May 12, 2018
In preparation for my Camino de Santiago in July and August I completed 21.23 miles on the C&O Canal Towpath. It represents my longest walk of the year. I began at Violettes Lock, passed the Seneca Aqueduct/Rileys Lock, passed Edwards Ferry, and turned around a mile or so after crossing Broad Run Trunk Aqueduct. My original intent was to hike 18 miles but decided to do 21+ since I won't have the opportunity to do a training hike next weekend and since there will be two days this summer when I must do 20+ miles on the Camino based upon my plans. Plus, I wanted a tough day in today's heat to see how my body and feet would do. The average daily walk on my Camino will be 17.8 miles.
On today's hike I met Dr. Bob on the trail and walked 8 miles with him. He is on his way to Mount Katahdin in Maine. In 2009 he began his Appalachian Trail thru-hike from Springer Mountain in Georgia but quit in Pennsylvania when his hiking partner quit. He plans to complete it this year now that he is retired. He also plans to complete the Triple Crown by hiking the Pacific Coast Trail in 2019 and the Continental Divide Trail in 2020. Before he retired he served as a Boy Scout Leader for over 20 years in Arlington and continues to be involved in retirement. I enjoyed hiking eight miles with him.