A trip to the past down the Monocacy River
Three years after the Civil War ended, Decoration Day was established as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the Civil War dead with flowers. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
150 years ago the canons blazed along the Monocacy, Today all is quiet as I paddle my way.
How fitting that I will be spending Memorial Day weekend traveling a river associated with the Civil War. Along the southern edge of Frederick, the Monocacy River played its part in the Civil War. During a battle in July 1864, referred to as “The battle that saved Washington.” Confederate forces threatened to capture both Baltimore and Washington. For the complete story see Kristopher White’s story on Emerging Civil War . If all goes as planned I should be floating right through the battlefield 150 years after the bloody battle.
Early this Saturday morning I will be dropped off at the beginning of the Monocacy River at the Maryland / Pennsylvania line beginning my three day, sixty mile float ending at the mouth of the Monocacy into the Potomac River. A trip I’ve dreamed of taking for several years now.
The Pieces and Parts of the Trip
Canoes have been a part of my life for over 30 years, but never have I attempted such a trip as this one.
I will be running the river solo. By myself, I will be paddling the 60 miles, fishing, photographing, reflecting on the past and pondering the future. Adding to the trip, I will be assimilating to the past and those living in the times of the Civil War.
For sleeping and shelter arrangements, I will be using a single tarp and two wool blankets.
For food, I am taking hard tack, known today as pilot bread, venison jerky and venison summer sausage, both of which I made last weekend from deer I shot this past fall, some potatoes, eggs, a block of cheese, beans, lard, apples, strawberry preserves and tea. All to be cooked over an open fire using a single cast iron skillet.
I’m not really sure how the added caveats came part of the trip, except to say, I felt it would be cool to experience how men traveled the river once upon a time.
Wish me luck and I’ll post the results of my sure to be wild adventure on my return.
