Harvard Hikes the C&0 Canal w/Barbara Saffir - Limited to Harvard Club Members
This 6 mile hike will begin at Francis Scott Key Park at Key Bridge at 8:00 am. Rain date is the following Saturday, September 4.
C&O CANAL HIKE. Hike six miles at a moderate pace along the flat, dirt, C&O Canal towpath from Mile Marker 0 on the pulchritudinous Potomac River to Fletcher's Cove (just past Mile Marker 3). This 184.5-mile long canal to Cumberland, MD, which in 1971 finally became the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, was saved from becoming a highway by 55-year-old Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, who hiked it in just eight days in 1954.)
BRING/WEAR: Wear shoes suitable for potentially slippery mud or puddles and bring two bottles of water. (Cold drinks & restrooms are available at Fletchers Cove, our turnaround point.) OPTIONAL: sunblock, bug spray, hat, snack, and camera.
MEET: Gazebo at Key Bridge Park (M Street and Key Bridge, Georgetown). Copy these GPS coordinates into Google Maps: 38.9048141, -77.0682439 . (Closest metro is Roslyn, across the river.
https://www.wmata.com/rider-guide/stations/rosslyn.cfm )
RAIN POLICY/RAIN DATE: Cancelled if thunderstorms or heavy rain is forecast. Goes in very light rain or possible showers. Rain date is September 4. (You’ll receive an email by 5 pm the night before to confirm the forecast, along with a trail map.)
C&O CANAL MAP: https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/upload/CHOHmap-full-140922-v7-accessible.pdf
DOUGLAS STORY: https://www.nps.gov/choh/learn/historyculture/douglas-hike-of-1954.htm
HIKING PLAN: We’ll start at the gazebo at Key Bridge. We’ll hike along the towpath to Mile Marker 0 and then follow the paved, riverside trail along the Georgetown waterfront and return to the towpath near Key Bridge. We’ll then do an out and back on the towpath to Fletchers Cove, where we’ll take a break to enjoy the views.
About Barbara Saffir:
"Walking Washington, DC" author and Virginia Master Naturalist Barbara Saffir leads hikes and other adventures and gives talks for the Sierra Club, Cultural Tourism DC, public parks and libraries, and her own Nature Photography DC/MD/VA Meetup. A 1983 Harvard University Extension School graduate, Saffir is currently a freelance writer and wildlife photographer and a former journalist at the Orlando Sentinel, the Washington Times, and the Washington Post.
Date: Saturday, August 28, 2021/RAIN DATE is September 4, 2021
Time 8:00 - 11:30 am
FREE for Harvard Club Members
