We hit the trail this morning around 8:30. The trail went through Lower Town, the historic section of Harper’s Ferry.

Lower Town

Then we walked along the C&O canal path for a few miles. This reminded me of the D&L trail by the Lehigh river, except the Potomac is just a slight bit larger.

Turtles hanging out in the algea covered canal

We then ascended up a small climb to Weverton Cliffs. There were a lot of boy scouts, weekend backpackers and day hikers out. Many of them gave us encouragement as we climbed up, which was simultaneously amusing and very nice of them. This was probably not in the top 100 climbs we’ve had in terms of difficulty, but most of them were not aware we are thru-hikers obviously.

Most of the trail today was quite easy and smooth, with occasional rock patches here and there. We went through two Maryland state parks, Gathland and Washington Monument (yea they have one here, too). Washington Monument had a large old monument and a nice view.

The Washington Monument of Maryland

View from Maryland Washington Monument

In Maryland, you are required to camp at designated campsites or shelters, so we ended up camping at this shelter. Somehow there is no one else here, which is odd. It seems the NOBO (northbound) thru-hikers are getting more and more thinned and spread out.

We are also definitely in a more populated area, as I can hear I-70 traffic off in the not so far distance.

One other thing I forgot to mention yesterday was to thank Jen and Steve for the surprise package! Thanks guys!

Vital stats :
Milestone – done with all 4 miles of West Virginia, now in Maryland
Miles hiked today – 23.5
Mood – good
Physical state – normal
Song stuck in my head – Hold On, We’re Going Home by Drake