The next morning my driver arrived at seven and we shuttled my car to West Newton (milepost 116) before returning to Connellsville. The character of the hike changed once again. Here I was getting nearer to the far suburbs of Pittsburgh and the trail, while still following the river, passed through numerous small communities and was now often bounded by roads leading into the outlying towns. I passed Adalaide, Dawson and Dickerson Run in the first five miles and Layton and Perryopolis and Whitsett.
Trail near Dawson, Pennsylvania
About four miles past Whitsett I came to Smithton and shortly after that I crossed under Interstate 70 and through Cedar Creek Park. Three and a half miles later I came to West Newton and there retrieved my car and drove to the outskirts of McKeesport and found room for the night.
Cedar Creek Park
The trail near Boston, Pennsylvania
The next morning I drove the trailhead in McKeesport (milepost 134) which was at a boat ramp on the Monongahela River about a mile above the Ohio River. I called a cab and had him take me back to West Newton and started off down the last section trail. Since it was my last day on the trail I started off at a fast pace and soon found that I was making nearing 4 miles per hour. I took this a challenge and upped the pace slightly to see if I could maintain a one mile every 15 minute pace for ten miles. Since the trail wasn’t all that interesting I concentrated on making good time setting a new personal “best” sustained pace. As a result I don’t remember too much about Sutersville or Blythedale or Buena Vista. By the time I reached Greenrock and Boston I was well into the industrial maze of outer Pittsburgh. After 18 miles I came to the boat ramp and celebrated reaching my goal at a nearby tavern. Sometime later I took the car and found a cheap motel nearby and prepared for the return flight to Seattle the next day.
After completing the 320 miles of the C and O Canal and the Great Allegany Passage I was now in position to follow an all water route 3665.5 miles by 20 open boat and kayak to Dillon Reservoir in western Montana.