Sunday was another perfect late fall hiking day, despite a bit of light rain at dawn. The group rallied quickly at Total Wine, and was on the road by 7:15. We arrived at White’s Ferry 45 minutes later, and were on the trail shortly after 8. Everyone was in a mood to get moving quickly! The air was cool, but most of us had removed our warming layers by the second or third mile.
The hike covered 7 1/2 miles of historic canal tow path along the Maryland side of the Potomac River,, from White’s Ferry to a bit past the Monocacy aqueduct. We passed the ruins of several stone locks, lock keepers’ houses, and a huge power plant with a neat cooling water sluiceway that was built to match the official whitewater kayak race course for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. One of us (guess who) observed that some of the trees along the way were older than our nation. Given the cold, wildlife was sparse. Notable sightings for the day included one turtle on a log, and one snake on Nino.
The historic aqueduct was a perfect spot for lunch, and to toss a frisbee for a bit before we packed up to head back to the trailhead. The elegant civil engineering and the sheer manpower required to build the canal was a lot to think about as the hike progressed.
The terrain was flat, and the troop kept a quick pace of 20 mins per mile throughout the day. Some of the older boys sped up in the last few miles, while some of the older men took the opposite approach. After some quick photos, we packed up the cars and were all home well before 4.
A great day by all accounts, and we’re all looking forward to the annual Kepler Overlook ice festival next weekend!
You can find the photos of this hike over here.