Last night in the tent I turned on my headlamp and picked over Bella’s body. Pitbulls have very little hair, making it relatively easy to locate ticks

Got an earlier start today. I often take a screenshot to know what time I set off — even if living in the moment is the goal you might need a data point later in the day.

The night before our trip I had an 8 pm performance — too late to make the drive to Cumberland unless we wanted to set up camp after midnight — so we opted for an early morning departure.

To be honest, I’ve never found the C&O Canal towpath all that alluring. A flat green tube. It was the sight of my very first overnight bikepacking trip, a trial to test my new gear.