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Cumberland MD to Harpers Ferry WV

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    • LIhikers wrote:

      And if anybody is looking for a little get away, some of the lock keepers houses have been renovated and you can rent them.
      Check it out here
      Come to think of it, that might be a good way to have a Café get together. Not too far north, not too far south............bike or hike the tow path by day and eat, drink, and be merry by night.
      I'm in, I've wanted to bike it ever since talking to a young lady at the Tea Horse Hostel in Harper's Ferry who was hiking it.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      And if anybody is looking for a little get away, some of the lock keepers houses have been renovated and you can rent them.
      Check it out here
      Come to think of it, that might be a good way to have a Café get together. Not too far north, not too far south............bike or hike the tow path by day and eat, drink, and be merry by night.
      Thoses lock houses are really cool.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      And if anybody is looking for a little get away, some of the lock keepers houses have been renovated and you can rent them.
      Check it out here
      Come to think of it, that might be a good way to have a Café get together. Not too far north, not too far south............bike or hike the tow path by day and eat, drink, and be merry by night.
      Thoses lock houses are really cool.
      I wouldn't be able to get more time off until the fall.
      Imagine leaf peeping season along the Potomac river
    • meat wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      meat wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      meat wrote:

      There only one thing I hate more than hiking uphill...riding uphill. But put me on the flats. I can go all day, well a bit anyway. :)
      How about the downhills? ;)
      Down hills are great, but I've yet to find a downhill trail that gets me back to my car.
      You take the ski lift up hill and then ride back down like they do on Killigton, up in Vermont.
      my in-laws did a similar thing while on vacation in Hawaii...nice!
      That's Mt. Haleakala. We biked down it in Nov, 2000. They picked us up in Lahaina around 2am and took us to the little town closest to Haleakala National Park. Even though this was only about 50 miles, it took close to 2 hrs. We had an orientation to Mt. Haleakala and the rules for biking down it. Then they drove us to the peak which we arrived at approx. 5:30am. We went past the Observatory which now has the most powerful telescope on earth. It was awesome to watch the moon set then the sun rise up there. Biking down, my husband & I generally stayed up with or a bit ahead of the trip leader. Sheesh, there were a lot of people who were not in shape to do that ride. It was down 98% of the way. It would be right up RocketSocks alley.

      You definitely have to layer because when we were dropped off at 5:30am, it was pretty gosh darn cold, probably in the high 30's/low 40's (compared to have been frolicking in the surf down in Lahaina the previous day 80+ degrees). As we biked down, we stopped occasionally to take off a layer of two. By the time we were down to the base, we were in shorts & t-shirts.

      This trip to Hawaii, first Honolulu, then Maui, was a heavenly experience!
    • I was in Harpers Ferry this summer and visited the ATC visitors center. Maybe I missed something but there isn't much to it(?) and was a little disappointed. A few hiking supplies and guestbook.

      My expectation was more along the lines of a museum with memorabilia and photos, printed info about trail maintenance organizations and other printed, trail info.

      I just thought it would be the Mecca of trail information and education.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • NoAngel wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      NoAngel wrote:

      yes the one in PA is bigger but was closed (Sunday) when I passed thru. The HF office is mostly administrative. But really nice people there. Did you meet Laurie P?
      I didn't meet Laurie.
      :( she's super nice and very helpful.
      I second that. She even stopped to offer me a ride when I was walking to the Tea Horse Hostel the evening "before" I met her.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      I was in Harpers Ferry this summer and visited the ATC visitors center. Maybe I missed something but there isn't much to it(?) and was a little disappointed. A few hiking supplies and guestbook.

      My expectation was more along the lines of a museum with memorabilia and photos, printed info about trail maintenance organizations and other printed, trail info.

      I just thought it would be the Mecca of trail information and education.
      It was for me. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Baltimore Jack, an experience I will never forget. :thumbup:
      Also enjoyed looking through all the pictures of people I had hiked with through the years. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I was in Harpers Ferry this summer and visited the ATC visitors center. Maybe I missed something but there isn't much to it(?) and was a little disappointed. A few hiking supplies and guestbook.

      My expectation was more along the lines of a museum with memorabilia and photos, printed info about trail maintenance organizations and other printed, trail info.

      I just thought it would be the Mecca of trail information and education.
      It was for me. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Baltimore Jack, an experience I will never forget. :thumbup: Also enjoyed looking through all the pictures of people I had hiked with through the years. :)
      Where were the pictures? In the hiker lounge?
      Lost in the right direction.
    • NoAngel wrote:

      yes the one in PA is bigger but was closed (Sunday) when I passed thru. The HF office is mostly administrative. But really nice people there. Did you meet Laurie P?
      I really enjoyed it, relatively small for a museum, but packed with interesting information. Of course it has AC which was welcomed in the middle of the afternoon in July. Only thing that would have topped it that day was the free shower in the park just after I left it. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I was in Harpers Ferry this summer and visited the ATC visitors center. Maybe I missed something but there isn't much to it(?) and was a little disappointed. A few hiking supplies and guestbook.

      My expectation was more along the lines of a museum with memorabilia and photos, printed info about trail maintenance organizations and other printed, trail info.

      I just thought it would be the Mecca of trail information and education.
      It was for me. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Baltimore Jack, an experience I will never forget. :thumbup: Also enjoyed looking through all the pictures of people I had hiked with through the years. :)
      Where were the pictures? In the hiker lounge?
      Yes, that is where I hung out both times I was there. They have books of all the pictures they take each year. I am in the 2015 book.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      NoAngel wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      NoAngel wrote:

      yes the one in PA is bigger but was closed (Sunday) when I passed thru. The HF office is mostly administrative. But really nice people there. Did you meet Laurie P?
      I didn't meet Laurie.
      :( she's super nice and very helpful.
      I second that. She even stopped to offer me a ride when I was walking to the Tea Horse Hostel the evening "before" I met her.
      That's one hostel I wouldn't mind staying at again...about the same cost as the Relax Inn in Adkins...but I didn't believe something was crawling on me the whole night.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • Astro wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I was in Harpers Ferry this summer and visited the ATC visitors center. Maybe I missed something but there isn't much to it(?) and was a little disappointed. A few hiking supplies and guestbook.

      My expectation was more along the lines of a museum with memorabilia and photos, printed info about trail maintenance organizations and other printed, trail info.

      I just thought it would be the Mecca of trail information and education.
      It was for me. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Baltimore Jack, an experience I will never forget. :thumbup: Also enjoyed looking through all the pictures of people I had hiked with through the years. :)
      Where were the pictures? In the hiker lounge?
      Yes, that is where I hung out both times I was there. They have books of all the pictures they take each year. I am in the 2015 book.
      You can find me in 2012 and 2014! They also let me use the phone for half an hour with Amtrak to get a ticket home. Then wash up in the big sink in the restroom, put on a new shirt I bought there, so I was clean enough they would let me on the train. :thumbsup:
    • CoachLou wrote:

      I would like to do this by bike..........which,I just happen to have.


      These girls were coming down stream on their bikes, I was heading upstream on the C&O/AT into Harpers Ferry. They looked like they were having fun.

      We have this set-up, but haven't done this in so long. They just hang in the garage rafters. All I could think about 'till HP was biking.......and ice cream!!!!


      I got there a few weeks before the fire :(
      In the rafters no more

      Sometime in August I will take it out for a weekend.

      The C&O is in my sights. I think that I can cycleblaze the Shenandoah. :thumbsup:
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:
    • SandyofPA wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I was in Harpers Ferry this summer and visited the ATC visitors center. Maybe I missed something but there isn't much to it(?) and was a little disappointed. A few hiking supplies and guestbook.

      My expectation was more along the lines of a museum with memorabilia and photos, printed info about trail maintenance organizations and other printed, trail info.

      I just thought it would be the Mecca of trail information and education.
      It was for me. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Baltimore Jack, an experience I will never forget. :thumbup: Also enjoyed looking through all the pictures of people I had hiked with through the years. :)
      Where were the pictures? In the hiker lounge?
      Yes, that is where I hung out both times I was there. They have books of all the pictures they take each year. I am in the 2015 book.
      You can find me in 2012 and 2014! They also let me use the phone for half an hour with Amtrak to get a ticket home. Then wash up in the big sink in the restroom, put on a new shirt I bought there, so I was clean enough they would let me on the train. :thumbsup:
      I'm sure the people who work there are great and very supportive. My surprise was the lack of printed, educational materials, books, pictures showcasing and promoting the AT, etc. It seemed a missed marketing opportunity. There were a few hiker supplies, two free copies of Journey, and the 3D map. The lounge was clearly marked as "Hiker Lounge" so I didn't feel welcome to visit.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      SandyofPA wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I was in Harpers Ferry this summer and visited the ATC visitors center. Maybe I missed something but there isn't much to it(?) and was a little disappointed. A few hiking supplies and guestbook.

      My expectation was more along the lines of a museum with memorabilia and photos, printed info about trail maintenance organizations and other printed, trail info.

      I just thought it would be the Mecca of trail information and education.
      It was for me. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Baltimore Jack, an experience I will never forget. :thumbup: Also enjoyed looking through all the pictures of people I had hiked with through the years. :)
      Where were the pictures? In the hiker lounge?
      Yes, that is where I hung out both times I was there. They have books of all the pictures they take each year. I am in the 2015 book.
      You can find me in 2012 and 2014! They also let me use the phone for half an hour with Amtrak to get a ticket home. Then wash up in the big sink in the restroom, put on a new shirt I bought there, so I was clean enough they would let me on the train. :thumbsup:
      I'm sure the people who work there are great and very supportive. My surprise was the lack of printed, educational materials, books, pictures showcasing and promoting the AT, etc. It seemed a missed marketing opportunity. There were a few hiker supplies, two free copies of Journey, and the 3D map. The lounge was clearly marked as "Hiker Lounge" so I didn't feel welcome to visit.
      Next time be sure you do. You are a hiker. They probably just don't the locals coming in and grabbing the "trail magic" that is there sometimes.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • CoachLou wrote:

      CoachLou wrote:

      I would like to do this by bike..........which,I just happen to have.


      These girls were coming down stream on their bikes, I was heading upstream on the C&O/AT into Harpers Ferry. They looked like they were having fun.

      We have this set-up, but haven't done this in so long. They just hang in the garage rafters. All I could think about 'till HP was biking.......and ice cream!!!!


      I got there a few weeks before the fire :(
      In the rafters no more
      Sometime in August I will take it out for a weekend.

      The C&O is in my sights. I think that I can cycleblaze the Shenandoah. :thumbsup:
      A thru ride on the C&O & GAP are on my to do list, a friend and I are planning on doing the Katy Trail in MO when the weather cools, he bought a bike specifically for these rides and already has his fancy pack bags for it, I'll probably just put a rack on the back of my bike and tie a dry bag I use for float trips on it.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.