Date: 2014-05-29
From: Camp Hill B&B, Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Camp Hill B&B, Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 15: We really tried to sleep in but at about 6am we were both awake. Breakfast was delivered at 7am...yes, delivered. One of the "B"s in B&B is for "breakfast". When we checked in yesterday, the owner gave us a choice of breakfast options...and that is what got delivered to our little dining area this morning. Outside it was a gray, cool misty day. Nice day to be off the trail!!So what do hikers do on their day off the trail...they go for a walk. After breakfast we donned our raingear and headed for the historic district of Harper's Ferry (which is part of the National Park System). We visited all the historic buildings... reading about the history of Harper's Ferry.: 1) It was designated by George Washington to be the new nation's 2nd site for making guns for the army, 2) It was the town that outfitted the Lewis & Clark expedition 3) It was the site of the John Brown uprising trying to abolish slavery and 4) It was considered strategic by both the North and the South so it changed hands 8 times in the Civil War.Besides being a major convergence of waterways, it is also a major convergence of railways that follow these rivers. Even today trains are coming through about every 15 minutes, day and night!!Of course, part way through the touring around we had to stop for lunch at a pub. We sat there eating chili and watched the mist turn to rain. Then, we were REALLY happy not to be on the trail!!After our 4 hours of immersion in American history, we returned to the B&B for a little relaxation and gear repair. A little after 4pm we headed to the Post Office to mail some more gear home that we have decided we don't need (always looking for ways to lighten the packs!!). We arrived only to find the Post Office closed at 4pm...Darn, now we'll have to hang around and do it in the morning.On our way back to the B&B, we stopped by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters. This is the group that is chartered with the protection and maintenance of the AT. The tradition of AT hikers to sign the AT register and to have their picture taken in front of the headquarters building, when they pass through Harper's Ferry. From the attached picture you can see we followed tradition!! We were number 176 and 177 of section hikers so far this year (that is in addition to over 250 thru-hikers who registered do far)Dinner was at a tavern about 1/2 mile away. The walk to dinner and back probably completed our 5 miles for the day.We also use the zero-day to assess how we are doing physically. So far everything is doing well. The knee problems that showed up in last year's hike have not reappeared...yet. Our knee braces certainly help and our knees at various times have "talked" to us, but we have had no ongoing problems. A blister for ET and a "tweak" of an ankle for Spider, both early on, have healed. By lightening our loads we have not suffered the hip and shoulder pains from carrying the packs, like we had in previous years. So all-in-all we are in pretty good shape entering our third week.The weather forecast is for things to clear up and warm up, starting tomorrow. Time to get back on the trail!!