Join us on March 22nd at 10:00 a.m. for a Pop-up Walk from White’s Ferry to the Turtle Run Hiker-Biker Campsite: Meet at White’s Ferry (mile 35.5). View the remains of the granary ruins. Walk down the towpath to the remains of the old iron bridge. Next, view the stone arches that were once part of culvert #49. Turn off the towpath to Old River Road and walk by the old cabins. Turn left and walk to the towpath. Walk to culvert #49. There is no water in the canal. For those who can climb into the canal prism, we will walk to the other side of the canal and down to the stream. We will look inside the culvert that was once a passage culvert before the bridge was built at White’s Ferry in 1876. We will then proceed down the towpath, passing by trees damaged by a tornado, to the Turtle Run Hiker-Bike campsite (mile 34.43). At the campsite, we will walk to the river’s edge and view Harrison’s Island that was the staging area for the Battle of Ball’s Bluff in October 1861. We will walk back up the towpath to White’s Ferry.
Stay for lunch and socialize: You can buy lunch at White’s Ferry Grill (or bring your own) we will eat together and share comradery.
Registration is required and limited to 15 hikers.
Jon Wolz, our local expert on the C&O Canal and leader of our “pop-up” walks, has a long history with the canal. As a Montgomery Blair High School sophomore and Eagle Scout, he had already hiked the entire canal. In 1970, Jon was the Boy Scout chosen to testify before a Senate subcommittee on behalf of the bill to protect the C&O Canal as a National Historical Park. Maryland Congressmen Gilbert Gude and J. Glenn Beall sponsored the bill. Since 2015 Jon has volunteered as a level walker with the C&O Canal Association (COCA). His two levels encompass the area from White’s Ferry to Monocacy Aqueduct.