Birthday Hike

December 10,   2014         

                                                                               

I spent my birthday doing my favorite thing:  being outside! It fell on a Wednesday this year, so I took the day off work and hit the road early for Harpers Ferry.

 

The town was all decked out for the holidays, but I was headed for the hills.

I pulled into an empty parking lot at the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park Visitors Center. Where is everybody?       The place was deserted. But then I had to remind myself that it was 27 degrees on a Wednesday. 

There were four park rangers working the desk....seemed like overkill. When I told Ranger Dan I was here to hike the Maryland Heights trail, he whipped out a map and outlined the route in his happy voice, and then gave me his Serious Ranger Dan face and cautioned that MH is a difficult trail, rocky and steep and so on and so forth. Did I have the right supplies? Enough water? Does a friend or family member know my plans? Am I an experienced hiker? Sheesh! I resisted the urge to tell him I've been up Kilimanjaro. This was a mere 6 mile hike.

Ranger Dan instructed me to board the shuttle bus and it would take me to town (yep, had the whole shuttle to myself). From there I would walk to the end of the road and take the footbridge across the river...

...go down the spiral stairs and make a left on the towpath...

...walk about half a mile and look for the trail sign.

Cross the road and you're there! Funny thing is, there are parking spaces right there at the trailhead, so all the shuttle nonsense was unnecessary.





 

Starting up the trail I was debating whether to do the full 6 miles or a shorter 4 mile route. Ranger Dan's warnings about the trail being "difficult" were reinforced by a large sign where the green trail intersects the blue trail. The blue-blazed Stone Fort Trail is the 2 mile loop that would take me higher up the mountain. But I  had to wonder, how bad could it really be? No one really thinks of the hills out here as mountains anyway, right?

 

But the first task was to make it to the red trail that would take me to the Overlook Cliff.

What a view! The cliff overlooks Harpers Ferry. You can also see where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers intersect. Selfie time!

From the Overlook I doubled-back up the red trail and then it was decision time. Do I take the supposedly difficult Stone Fort Trail? Or head back and make it a four mile hike.

I started up Stone Hill, figuring I could turn around if it got too bad.



I kept hiking....wondering when I would hit the difficult part. What was Ranger Dan talking about? A little bit of uphill, a few rocks -- no scrambling-- how was this difficult?

 

Brrrr, it was cold enough for icicles! And here's the view from the top at Stone Fort:

 

The path down wasn't as rocky as the trail on the way up and I ran most of it.

 

Made it back to town and had lunch at the Town's Inn.

 

 

Another birthday in the bag, doing what I want, when and how I want to do it. Just me. Had the whole "mountain" to myself too --not another soul in sight.

 

Maybe next year I'll hit a spa? ;)

 



 

 

 

A Haunted Ferry Run

December 7, 2014

A beautiful, spur-of-the-moment run on a cold winter day:  Edward's Ferry to White's Ferry. It's 10 miles round trip on the towpath between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River, and I loved it!

This particular stretch of the towpath is a peaceful run through the woods, that eventually winds closer to the river. It's also said to be haunted!

Once upon a time, this section of the trail near mile post 30 was known as "Haunted House Bend," according to the C&O Canal Trust:

In October of 1861, Union troops were driven down the infamous Ball's Bluff into the river on the other side of Harrison's Island. Some of their bodies floated downstream all the way to Washington, DC... Boatmen in later years reported hearing strange noises in these parts, including blood-curdling screams and moans. They'd say mules passing through became restless and spooked.

So apparently this "danger" marking on the old ferry ramp applies to more than just high water!

 

Adding to the spook factor:   thousands of people reportedly were buried along the canal in unmarked graves during the mid-1800s. Freaky!

 

White's Ferry has its own rich history. The ferry service began in 1786, transporting people across the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia.  It was used by troops during the Civil War and gets its name from confederate General  Jubal A. Early. Back then, dozens of ferries worked the river.

  Today, White's Ferry is the only one still operating on the Potomac.

But back to the running part of this story...

 

 I absolutely love running on the C&O towpath! Not the busy sections between Georgetown and Great Falls, but the not-so-popular sections to the north. I didn't see a single soul on this run, but that doesn't mean I didn't have company!