Category: Photography

Mileposts and Calendar Photo Submissions

Hello Level Walkers,

Jim Tomlin, Jim Heins and other volunteers are working on a project to replace some of the C&O Canal mileposts that are in poor condition. You may recall that the markers were repainted by Meredith Matczak, Jim Tomlin, and Mike Bucci (See June 2020 Along the Towpath https://candocanal.org/atp/2020-06.pdf). Since then it has been noted that some of the mileposts need to be replaced. Jim and Jim have worked with the NPS to get the molds to make new markers and will be making and replacing ones that really need help. These are markers that are broken, heavily gouged or worn down. If they need painting they don’t necessarily need replacement.

Your help is requested. If you are aware of a marker on your level (or elsewhere) that is a candidate for replacement, please let me know at lw@candocanal.org and I will pass it on to Jim and Jim. Send photos that illustrate the condition. At the present time they have identified Mileposts 5, 6, 8, 57, 77, 85, 120, 141 and 155. Your help will be greatly appreciated!

The NPS has passed on the annual request for calendar photos. The calendar uses photos taken by C&O Canal volunteers and staff. The following notice from Emily Hewitt provides dates, details and submission information. Please remember that sending the highest quality resolution helps with use of your photo.

It is time for volunteers and staff to submit photos for the 2024 C&O Canal calendar! Photos of all areas of the park, through all four seasons will be included in the calendar. So if you have photos of historic structures, flora/fauna, volunteers, or just about anything else in the park, please submit them! 

You may submit your photos by email or via Google Drive to chohvip@gmail.com. If you have multiple photos with large file sizes, you may want to batch your photos in multiple emails to ensure they go through. 

Please label your photo files with the location and name of photographer.  

– For example: BigSlackwater_Jane_Doe. 

The deadline for submission is Friday, May 5th, 2023. If your photograph is selected, you will be contacted and credited in the calendar.

Dog Photo Opportunity

Hello Level Walkers!

I know many of you level walk with your canine friends, so I didn’t want to delay getting this request from the park to you.

Please contact Emily Hewitt Emily_Hewitt@nps.gov if you (and your dog) are interested.

Thanks, Steve

Dear Volunteers, 
I am starting a fun little project to celebrate the park’s 50th anniversary. I would like to collect a photo of each milepost with a dog next to it. Some of the photos will be highlighted on social media with a fun fact about the area during this 50th anniversary year. All photos will be posted in an album. 
If you would like to participate, please email me by April 16th and let me know which milepost you would like to claim. Then send me a photo of your dog next to that milepost in the next couple of months. 
For your reference, the following mileposts have already been claimed: 0, 10 ,11, 20, 21, 51, 74, 99, 100, 104, 121, 126, 167, and 184.5
By submitting a photo, you agree to have your dog featured on the park’s social media. 
Please let me know if you have any questions. 
Thanks!

Emily Durán Hewitt, Volunteer Program Manager, C&O Canal National Historical Park

C&O Canal Update – March 24

Hello Level Walkers,

Happy Spring! Here is an update from the C&O Canal NHP Volunteer Manager.

Thanks for your support!

Steve

Dear Volunteers, 


It is wonderful to see the start of spring. If you are out in the park and get some nice photos, please remember to submit them for the 2022 C&O Canal calendar. Photos can be emailed directly to chohvip@gmail.com or shared via the Gmail drive to the same email. 


With the nicer weather, Great Falls Tavern has expanded pop-up table hours to Friday through Sunday, and Williamsport will be operating a pop-up table on Saturdays & Sundays beginning April 3rd. 


Finally, please help spread the word. The park has an immediate opening for volunteer camp host at our Antietam Creek campground. This opportunity is available for the 2021 season. Required schedule is 32 hours/week. R/V pad with hook-ups is provided. More information and an application can be found at this link –  Volunteer Opportunity Detail

Thank you & enjoy the nice weather!

Emily Durán Hewitt

C&O Canal Update – March 10

Hello Level Walkers,

Here’s an update from the park.

Thanks, Steve

Dear Volunteers, 
Spring is ahead of us and the park is getting busier. Staff would like to take this opportunity to remind you that, while our volunteer team is very knowledgeable, we do not expect our volunteers to know everything under the sun. If you are volunteering in the park and a visitor asks you a lot of questions you do not have the answer to about a specific topic, please feel free to refer them to either the park’s main phone line (301-739-4200) or to the park information email (choh_information@nps.gov). If you have questions, please always feel free to reach out to your program supervisor.
It is time to submit photos for the 2022 C&O Canal calendar! Photos of all parts of the park, through all four seasons will be included in the calendar. So if you have photos of historic structures, flora/fauna, visitors, volunteers, or just about anything else in the park, please submit them! 
Once again this year, we ask that you submit your photos via Google Drive tochohvip@gmail.com. To do this, compose an email and hover your mouse over the plus sign next to the attachments, click on the drive icon (resembles recycling logo), upload the photos you would like to share, and send to chohvip@gmail.com. If you have any issues with this, please feel free to attach photos to a standard email sent to the same email address. 
Please label your photo files with the location and name of photographer.  – For example: BigSlackwater_Jane_Doe. 
The deadline for submission is Friday, May 7th, 2021. If your photograph is selected, you will be contacted and credited in the calendar.
Thanks!
Emily Durán Hewitt

Park Events, Visitor Centers and Calendar Photos

Hello Level Walkers!
Three messages from the National Park Service follow.  I hope you are able to get out and enjoy the towpath during some of the spring weather!
Steve

Summer Fun at the C&O Canal National Historical Park

Experience the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal) this summer. Bike or walk the towpath, stop by a visitor center, ride a boat in Williamsport, or attend a park ranger program or special event.

June 9, July 7, August 4: Dulcimer Music. Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center*, 2:30 pm; 30 minutes, Join the Mountain Dulcimers of Northern Virginia for live music and try playing this unique instrument.

May 12–13: Civil War Encampment. Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center*, demonstrations at 11 am, 1:30 pm, and 3 pm; 60 minutes.  In 1862, the United States was in the middle of the Civil War with a hostile border along the Potomac River; explore this story with the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry, walk through the camp, and talk to historical re-enactors through the entire weekend.

May 26 through September 2: Williamsport Launch Boat Tours. Williamsport Visitor Center, Wednesday through Friday, 1 pm, 2:30 pm; Saturday and Sunday 10:30 am, 1 pm, 2:30 pm; all tours 60 minutes. This free program includes riding a historic replica boat from the Cushwa Basin to Lock 44 and back. Call (301) 582-0813 for reservations. Reservations recommended and can be made seven days in advance, starting May 19, 2018.

May 26 through September 2: Life of a Lock Keeper. Lock house 44 near Williamsport Visitor Center, Friday through Sunday 1:15 pm to 4:15 pm. Lock keepers and their families were essential to the canal’s operation. Stop by lock 44 to discover what they did and how they lived on the C&O Canal.

May 27: Organ Grinders. Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center*, 9 am to 5 pm. The National Capital Chapter of Music Box Society International demonstrates this unique and historic type of entertainment.

June 2: Maritime Voices. Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center*, 12 pm and 2 pm; 45 minutes. The Washington Revels Maritime Voices musical ensemble revives songs featuring life on the canals and waterways of 19th-Century America.

June 30: Dragonfly Walk. Lock 70 in Oldtown, Maryland,10 am; 2 hours. Discover the “odonates” – dragonflies and damselflies – in the most diverse population in the National Park system. Walk 1.5 miles downstream along the C&O Canal. Bring comfortable shoes and water, a dragonfly guide, camera, spotting scope or binoculars.  Space limited to 25 people; Reservations: chohvip@gmail.com.

July 28: Canal Thru Ride Slideshow. Trolley Barn at Williamsport Visitor Center, 2 pm; 60 minutes.Take a virtual thru ride along the C&O Canal towpath and discover dams, locks, lockhouses, culverts, bridges and aqueducts. Space limited to 25 people; Reservations: chohvip@gmail.com.

August 25: Protecting the Canal: 1861-1865. Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center*, 2 pm; 60 minutes. Explore Civil War efforts to protect the C&O Canal and the effect of war on families living along it. Space limited to 25 people; Reservations: chohvip@gmail.com.

August 25: Meet the Canal Mules. Williamsport Visitor Center, 10 am to 2 pm.  Meet hardworking National Park Service Mules Eva and Dolly and imagine pulling canal boats for a living.

Additional programs and activities will be scheduled throughout the summer months. Call or stop by park visitor centers at Cumberland, Williamsport, and Great Falls Tavern to find out about additional special programs.

*Park entrance fees may be charged at Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center but park ranger programs are free.

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Visitor Center Summer Hours

Brunswick Visitor Center (301) 834-7100

40 West Potomac Street, Brunswick, Maryland

Thursday and Friday 10 am to 2 pm; Saturday 10 am to 4 pm; Sunday 1 pm to 4 pm; Closed Monday through Wednesday

Cumberland Visitor Center  (301) 722-8226

Western Maryland Railway Station, 13 Canal Street, Room 100, Cumberland, Maryland

Open Daily 9 am to 5 pm

Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center (301) 767-3714

11710 MacArthur Boulevard, Potomac, Maryland

Wednesday through Sunday 9 am to 4:30 pm; Closed Monday and Tuesday

Williamsport Visitor Center (301) 582-0813

205 West Potomac Street, Williamsport, Maryland

Wednesday through Sunday 9 am to 4:30 pm; Closed Monday and Tuesday

Call for Photos – 2019 C&O Canal Calendar

The park is now accepting photo submissions for the 2019 C&O Canal Calendar!
Photos of all parts of the park, through all four seasons will be included in the calendar. So if you have photos of historic structures, flora/fauna, visitors, volunteers, or just about anything else in the park, please submit them!
Once again this year, we ask that you submit your photos via Google Drive to chohvip@gmail.com. To do this, compose an email and hover your mouse over the plus sign next to the attachments, click on the drive icon (resembles recycling logo), upload the photos you would like to share, and send to chohvip@gmail.com. If you have any issues with this, please feel free to attach photos to a standard email sent to the same email address.
Please label your photo files with the name of photographer and location.
– Ex. BigSlackwater_John_Doe.
The deadline for submission is Friday, May 25th, 2018. If your photograph is selected, you will be contacted and credited in the calendar.

Above and below – Paw Paw Tunnel, Level 58, March 31, 2018

PPT mon

Level Walker Safety and Volunteer Calendar Photo Submissions

Hello Level Walkers,

It’s hard to believe it is spring, especially with the treat Nature presented us with the first day of spring. Despite the persistent cold, I am already seeing increased level walks.  Thank you for that!

With the onset of the canal season this is a good time to review safety practices.  I will be sending out some general safety reminders in the near future, but for now there are a couple of new potential safety issues that the Park Service wants us to consider when we are out there.

If you come across what appears to be a homeless camp, occupied or unoccupied, during your level walks, do not investigate it, disturb it or attempt to clean up around it. The risk of bio-hazards and other dangers is too great.  You should call park dispatch to report the camp.

Please be extremely careful when you are picking up trash on the park. There is an increased risk of finding drug user materials or residue. This can expose you to very harmful and toxic chemicals that are being used by drug addicts.  The attached safety alert provides you with some of the dangers of trash pickup and some precautions. If you are unable to read or download the file please contact me at levelwalker@candocanal.org and I will send you a pdf version.

Annual Volunteer Calendar Photo Submissions. The following info is sent by the National Park Service:

We are now accepting photo submissions for the 2019 C&O Canal Calendar!

Photos of all parts of the park, through all four seasons will be included in the calendar. So if you have photos of historic structures, flora/fauna, visitors, volunteers, or just about anything else in the park, please submit them!

Once again this year, we ask that you submit your photos via Google Drive to chohvip@gmail.com. To do this, compose an email and hover your mouse over the plus sign next to the attachments, click on the drive icon (resembles recycling logo), upload the photos you would like to share, and send to chohvip@gmail.com. If you have any issues with this, please feel free to attach photos to a standard email sent to the same email address.

Please label your photo files with the name of photographer and location.

– Ex. BigSlackwater_John_Doe.
The deadline for submission is Friday, May 25th, 2018. If your photograph is selected, you will be contacted and credited in the calendar.

Above – Lock 39 detail, Levels 28 and 29, March 8, 2018

Below – Drug Exposure Safety Alert, NPSTrash Pickup and drug exposure

July 29th Volunteers-In-Parks Speaker Series – Canal Photography

This is the next event in the continuing VIP speaker series that the NPS hosts. I can assure you the weather won’t be as shown in the photo! (Taken during the Heritage Hike/Halloween snow Oct. 29, 2011) – LWC

On July 29th from 10 am to 12 pm Steve Dean will be having a photography walk/talk in Hancock. It will begin with a discussion at the Bowles House followed by a 2-mile round trip walk to Culvert 179. Opportunities for photographing two locks and some excellent towpath perspectives will be provided along the walk. Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance and provide the make and model of the camera to Steve, cando.culverts@comcast.net. All camera types are welcome from iPhones to single lens reflex cameras; participants without a camera are also welcome! Steve will be available at the visitor center for an hour before the event for anyone who wants to show up early for some preliminary questions or discussions.

The program is free and space is limited to the first 12 guests. If you would like to attend, please RSVP with your name and how many will be in your party to Kelsey Smith, kelsey_smith@nps.gov. The Bowles House is located at 439 East Main St, Hancock, MD 21750.

Above photo – Bowles House, Hancock Md. – Level 47 – October 29, 2011

Calendar Photos, Level Walks, and a Help Wanted Ad

Hello!  This is one of my rambling blogs on various topics. I’ve been quiet lately – but things will get busy again, so stand by.

We’ll start with a reminder about the park’s wonderful calendar, which is full of photos taken by the park’s volunteers.  If you plan to contribute, you only have until Friday, May 19th.  Refer to my March 20th blog for details on how to submit photos.

Preparations are underway for the June 2017 Along the Towpath.  It will include level walker reports for walks completed through May 19th.  If you have a report for a walk, please submit it to me by May 22nd.

I need to get some extra coverage on selected levels to pick up where there has been reduced activity or retired level walkers.  In particular, I need additional help on busy Level 1, in Georgetown, and on Level 14, below Whites Ferry. I also need some additional help on levels in the Harpers Ferry area, downstream of Hancock, and in the West. If you’d like to consider an additional level, or want to have a change of pace from your current level, please get in touch.

As always – thanks for all you do for the C&O Canal National Historical Park!

Photo – Four excursion boats on the canal during the Conococheague Aqueduct groundbreaking on May 5, 2017 – Level 37

C&O Canal NHP Calendar Photo Submissions

This announcement is from the C&O Canal National Historical Park, National Park Service, about the annual call for submission of photos for the park calendar.  This beautifully designed calendar is given to volunteers at the annual volunteer recognition dinners and other park associates.  Note that submission of photos is only open to park volunteers and NPS staff.  – LWC

Park Volunteers & Staff,

We are now accepting photo submissions for the 2018 C&O Canal Calendar!

Photos of all parts of the Park, through all four seasons will be included in the calendar. So if you have photos of historic structures, flora/fauna, visitors, volunteers, or just about anything else in the Park, please submit them!

Once again this year, we ask that you submit your photos via Google Drive to chohvip@gmail.com. To do this, compose an email and hover your mouse over the plus sign next to the attachments, click on the drive icon (resembles recycling logo), upload the photos you would like to share, and send to chohvip@gmail.com. If you have any issues with this, please feel free to attach photos to a standard email sent to the same email address.

Please label your photo files with the name of photographer and location.

– Ex. BigSlackwater_John_Doe.

The deadline for submission is Friday, May 19th, 2017. If your photograph is selected, you will be contacted and credited in the calendar.

Thank you.

Emily H. Hewittt, Volunteer Program Manager, C&O Canal National Historical Park

Photo and video – Lock 22, Pennyfield; February 25, 2017 – Level 8