Blogs from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, United States, North America - page 2

Back on the road again and taking up the backpack is definitely harder second time round. All the funny little details soon come flooding back to you. For example, just how much you have to cram into your bag, how much you hate flying, having to convert every dollar you spend into a logical and meaningful value, and of course, finding somewhere to stay and something to see! Luckily we were picked up by Anne's godfather after a rather delayed flight and a slow trudge through US customs- amazingly avoiding all hassle, even with the dreadlocks in tow. We visited Harpers Ferry, a national park a small drive outside of Damascus where we were staying. The park tells the story of the slavery and race prejudice in America and pioneer thinkers who tried to free the ... read more

OD We stayed too long at the "Bear's Den." Spent the morning swapping stories with a section hiker. He has a trail name but he is about to get a new one. I have renamed him "Manhatten Bear Slayer" if you meet him you will know why. The route for the day involved seven mountains and ten miles. CC was a real trooper and we walked into the shelter after dark. We did the last mile and a half with our headlamps on. CC was bringing up the rear until an undertermined creature made a bunch of noise. The noise gave her some serious energy and all of a sudden she wanted to be in front. There were some other nice New Yorkers there and we had a nice time chatting until bed time. Once ... read more

CC Been to tired to talk or type the last two nights. 2 days ago we did our first 10 mile day. Long, hard and did the last 1.3 miles in the dark with headlamps. Crossed swamp on boardwalk and once on firm ground thought I heard a bear behind me in the bushes and flew past OD to use him for bait. Next day did most of our walking in the fog. Got some nice pictures and did 9 miles with few problems. I did however do the last down hill into camp in my "Crocks" backwards, as it felt better that way. Most of my long down hills are done backwards as it helps my knees. Today (5th) we had a few snow flakes join us for breakfast. A real cold wind blew ... read more

OD Well I'll start with last night. Real bad lightning, wind, and rain about midnight. I woke up and did the flash to bang calculations, three to six miles away - no problem go back to sleep. CC didn't fair so well, it was a long night with bits of sleep off and on. The reward was a beautiful sun rise, and for the first time on the trail we had a sunny day for walking. The first half of the day was smooth and not bad up and downs. After lunch we hit a thing called the "Roller Coaster and The Devil's Racetrack" both lived up to their name. We were going to hike to a shelter way down the trail. Just about 5PM we came upon a sign that said "Bear's Den" our ... read more

Visiting was a spur of the moment decision. As we neared Harpers Ferry, driving along Rt. 340, Nancy said, "I need a cup of coffee to stay awake." "Should I drive to the visitor center where we can ride the bus to town?" I asked since there is, for all intents and purposes no parking in Harpers Ferry. "No," she replied. "I noticed a restaurant in Bolivar the last time we were here. Let's go there." Bolivar is a small village that lies between Rt. 340 and Harpers Ferry. It was at Bolivar Heights, above the town, that Stonewall Jackson set up his artillery effectively blocking the Union forces in Harpers Ferry and led to their surrender. Jackson then raided the U.S. armory taking much needed supplies, 73 pieces of artillery, 13,000 small-arms, and other stores. ... read more