by Melanie McManus | Sep 4, 2021 | Potomac Heritage Trail 2020-21, Trail Journals, Virginia
Today starts a new section of the PHT – an angled path along the Potomac (Virginia side) from Ball’s Bluff to D.C. As it’s a Saturday, Maura decided to join us for the day. So we headed out for Ball’s Bluff Regional Park bright and early in the...
by Melanie McManus | Sep 13, 2021 | Maryland, Potomac Heritage Trail 2020-21, Trail Journals
I wasn’t super stoked for today’s hike, as it was supposed to be hot and humid as I made my way to the Little Pool campsite. And with so many campsite pumps being out of operation, I had no idea what I’d be facing. But first, a look at last night. I spent most of the...
by Melanie McManus | Sep 14, 2021 | Maryland, Potomac Heritage Trail 2020-21, Trail Journals
Today’s hike to Devil’s Alley nearly killed me. OK, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But it did a number on me mentally. It wasn’t the day in and of itself, but rather the culmination of hiking so many, many days in temperatures around 90 F (+32 C), with high...
by Melanie McManus | Sep 16, 2021 | Maryland, Potomac Heritage Trail 2020-21, Trail Journals
The big question for today: Should I hike all the way from the Paw Paw Campground to Cumberland, a roughly 30-mile (48.3 km) trek, or stop a few miles/kilometers short and tack them onto tomorrow? I decided to take it hour by hour. The bike shop near the Fairfield Inn...
by Melanie McManus | Sep 17, 2021 | Maryland, Potomac Heritage Trail 2020-21, Trail Journals
I was feeling pretty good about today’s trip to Frostburg. First, yesterday’s long hike had gone well, with one exception. I’m starting to feel some pains in my right leg that are reminiscent of the leg issues I had on the Natchez Trace earlier this year. I...