In and around Harpers Ferry

Today's been really busy which is quite something in such a sleepy town. I woke early and had lovely waffles and fresh fruit for breakfast all prepared by the hostel owner, Laurel. It was very misty out this morning which made for good weather for walking down to the town. I headed to the information centre and got some details from the park rangers there. Harpers Ferry is a National Historic Park and many of the sites are therefore free. I took a short walk along part of the Appalachian Trail which took me up high and past Jefferson Rock and Harper Cemetery. Walking on the trail was very peaceful but you really had to watch your step as it was quite uneven at times and there was a long drop down on one side.

At 11am I headed back to the town centre for a ranger talk about John Brown and the monuments commemorating his actions and various controversies surrounding them. It was really good and gave me a much better idea about the events in the history of Harpers Ferry and the US. I took a wander around some of the many small museums around town, often no more that the downstairs of a house but explaining in very plain terms information about slavery, the Civil War and the history of Harpers Ferry.

After lunch I jumped on the shuttle bus to the nearby visitors centre and took another shuttle from there to Bolivar Heights for a very informative ranger talk about the events of the Civil War in and around Harpers Ferry. Once again this was excellent and I got a lot more out of it than I would have simply by reading about the area. I took a walk on a trail around Murphy-Chambers Farm then caught the shuttle back to the town.

Although I'd done a lot of walking I was ready for more so headed over the Potomac, into Maryland and walked up the Maryland Heights trail. It was quite challenging being very steep at times and quite uneven but I did make it to Overlook Cliff in about 30 minutes although was dripping with sweat when I got there. The view was fantastic and I spent some time by myself up there. I would like to have done the trail which went even higher but I'm not sure my legs would have managed it.

I walked at a slow pace back to the hostel via a grocery store where I picked up food for dinner and since eating have just been sat relaxing chatting to Laurel who popped by and some of the other hostel dwellers.

Jefferson Rock

John Brown's Fort

Harpers Ferry from Maryland Heights