Before I begin, let me say thanks all for the wealth of information. It's greatly appreciated. The wife and I have been reading the posts and trying to work the logistics.
Couple of questions. Some of the info we've seen says that this trail's easiest run south to north. I'm thinking "hey, it's a canal trail, can't be that far off flatlands". Is there an appreciable difference in direction? Wife's a 100lb rider and we will be carrying gear, it is a concern, albeit small.
Looks like only the NPS trailheads allow 24 hour parking. We're looking at having a car sitting at a trailhead for 2-3 days. Anyone know if this is indeed true? If only the NPS that looks like it has us running north to south anyway, so they're somewhat interdependent.
thanks!