We recently received a blessing of 14 inches of snow.  Needles to say, I have spent as much time out with the dogs as humanly possible.  I have managed to get some sleep, at least enough so that I have been able to give the illusion of functioning in a normal manner.  December has been a great month in Pennsylvania for taking the dog sled out. Since receiving our first snow on December 4, there were only 2 training runs where I was not able to take the sled. 

If the weather cooperates, one of my adventures over Christmas break will be to take the C&O Canal along the Potomac River, from Cumberland to Hancock, Maryland, a trek of 60 miles through some of Maryland and West Virginia’s most beautiful Appalachian Mountain Country.  Sometime, I would like to do the entire 184 mile towpath from Cumberland to Washington D.C. The entire length of the C&O Canal is smorgasbord of history.  For example, the canal winds its way past the Antietam Battlefield where in 1862 occurred one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.  At Harpers Ferry, John Brown seized the Federal Arsenal in 1859 in an attempt to arm slaves with weapons. In 1787, James Rumsey operated the first steamboat in America at Shepherdstown, West Virginia. On January 5, 1862, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson laid siege to the town of Hancock, Maryland.  Little Orleans, Maryland was the site of one of the first labor disputes in American when construction workers, on May 17, 1838, rioted because of non-payment of wages. These are just a few of the historic sites along the C&O canal towpath.  Take a look at the site below for a virtual tour.  And, by the way, take a look at the movie of my team as we wind our way through the hills of Breezewood, Pennsylvania breaking trail. 

Merry Christmas, and have a safe New Year!!!

C&O Canal Virtual Tour – http://canal.mcmullans.org/Virtual_Tour.htm

Breaking Trail Video – Breaking Trail