Touring - Specialized Crossroads for touring?

I'm looking for advice on the suitability of a Specialized Crossroads hybrid for a week-long summer tour along the unpaved C&O towpath in Maryland. The bike is probably 3-4 years old. I picked up the bike at a garage sale for $3, replaced the rear brakes, straightened the real wheel and put on 32 mm tires and I'm really growing to love it as a commuting bike.
Issues I wonder about are how well would the (non-adjustable) front shock work with front panniers, and would there be a problem with heel strike on the back? It would probably be a hotel rather than a camping tour.
I'm a novice tourer, regular commuter and road biker.

Hybrids are fine for touring and can accept panniers. I have toured for a week on bikes much lower in quality than the Crossroads.
To avoid heel strike select a pannier with a heel cutout profile rather than a simple rectangular shape. You only need the extra space of front panniers for camping loads. A hotel touring load can easily fit into medium-sized panniers. A bar bag will come in handy for valuables and as a map holding platform.

Many thanks. Will give it a shot.

I got a low rider front rack from performance awhile back that will mount to just about any fork. Having the weight down low in front is more comfortable for me than rear panniers.