I am back hiking with my friend Gadget Girl (GG for short). She is now back from her travels and ultra trail races and ready to hit the trail with me. GG has been with me since the beginning in Georgia. She had obligations when I was able to hit the trail last September and this last month, but now she is available to hike with me, hopefully the entire way to Maine!
We are dropped off at Keys Gap by BG, who is the most wonderful person. We talked about podcasts on the way, and he mentions that he was on the Mighty Blue podcast with his son back in 2021 when he thru hiked. I can't wait to hear it, and make a note to download it for trail listening.
We aren't even on the trail before a gentleman asks if we'd like trail magic! He has already treated 6 thru hikers this morning! We explain that we're just starting, out so I decline the Powerade offer but I take a couple mini candy bars, as does GG, and we are on the trail minutes later.
The first six miles Into Harpers Ferry Are quite easy. The trail isn't as smooth as it was prior to Keys Gap, but it's downhill and the rocks are manageable. The weather is amazing, but we'll have to enjoy it while we can because bad weather is supposed to move in tomorrow.
There are quite a few trees still down on the trail. Some of them we have to climb over, a couple we have to climb under, and one we just have to go all the way around. I can tell they're recently down because there's still a lot of green leaves on them. There are many more trees that are in the process of falling, but they are being propped up by other trees. The PATC maintains a large section of trail in this region. They are amazing and they usually get right out to fix the trail quickly after storms, but I am sure they have other fish to fry after all these storms.
We stop a couple times so GG can adjust her pack. This will be a shakedown hike for her since she hasn't been been backpacking with me in almost a whole year! No worries, because I am in no hurry! I just want her to have fun and we can check WV and MD off our list.
The trail is pretty today. The sunlight is filtered through the tree cover. The only time we get full sunlight is when the trail passes through a power line on the ridge. There are several of these bushes that someone probably planted years ago when this area was part of a homestead.
We pass a really cool campsite just before the trail starts to descend gradually towards town. It looks like the sign is being held on with some strips of fabric. Shortly after passing 4-mile campsite, we cross the park boundary and enter the park proper, where we come across the biggest downed tree of the day, which takes a few minutes to navigate.
The trail then starts to descend fairly quickly down the ridge toward the Shenandoah River, which we can hear from some distance away. The river is so loud, in fact, that I turn off my audiobook, because I can't hear it above the din of the rushing water.
On the descent down to the river, the trail becomes quite steep. We are stepping down big slabs of rocks, some of them requires a big step down to get to the next rock. The trail is uneven and switchbacks a couple of times, but very short. We pass several small streams of water flowing down the rocks toward the river.
The trail goes under the bridge over the Shenandoah River that I drove over a few days ago, and we climb up stairs to take a pedestrian walkway over the bridge into Harpers Ferry. Instead of hiking straight down the road into town, the trail goes up a hill where we can follow a blue blaze to the ATC. I ask GG if she wants to go there to get a pack tag, but she elects to keep going. The trail then takes us by historic Jefferson Rock and the ruins of one of the original churches before we walk down a steep narrow drive to steps into lower Harpers Ferry.
The lower town is a mix of buildings owned and operated by the National Park Service and several private businesses and residences. We stop in town to take advantage of the park bathroom facilities, with flush toilets and running water.
Harpers Ferry is such a cute little town. The streets are cobblestone and the historic buildings have maintained their appearance so it's easy to imagine this is exactly what the town looked like in the mid-1800's. For a weekday in May, there are quite a few people milling about. I've been here on the weekends in the summer and this place is absolutely nuts with crowds of people and long lines to get into restaurants and museum exhibits!
We leave town over a train bridge that crosses the Potomac River via a fenced pedestrian walkway. It's getting really hot, and we will get more sunlight on the next section of today's hike, where we have to walk three miles on the C&O Canal Towpath. The Towpath starts in Cumberland, MD and travels over 180 miles to Washington, D.C., following the path of the Potomac River on its path to the Chesapeake Bay.
While nice and a very easy grade, this is my least favorite part of the trail because of the herds of bicyclists who constantly shout out "on your left," or ring bells on their bikes as they come up fast from behind. Plus, the level ground really hurts my hips from the repetitive motion. My left hip, the one that needs replacing at some point in the future, will be talking to me in a mile or two.
There are two men repairing a section of the towpath that washed out during the storm last week. I asked a man in a park service uniform how high the water got and he motions to his waist. "About this high," he says.
I'm really surprised that the Canal Towpath isn't way more washed out than it is. Along our walk we witness the evidence of the flooding. Trees are strewn about on both sides of the path. On the lock side, huge piles of trees and debris are interspersed with the usual pools of algae covered water where huge turtles sun the themselves on logs.
After a few miles the trail leaves the towpath, and we cross under Boonsboro Road. We cross the parking lot and start up the trail to Weaverton Cliffs. I've done this hill so many times over the years, probably at least 20 times, and I am surprised so many people today have warned us about the difficulty of this hike, from the man who gave us the mini candy bars, to our shuttle driver, to someone in town.
I take off my pack for a minute before we start the long ascent so I can shed my long-sleeved sun shirt. I am really hot after being in the sun for the last hour or so. At least it's shady now that we are off the towpath. The trees are all leafed out and pretty. I am near the side trail to the Weaverton Cliffs Overlook, when I see a woman is literally sitting across a switchback with her backpack on. I say hello and she says to me "I think I'm going to die right here." She is obviously taking a break from the climb.
I step over her and say "please don't do that," and I tell her that she is very near the top and not to give up hope, and that my friend is coming behind me.
I get to the top of Weaverton Cliffs ahead of GG, so I drop my pack at the trail intersection and walk out to the overlook. I've been here a dozen times before and have lots of pictures, but it's the first time that I've done it as part of my at journey from Georgia to Maine, and it's such a lovely view that I walk down to the big rocks that on a summer weekend would be covered with day hikers picnicking and taking in the view. I take a couple quick pictures and return to the trail.
GG is waiting for me, as is the woman I stepped over earlier on the trail. I sit on a log with the women and we talk for a little while. She just started out this morning from Harpers Ferry as part of a flip-flop hike, where she will hike to Maine and then return to Harpers Ferry to hike down to Georgia, but she's having issues with her back and the way her pack sits on it. She has not backpacked in a very long time. I take a message from her to give to her friend who is waiting at the shelter ahead. We tell her where we'll see her later.
After a couple more miles of ridge walking I arrive at the turnoff for the Ed Garvey shelter. This really is a beautiful shelter. It's obvious that the trail crew spends time taking care of the shelter and surrounding area.
The shelter is freshly painted and it looks like there are new benches around the campfire. A couple of years ago a gentleman was killed by a falling tree here at this shelter, and I see that it looks like all of the bigger trees have been cut down. In fact, after this happened, the PATC closed all the shelters in Maryland briefly while they assessed the danger from falling trees in other shelter areas.
Several people are already in the shelter, and I say hello and identify the miserable hiker's friend. She decides to hike back down the trail to help her friend get back to the shelter. Rain is in the forecast, so I plan on staying in the shelter tonight. Thankfully there is a ton of room here. I choose to sleep in the downstairs, which is open to surrounding woods.
This is a real two-story shelter. The first story is open to the ridge in front, offering a wonderful view of the valley in the fall when the leaves disappear from the trees, while the upstairs is reached by a set of stairs and a door behind the shelter. The upstairs opens down onto the porch below, and a plexiglass window provides light into the upstairs. Were we expecting a thunderstorm tonight, I would definitely want to sleep upstairs, since it's more protected from the elements.
I have to get water which I dread because it is almost a half a mile straight down the hill. Someone tells me that a spring is running just a tenth of a mile down and I am thrilled to pieces to save the crazy hike down and back up. GG arrives at the shelter, and she goes and gets water while I heat up the last of my water for dinner.
When she returns I go to get water. In the middle of the trail is a doe with a fawn that looks like it has just been born. The fawn is reaching up and nursing frequently on wobbly legs. The baby is definitely a newborn! I'm not going to disturb her, but I'd really like to get water at some point soon. She walks forward 10 or 15 steps and then I do the same. I stop when she stops, not wanting to hurry her, but she seems nonplussed by my presence. This water trip may take a while. Eventually she takes a hard turn into the woods, her baby wobbling behind, but is in no hurry. I'm glad she doesn't feel alarmed. I don't think her baby could go very fast anyway
I get water, make dinner, and we all say good night and tuck in before it's dark, about 8:15 pm.
Today's Stats: 14 miles, 1,900 feet gain, 1,900 feet loss
Trail Stats: 227K feet gain, 232K feet loss
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