“If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.”
~Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes)
Hike from David Lesser Memorial Shelter to Harpers Ferry
AT miles: 9.1
Ascent: 753’
Descent: 1888’
Weather: sunny and HOT
High points: Crossing the Shenandoah River
Last night was full of talk with all kinds of other hikers, and after lots of cool conversation I fell asleep in the shelter staring at the stars. Just magical!
The weather forecast predicted a hot day, so we got on trail before 7:00. The trail today followed a ridge for many miles. It was fairly level and smooth, with ferns and woodlands on either side.
The trail is close enough to the Virginia border in this section that in Keys Gap when we walked across Route 9 I saw this sign—
Lately I have not been posting many wildflower pictures because wildflowers are mostly an early spring phenomenon, but today I did see some yarrow.
The trail was beautiful, surrounded by ferns and open woodlands.
The cicadas are everywhere! They are mostly not annoying, but you can definitely hear them, and sometimes their buzzing is extremely loud! I have only had a few land on me, but their cases sometimes coat trees.
And then the trail went down, down, down to the Shenandoah River.
We walked across the famous river in the “hiker lane“, a sidewalk separated from the traffic by cement barriers.
By this point we were hot and tired. I sat down on a stone wall and was surprised to hear someone calling my name. It was French Broad (her trail name), someone I met at an AT information class last fall. We have bumped into each other multiple times in the past few days as we have made our way up the trail. This time she offered me a sip of her strawberry smoothie. I was pretty heat-beat, so that cold sip was a real gift!
A, my hiking partner, has a close friend who lives nearby. This wonderful woman opened her home to both her friend and me, a complete stranger. We have done laundry, had showers, been to the grocery store, and had some great meals. We especially enjoyed spending this HOT afternoon (over 90 degrees) in AC. We are now ready to return to the trail clean, refreshed, and resupplied.
I am thankful for the kindness of strangers!
Today is a great day for a long walk in the woods.
The pic of Harper’s Ferry excited my travel and walking genes.
Oh Gwen, your pix and commentary never cease to amaze us! You have found a whole different community along the AT-/ and you are part of that community. 🙂🌳🌺 ⛰
Harper’s Ferry is such a unique town, so steeped in history. Glad you and A were able to relax and regroup there before heading out again. I think this weekend will be less hot, hopefully, but maybe WET!
Trek on! 🥾 Margie