Hancock, MD: End of the Line


On the Maryland side, the C and O tracks are gone, turned into a rails-to-trails bike path. On the West Virginia side, the trains seem as busy as ever.
Hancock, MD: End of the Line
Day Fourteen: 12:30 p.m.: pickup at US 522. 10:00 p.m.: into warm bed in Woodbury, PA	Coming into Hancock, the canal is suddenly well-maintained and filled with water: just the portion of the canal through town has been rebuilt. Where the canal passes the town bicycle shop, and a bridge crosses the canal into a riverside park, the blue blazes return. They lead down the side street, onto the old National Road, and round about in a circle up onto the US 522 bridge that soars over the town. Crossing over the Potomac, one feels the bridge bounce sizably up and down as the heavy trucks pass by. On the far side of the river are the CSX railyards, formerly the mainline of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. A historical marker announces Stonewall Jackson Hill, from which in January of 1962 Jackson shelled the town of Hancock before moving on to capture the nearby town of Romney. Here the trail turns east, retracing its steps for five miles before climbing into the West Virginia mountains. But that must be a hike for another day. Back - Up - Next

Main Street, Hancock, MD: the National Road, old US 40		The view from the bridge: man, that river is low.