Is the C&O Canal Getting Muddier?

[kevinal]

Maybe it’s my imagination, but I’d swear the C&O Canal – particularly that stretch between Chain Bridge and the Capitol Crescent overpass – is muddier and stickier this year. I don’t remember having to slog my way through it like I do now (although, come to think of it, maybe it’s just me getting older), or having my drive train so gunked up. Do they occasionally resurface the path with gravel?

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[TwoWheelsDC]

@kevinal 109344 wrote:

Maybe it’s my imagination, but I’d swear the C&O Canal – particularly that stretch between Chain Bridge and the Capitol Crescent overpass – is muddier and stickier this year. I don’t remember having to slog my way through it like I do now (although, come to think of it, maybe it’s just me getting older), or having my drive train so gunked up. Do they occasionally resurface the path with gravel?

I’d wager it’s largely due to the lack of dryness we’ve had…when it has been sunny, it has been cold, so the mud freezes before it can dry out. When it does get warm, it’s not for long enough to dry out, or it’s too cloudy/humid/rainy to really get dry. Of course, my only real evidence for this is my frustrated observations of my own yard, which has pretty much only been frozen or muddy for the last two months and is really starting to annoy me.

[brendan]

You’ve been riding the towpath? In this slush?

B

[Author]

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