Entering West Virginia led us into a long awaited vacation beginning in Harper's Ferry! Harper's Ferry, WV is at mile marker 1019.6 and is considered the "unofficial" or the "psychological" halfway point. It is home of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters which is also a little oasis for hikers. They have a room with couches, computers, sodas, etc for hikers to relax and recharge. There are albums from all the previous years of pictures of thru-hikers, so we had to get our pictures taken ourselves. The headquarters will then allow you to purchase post cards with that picture on them! It was a fun place to visit.
Not only did we reach "halfway" but Teton's parents met us here in Harper's Ferry. We spent the night exploring the town and getting ready for our next adventure to Washington, DC which was a short drive away. We got to spend 3 "zeros" (non-hiking days) sightseeing DC. However, that does not mean we were not active- walking around the streets of our nation's capital is tiring! There were so many amazing things to see... The White House, The American History Museum, The Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Monument, The Reflection Pool, The National Gallery of Art, and we even visited the Spy Museum as well as much more. We landed our trip in DC on July 3rd so we were in able to witness DC during it's most special holiday: the 4th of July! The parade through the city was our first event, followed by lots of sightseeing. We arrived at the lawn of the Washington Monument before dark to join what seemed like millions of people for the traditional fireworks- what a show! How lucky are we to be in the perfect place for this holiday? As a hungry hiker, I can't forget to mention all the great FOOD we ate in DC as well... China town, Ben's Chili Bowl (Obama and Bill Cosby's favorite!), and delicious salads and freshly baked croissants. Thanks again to Michael and Kimber for such a delightful holiday!
Our vacation wasn't over yet. Grey Wolf and Timber (trail names of Teton's parents) joined us for a few days of hiking through West Virginia and Maryland. They got to experience what it's like to be a thru-hiker for a short time... half mile treks down steep hills for water at the end of a long day, mountains seeming to be never ending, and the threat of heavy rain clouds creeping up on us only to result in a downpour just before arriving at camp. We tented a few nights and even got to shelter one night due to the rain! The lull of other hiker's whispers and snores put us right to sleep that night. We arrived at the Washington Monument State Park in Maryland on July 9 where Grey Wolf and Timber sadly got picked up to be shuttled back to Harper's Ferry.
It was such a treat to be able to take a break from the woods and to enter the city life for a few days as well as having hiker guests on the trail with us! Then we headed for our next and rockiest state, Pennsylvania. Keep checking back for new posts on our adventures to come, and don't forget about our Instagram @thewildoutsiders for more frequently updated photos!
No comments:
Post a Comment