Susquehanna Rovers AVA walking club joined Tom Jackson and I on the walk today. They were Alice Eckardt, Amy Trommer, Sue Wheeler and Pat Eby.

Tom choreographed the walk so that the four Rovers walked with me starting at the Western Maryland Rail Trail trailhead. Once the Rovers finished their walk they returned to their car and I cut over to the C&O Canal Towpath. Tom had driven to Hancock and was heading east on the towpath. When we met he walked west with me to his car where we drove to Weaver's Restraunt for lunch with the Rovers who had spent the last hour shopping. Once lunch was over Tom drove me back so I could pick up where I left off.

Everyone got AVA credit for doing the C&O Canal Towpath Walk section #3. I was surprised to be able to do a 16K walk. I did not think I'd be doing a single AVA walk en route. Tom handled the paperwork for everyone.

The Rovers wanted to know if I would be back in time for the annual Hershey walks Thanksgiving weekend. I told them I couldn't make any promises.

Right I'm the middle of the tow path were two turkey vultures mating. Sorry no pictures. This is a PG rated blog. Joan and I had done AVA walks on two other portions of the C&O Canal Towpath. During the 2006 conference in Hagerstown we walked the towpath near Williamsport, MD. In October of 2008 the Liberty Bell Wanderers had a bus trip to the US Freedom Walk in Arlington. We walked a potion of the towpath near Georgetown as part of the half marathon walk.

If anyone is interested in purchasing the "US 40 Today" book by Thomas & Geraldine Vale, Sue was able to buy it new from Amazon com.