It rained a little bit overnight but it wasn’t raining when we woke up early, so we decided to get up and eat and pack before the rain came back. The forecast showed it could rain any time, but storms with high winds would start in the afternoon. The guidebook mentions that the trail between Shepherdstown and Brunswick was resurfaced in 2019 so I was looking forward to 18 miles of smoother trail. We were able to keep our speed up in our bid to get a jump on distance before the rain.

We saw a few turtles crossing the trail today, as well as a couple of geese with several goslings. The geese hissed at us as we went by, but didn’t try to attack us, unlike a couple of days ago.

It started sprinkling right as we got to the pedestrian bridge to Harper’s Ferry, where the C&O Canal Towpath coincides with the Appalachian Trail for a few miles. I generally hate to leave my bike somewhere with all my bags on it, but there were other bikes locked up under the bridge, so we did the same and walked into town for brunch. Luckily, a cafe there had tables outside with umbrellas so we didn’t have to get wet while we ate.

We decided that with the worsening forecast for the day, and the small number of miles we have left, we would only go a little further to Brunswick for the night. The Brunswick Family Campground has cabins to rent so we could stay out of the storm, and the town also has a brewery we could hang out at.

We got to the campground just after noon and 26.7 miles for the day. It had still only been sprinkling, but right after I paid for the cabin and we rode over to it, it stopped raining and the sun came out. Oh well. We still liked our plan and it did rain off and on later. I was most excited about the air conditioning; it’s been so hot and humid! At least the storm should clear that out. The cabin is pretty neat too, with tables and bunks that fold down from the wall. We immediately settled in and hung all of our laundry to dry.

After showering and relaxing for a bit, we rode the mile+ into town to the Potomac Street Grill to start dinner before the brewery opened. When it was time to migrate, we discovered Jeremiah had another flat tire, and of course, that’s when the rain started pouring down. He made the quick switch to a new tube and we rode up the street to Smoketown Brewing Station, where it rained some more. They had covered outdoor seating though so we mostly stayed dry. However, they did not have much in the way of food, so we grabbed some pizza from next door to enjoy.

Jon’s friend Shaughn stopped by to visit while we were at the brewery. We will actually be staying at his place in Bethesda tomorrow night, but he’s on the way out for the weekend so he won’t be there.

The rain stopped again and we rode back to the cabin before dark. Short day/town stop success!