Continuing on our quest to only do one car hikes, Carl and I revisited a favorite: a loop that starts at Harper's Ferry National Park in West Virginia. We started at the parking lot at the entrance off of Rt 340 and dutifully paid the $6 self service parking fee. The forecast was for a severe wind warning, with gusts of up to 79 mph trumpeted. But we are men, real men - neither wind, nor rain nor looming locusts would deter us, unless Starbucks was closed.
This hike starts out on the Appalachian trail, heading south out of Harper's Ferry on the Appalachian trail, which first crosses the Shenandoah River on the Rt. 340 bridge and then climbs directly up Loudon Heights. We were sheltered on the climb but once we crested the ridge the red flag wind conditions kicked in for a bit:
That's me, doing the penguin dance and proving that it did turn out to be a windy day!
There is then a very pleasant section along the Loudon Heights ridge with periodic viewpoints of the Potomac River and Harper's Ferry below. This is followed by a steep set of switchbacks to get back down to river level, with barbed wire encrusted signs encouraging you to stay on the switchbacks. I have no idea what the barbed wire is for - maybe bears have been eating the signs? If you hike this area frequently, you know the real reason to stay on the trail is to avoid the rampant poison ivy.
The most annoying part of this hike has been that once you reach river level you have a 1 mile walk on the shoulder of 340 but there is now a blue-blazed trail that cuts that in half by taking a scrubby detour through the wooded section next to the grubby parking lot where the kettle korn vendors hang out in warmer days. From there it is an easier hike over yet another Rt. 340 bridge over to the Sandy Hook side and then a scramble downhill to the C&O Canal. The winds really began to howl at this point, as they seemed to funnel down the river valley and really get ferocious. A freight train came through just before we reached the railroad bridge for yet another bridge walk. A quick stroll through Harper's Ferry and we were back at my truck.
A very nice 7 mile loop, Googleatronic map below and some more trip details here where average winds of 21 mph were reported.
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