I slept in until 6:30. It had stopped raining overnight but was raining again by the time I had packed away my sleeping gear, so I went outside to take down the food bag, brought it into the tent, and had breakfast there.
The day was wet throughout, sometimes raining, sometimes drizzling, sometimes just water dripping from tree leaves. I alternated between umbrella, rain jacket, both, and neither. I kept my phone in a waterproof case all day, so photos today look a bit blurred through the damp plastic.
I crossed the Potomac river along a highway bridge around 3. Just as I got back on regular trail terrain I noticed my new trekking pole tip (well, found tip) had fallen off. The pole felt and sounded different. I thought, I should go back and look for it, since I was quite sure I had it before crossing the bridge. Lucky me – it was only a few yards back along the bridge in plain view.
Harpers Ferry downtown has some beautiful old buildings, although many are either derelict or just closed up. A few are restored to their 19th century state, for example as a store or tavern. Others are active restaurants. I found the one hiking outfitter in town and asked about shoes, but they didn’t have the kind I wanted, so I bought a gas canister and headed the mile and a half to the hostel, Halfway Hideaway Hostel.
At least this hostel has a nice indoor common area, all bathrooms are indoors, and there’s some food you can help yourself to. But still… they provide a bottom sheet and pillow with case, but no top sheet or blanket, so once again I will probably have trouble sleeping because my sleeping bag will be too hot.
I started talking to another hiker Be something, I just don’t remember the something. I mentioned going out for dinner and he was happy to join me. Then he talked to Ranger (whom I think I met weeks ago, or perhaps that was a different Ranger), and one of them talked to a couple who were planning to drive downtown to eat, and soon five of us were driving back downtown for dinner at The Rabbit Hole. I had the same meal as last year when I was there during my section hike, a red rice burger, house salad, and hard cider. Delicious.
Ghost and Ground Control were at the next table over. They hsd walked as far as 15 miles north of town, but the rain there hot so bad that they got a shuttle back to town and are staying at the same hostel. After they left. Josef tapped my shoulder. He was sitting right behind me. He had gotten s bit further than me yesterday but stopped for the night in town because of the rain.
It turns out my train tomorrow doesn’t leave until about 5:30, so I have a lot of time to kill. I’ll need to talk to the owners about whether I can hang out here part of the day. I could tour the town but the next four days are supposed to be near continuous rain.
Mile 1009.5 to mile 1027.1 = 17.6 miles
Potomac river
View from the trail into town
Ruins of a church on the edge of the old town