Harpers Ferry is a small town in West Virginia, famous for being situated on a spit of land where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet. It is surrounded by foothills of the Shenandoah mountains which offer amazing views of the town, such as this one:
For those interested in transportation history, it was central to shipping routes along the Chesapeake & Ohio canal (the very canal that lives by the Vern) and connected to major railroads headed West (and East). For those interested in Civil War history, you may remember John Brown‘s raid of the armory in an attempt to rouse a slave revolt.
And for those of us who attended the hike on Saturday, it offers a personal history as well – that of a partly cloudy day spent in nature with colleagues and friends!
We set out from the Townhouse at 9:30, after a hearty breakfast of bagels and muffins and bananas. The ride was about an hour and a half, through some pretty nice green landscapes. Once we got there, we took shuttles from the parking area to the historic town, and from there walked across a railroad bridge and along the canal to the Maryland Heights trailhead. That made a grand total of three states and DC – Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. The hike was about an hour and a half, but basically went straight up a mountain – which was not expected. There weren’t even switchbacks!
The view though, pictured above, was worth it (please note this is the only picture that I took). And there were dogs. So many dogs.
We took our sweet time coming back down the hill and some people even took a few minutes to cool off their feet in the Potomac. Those of us who didn’t took a few minutes to poke our head in the bookstore and use the bathrooms before the long drive home (which included either napping or playing the greatest word game ever, shoutout Mary).
You can find pictures of the hike here, and keep an eye out for next semester’s adventure!
If you’re interested in going to Harpers Ferry on your own, it is accessible by car, or by rail (MARC train, but it only runs during the week).
And a huge thank you to Professor Mark Ralkowski and GW Trails for their planning, coordination, and guidance, and to Eydie Costantino for making sure we were all well fed! Also thanks to Program Officer Mary and Administrative Coordinator Alex for their help with directing the masses. You guys made our day possible AND amazing!
Final review: 10/10 would recommend.
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