by Lisa Schauer
Crisp Autumn air greeted about a dozen hikers gathered at C&O Canal National Historic Park in Hancock for the annual Heritage Hike on Saturday, October 24.
Organized by C&O Canal Association, three loop hikes along the Western Maryland Rail Trail and C&O Canal Towpath were guided around town.
Highlighted by a walk past the Bowles House, hikes were staggered between distances of three to nine miles.
Following the hike on Saturday morning, 25 people were registered that afternoon for guided tours of Hancock History Museum, which features artifacts from the canal’s heyday.
photo by Lisa Schauer
Culminating the schedule of events was a catered dinner for 33 people at St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Saturday evening.
C&O Canal Association was established in 1954, the same year Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas led a group of journalists, conservationists, and local citizens on an 185-mile walk down the towpath, from Cumberland to D.C.
Dubbed “the blister brigade,” Douglas’ 8-day hike ultimately saved the C&O Canal from becoming a scenic highway, a project under consideration by the National Park Service and Congress at the time.
A subsequent reversal of endorsement for the project by The Washington Post is credited for shifting the tide of popular opinion on the matter.
Every October, the Heritage Hike is held to celebrate local history and its unique ties to the C&O Canal.
In April, the annual Douglas Hike will be held, commemorating the Supreme Court’s longest-serving Chief Justice, not for his tenure, but for his brilliant hike that altered the course of C&O Canal history.
The C&O Canal Association association is an independent volunteer group that helps conserve the historic and natural components of the canal park for its 184-mile length, and raises funds to preserve structures and promote the park.
