Harpers Ferry, WV (USA)

[inspired by my slackpacking adventure in May, I decided to hike another section of the Appalachian Trail - this time, I wanted to check out the Maryland section, so I got up early and drove (I-495, I-270 and US-340) to the Maryland Heights area along the Potomac - I wasn't exactly sure where the trail crossed (I suspected that it was at Harpers Ferry) and I explored both sides of the river (MD, WV, VA) - eventually (1000), I located a nice parking lot on the Maryland side where I could access the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail - realized at this point that I didn't have a wallet (!) and hoped I wouldn't get hungry today... - before heading south, I checked out an area on the north side (all the way up to Weverton Road, and a bit further) - when I got back down to the river again, I found the hiking was very easy, since the C&O trail (which also serves as the A.T. in this area) is almost entirely flat - also nice, it was shaded by very tall trees - I saw amazing views of the river (and lots of rafters and kayakers) - when I got to the bridge to West Virginia, I realized that our family had hiked it before (see JUL 2006) - so I turned around and returned to my car - I crossed into Virginia (Loudon County) and drove south towards WV/VA-9 - backtracked to the parking lot at Keys Gap - Mollie and I had hiked on the north side of the gap (see MAY 2013), so I went the other direction - it was an awesome day for a hike (not too hot, shady, not very buggy), even with steeper terrain - early on, I met a NOBO hiker (Ridge Runner) who told me that I could find the David Lesser Shelter three miles up, so I made that my goal - made good time on this section and saw lots of pretty scenery, small wildlife and birds - headed back to my car around 1600, after a great day of exercise and solitude - made it back to VA-7 and then took US-15, trying to get to I-66 - however, there were so many cars by this point, I got off at US-50 and made it home that way - on the way back, Brenna called to see if I could meet the kids for dinner - after a quick shower at home, I took them over to Eisenhower Avenue and we had a great dinner at Ted's Montana Grill - I don't get to see them as much as I would like, but I was glad to see them this evening (especially since they will be on a trip for several weeks) - after today, I feel recharged and ready for another week of work! (A.T. total today = 6.12 miles, Grand Total = 70.84 miles)]