Home»Ed Ruttledge Photography»Travel - Adventure»2011 C&O/GAP Bicycle Tour

Joining a group with Adventure Cycling, I journeyed from Washington DC to West Newton, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh) between September 25 and October 1. We covered over 300 miles, only 20 of which were paved. The route took us along the historic C&O Canal tow path from Washington DC to Cumberland, Maryland. We then continued on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail from Cumberland to our terminus. We bicycled through the Washington DC Mall, Harpers Ferry, Antietam, through the Paw Paw Tunnel and the Great Savage Tunnel and crossed the eastern continental divide.

Conceived by a company founded by George Washington, the C&O Canal was opened in 1831. The trail along the tow path is now operated by the National Park Service. The GAP trail has been built on abandoned railroad beds by the Allegheny Trail Alliance.

While the journey was both scenic and full of history, our trail conditions were less than ideal. It rained every day of the tour. Already compromised by a recent hurricane, the C&O trail was especially soft and muddy. Our camp locations were, at best, damp (one evening our dining shelter flooded during a downpour). Fortunately, the group was made up of experienced cyclists who ably navigated the mud, wet weather and soft trail conditions for extended miles.

This gallery contains twenty-seven images captured during this bicycle journey. Most images were captured with my Canon S90. A few were captured with my BlackBerry smart phone.