Appalachian Trail - Harper's Ferry

So today I decided to take a break before my next round of finals and go to Harper's Ferry in West Virginia to check out the Appalachian Trail! As someone who has spent a lot of time in the Wilderness of Northern Minnesota the Appalachian Trail had always interested me, so I decided there was not time like the present to go check it out.

Obviously the Appalachian Trail is probably most famous for the infamous attempts at "Through hiking" it. Meaning hiking the 2,100+ miles from Georgia to Main all at once. Doing so takes between 4-6 months and only about 25% of those who start it manage to successfully finish it.



As I just had one day I did what many other people do which is go to one of the many trail heads and do a day hike on the Appalachian Trail. So I headed to Harper's Ferry which is only about 60 miles from DC. Harper's Ferry is a neat area because in addition to being in the Appalachians it is also the location of the intersection of the Shenandoah and the Potomac Rivers.

I hiked North on the trail up to the Weverton Cliffs which overlook Harper's Ferry and the two rivers there. While the area was quite scenic I must admit that it was a bit "busier" than I would have preferred. The Cliffs had a nice overview of the rivers, mountains, and the surrounding areas but also of a major highway and railway which were constantly busy. Also there were a lot of people out on the trail, a function no doubt of the fact that it was 50 degrees and sunny out in December! 

Weverton Cliffs

Hiking down the Appalachian Trail

After enjoying the cliffs I decided to hike further North along the trail to get a bit further away from everything. As I went further along the trail I ran into fewer people and the noise of civilization dissipated. Later down the trail I discovered one of the many shelters that exist along the trail. Apparently they build and maintain actual backwoods structures or cabins for people to camp in. I thought this a bit over the top based on my time in the BWCA (which is 100% traditional tent camping) but at the same time having a more sturdy structure to stay in from time to time I imagine could be nice. When I got to the structure it was already claimed for the night with a number of tents already sent up nearby (I guess there is no 9 person maximum rule here).

Shelter on the Appalachian Trail

Goat!

Back at the Weverton Cliffs for Sunset

I imagine that like most wilderness places the Appalachian Trail would be best if you had several days that way you could get away from the more populated areas and day hikers (like me!) and thereby find more solitude. While this section of the trail might not exactly be what I am used to in Northern Minnesota or the BWCA it still was really nice to get outside and hiking on a warm sunny day in December before getting back to hitting the books once again for finals!