07:45 The Preview for the Hike to Harper’s Ferry
It was an exciting day for us on this morning. Harper’s Ferry is a major goal on this hike and we would finally find ourselves climbing down the mountain to the edge and then crossing over the Shenandoah River and raiding the town. It wouldn’t exactly be like John Brown’s raid but it would be a close second.
07:52. Just One More Moment Before We Go
I had my moment in the privy pondering my thoughts about the days hike and when I returned I found these two smoozing it up in the swing. For goodness sake….. get a tent!
08:18 The Gentile Look of the Approach to Harper’s Ferry. Warning! Looks are Deceiving
Yes they were. There were portions of nice trail but it seemed that every time we had one of those patches it was followed by a “oh my feet” patch. The trail off of the mountain down to the river was especially tough plus at one point the white blazes were wrong leading me to the edge of a ravine.
09:53 One of the Few Sections Without Rocks
When it was nice it brought thoughts of “Gee I wish all of the trail could be like this!”
10:20. Finally a Harper’s Ferry Sign
Look! A sign that actually says Harper’s Ferry. This area has a rich historical past and at some point in time I need to return and read every historical sign that I can find. The fact that it was built at the point at which the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet along with the addition of the railroad made it a much sought after prize during the Civil War.
12:18. Crossing the Shenandoah River into Harper’s Ferry
I soon found myself crossing the Shenandoah across the vehicle bridge. Once on the city side of the river I walked up to the Quality Inn where we had reservations. A shower and laundry complete we walked into town and had a sandwich for lunch and made reservations for dinner.
14:49 The Obligatory Picture at the ATC Headquarters
Just up the street we found the National headquarters for the ATC . I’ve never heard of it being open!
Scenes of Harper’s Ferry
The local Catholic Church because of the Irish there working to build the railroad.
Jefferson Rock
We resupplied while in Harper’s Ferry and I ended up having Lobster Newburgh. What I didn’t find was a new mouthpiece.
One small outfitter had a connecting shutoff valve that might allow me to insert it between the feeder tube and the mouthpiece. I hiked back the mile to the Quality Inn to check it out and voila!!!! Different size tubing (Osprey versus Platypus). I managed to squeeze it in about 1/4 of the way it needed to be and decided to take a chance with it. Anything was better than hiking in this cold with ice water running down your leg.
Harper’s Ferry turned out to be the NERO that we all needed. Papa Muskrat was also there and he had dinner with us. I managed to get some cash at an ATM in a small hotel of 3 rooms but first the machine ate my card and the owner and I spent what seemed to be an eternity attempting to get the ATM back up and running. Across the street the coffee shop twice had to stop taking credit cards because their WiFi was down. It appears that new age technology has not totally reached old town Harper’s Ferry. All problems we had not been encountering on the trail.
It was time to hike on. Maryland was only one railroad bridge across the Potomac away!
Wanderings With Wayne 
Hi, I’m the retired Maryland park ranger who met you on the trail today near Chimney Rock. Good luck on your journey.
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