We are still surprised to see how crowded the national parks are in the middle of the week in October. A shuttle bus takes visitors from the parking lot to the historic downtown area of the town of Harper's Ferry. This little town is filled with old buildings that now host museums, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, shops, and this beautiful old church.
Before our visit, we didn't understand all the historical significance of this little town. It sits at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, so it has always been important for its role in water transportation in the area. This picture shows the bird's eye view of the Shenandoah River on the left, and the Potomac coming in from the right, with the town of Harper's Ferry nestled on the point that the two rivers form. The ferry that Harper ran in the 1800's is no longer needed because of the bridges now available.
Because of its significance for water transportation, it was an important post during the Civil War. The town saw significant fighting during the years of the war, as this river dock changed hands eight different times between the Union and Confederate armies. Even before the Civil War, it became famous for the raid that the early abolitionist, John Brown, led in his short fight against slavery. This building on the Main Street of Harper's Ferry was built in 1848 as part of the U.S. Armory. But because it was used as John Brown's Fort during his infamous 36-hour attack, it has had a moving history. It has been dismantled and moved four times before the National Park Service brought it back home to Harper's Ferry.
We knew that Harper's Ferry was on the Appalachian Trail (AT), and we have been following that trail with interest since we first hiked on it back in May. By climbing up the stones steps by the church in Harper's Ferry, we found ourselves once again on the AT.
This famous 2,100+ mile hike goes all the way from Georgia to Maine, mainly through mountain forests. We have hiked little pieces of the trail in several different states just for fun. Hard-core athletes that make the entire journey are called "thru-hikers" because they are hiking all the way through the country on the AT. Thru-hikers usually start in the south in the spring, hoping to make it to Maine before it gets too cold. Harper's Ferry is pretty close to the half-way point.
These hikers will pass by a pile of boulders called Jefferson Rock. This is the spot from which Thomas Jefferson looked down and espoused the beauty of this valley where two rivers meet.
Then the trail leads off into the forest, where we found the trees with the familiar white blazes on them that lead through the entire 2100+ mile AT.
It was good to be back on the trail, with its views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River below us.
We hiked all the way from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia to the Virginia state line. That sounds further than it actually is. The Shenandoah River is the separation point for those two states, and thru-hikers cross this same bridge that we crossed today. The clear water and the blue skies made for a pretty picture this afternoon.
With cars and trucks zipping right beside the hiking lane on the bridge, it wasn't the peaceful, natural experience that one normally envisions on the AT.
After our trip across the bridge (only so we could say we hiked all the way from West Virginia to Virginia), we decided to walk back to the parking lot instead of taking the shuttle bus. Another 1.5 mile hike in the woods brought us back to our car and some of the prettiest trees of the day.
We decided to return the next day for yet another hike. As we looked over the roof-tops of the town of Harper's Ferry, we saw a train making its way through the tunnel and over the bridge across the Potomac River.
That is our hiking destination on the second day. Along that rock face on the mountain in front of us is a view point that we have read about.
The first part of that hike is crossing the same bridge that the train was on earlier. Again, this is part of the Appalachian Trail. As we crossed the Potomac River, we also crossed the border into Maryland. That's probably why the view point we are hiking to is called Maryland Heights.
The first part of the hike was nice and flat, because it was actually the tow path of the C&O canal. We walked by Lock #33, now dry and grassy from many years of not being used. Then the trail turned steeply up that mountain.
It was a nice walk uphill through the forest, with fall leaves littering the trail. With temperatures in the 50's this morning, we started out wearing jackets. But we were shedding our outer layers as we were working up some heat with all this elevation gain.
After a couple miles of steady uphill hiking, we broke out into the rock overlook. That hike was worth it, as we looked down over the Potomac River and the town of Harper's Ferry far below.
From another angle, we could see the Shenandoah River coming in from the left. This river ends as it feeds into the Potomac. We could see the bridge we crossed earlier this morning in the lower left hand corner.
If you stay at the viewpoint long enough, someone will offer to take your picture together.
We had a snack at the top, and one more picture of the Potomac far below before we headed down the trail. It was a long hike all the way from Maryland back to West Virginia
We really enjoyed Harper's Ferry National Historic Park. We re-learned some history, and hiked all the way from Virginia to West Virginia to Maryland while we were there. We crossed the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. We enjoyed getting to see "Three States, Two Rivers, in One Park."
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