Day 5: Hancock, MD to Frostburg, MD

June 28, 2023

In which I carry lots of mud from one place to another

Wow, what a slog that was! Almost 8 hours of riding, and I didn't get to my destination until after 7pm. I only had time to shower, find some food, and eat before collapsing into bed.

The first 14 or so miles out of Hancock were nice - I used the Western Maryland Rail Trail, and it was very pleasant. With the previous day’s rain, the woods were damp and cool. Lots of birds singing, and even a deer who didn't dive off the trail as soon as she noticed me.

But all good things must come to an end. Eventually the WMRR diverged from the C&O and I had to hop back on. Or maybe back in! There was a lot of mud and puddles. For the next 50 miles to Cumberland - the end of the C&O. I think I saw all the mud variants: wet soupy mud, thick sticky mud, and everything in between. A couple of local riders I spoke to along the trail said this is about as bad as it gets. I know they are working on resurfacing the trail in sections, but this area definitely should be first!

Ok, I’ll stop talking about mud. There were occasionally nice things to look at. I did see two more pileated woodpeckers, but still couldn’t get a picture. They are incredibly skittish of us humans. When they see you they hop to the other side of whatever tree they are on. If you then slow down or even go back to try to look, they just fly off in a different direction and are gone. I don’t see these 17” woodpeckers where I live, so I keep trying when I’m in other parts of the country.

When they say "falling rock" they mean it!

In contrast to the first lock-house I passed, this one just had the foundation and chimney remaining.

I messed up scheduling this, and thought I could do 77 miles of trail in one day. I hadn’t counted on the mud, but that’s just bad luck. There is a long tunnel at Paw Paw, and I thought I read somewhere that it’s back open after construction work. I was mistaken. It’s still closed. This meant I had to climb OVER the Paw Paw trail that the tunnel goes under. It’s a hiking trail, so it’s much more rocky (and muddy) than most cycling trails. It was also extremely steep - grades up to 18.5%! I couldn’t bike up that grade on a smooth road, let alone a muddy trail, so I pushed the bike pretty much the whole way. If I stopped for a breather, I had to maintain a tight grip on the brakes or the bike would begin to slide backwards.

Parts of the canal in this area had all these lilies which made for a nice change. They seemed to be done blooming, but look nicer than algae.

Eventually I got to the top and the way down was actually a road - a PAVED road! It did lead to a couple more steep climbs before rejoining the trail, but at that point I was just glad to be over the top!

Eventually I rolled into the town I SHOULD have made my stop for the day - Cumberland. This is where the C&O ends and the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail starts. The C&O doesn’t have many trailside amenities (like food) so I was out of most things. I found a restaurant that a guest at my last B&B recommended - the Crabby Pig and had a barbecued pork sandwich. I hoped that would re-energize me as I was pretty wiped out and still had 15 miles to go to get to Frostburg.

I was told the GAP trail was paved. This is not true. It’s got the butter-smooth crushed surface that was so nice on PARTS of the C&O, but the trail has no holes (and no standing water) and no mud! It’s quite smooth, and easy to ride on. My issue (being pretty low-energy at the moment) was that it’s uphill for quite a while. Those 15 miles I had remaining were mostly at a 1-2% grade up. The trail ran along a railroad track, so obviously the grade wouldn’t get crazy, but it was quite surreal for me being on a trial like this. My brain kept saying to me - ok, around that next bend it MUST go down for a bit. Nope! Just more up. I was so tired I was stopping for a breather every mile, and my speed was difficult to keep above 7 mph.

I like how they think they need to tell you to stay on the "people side"

This tunnel was pretty well lit - some weren't

It is a nice trail - I just needed to get to my end-point for the night. Mile after grueling mile rolled under the tires, and eventually I did arrive in Frostburg a bit after 7pm. There was also a steep climb from the trail up to the town, and I’m not ashamed to say I pushed the bike most of the way. There was just no gas left in the tank.

My B&B host was very accommodating, offering me a hose to wash my (very) muddy bike off. There must have been 3 pounds of mud in my fenders. He also handed me a cold beer, which was most welcome! I managed to shower the mud off, then took a walk up the street to a pub. Upon returning, I collapsed into bed. It had been a muddy mess of a day, but at least it was behind me.

Tomorrow should be an easier day - 58 miles to Ohiopyle, PA

Today's ride: 77 miles (124 km)
Total: 234 miles (377 km)

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