Date: 2014-06-19
From: Harpers Ferry West High Street

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0

I have been walking by Mena's Italian Pizzeria for two days on my way to the hostel and smelling wonderful aromas wafting out on the sidewalk. I opted for Irish last night for dinner at Private Quinn's, and barbecue chicken for lunch today. Mena's would have been my choice for dinner tonight but I decided to skip my evening meal today.That was until about dusk tonight when a group from the hostel announced they were going to the pizzeria and my resistance broke down. It was a combination of the memory of the aroma and the promise of visiting with the others over a meal that swayed me. The three included Desert Fox, a hiker from Arizona leaving for home tomorrow, Mary Poppins from Munich, Germany, leaving for home tomorrow, and Bon Jour.Mena's was hopping so we had a little wait for the food but we had nothing to do except tell hiking stories. Three of us had the blue cheese dressing on salad and lasagna. Before our entree arrived, Tooth Brush came in and we invited him to our table. He is also from Germany and, like Mary Poppins, on a three month leave from his job.Desert Fox, who walked the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT) in 2013 compared and contrasted it with the AT. I mentioned that my interest in the PCT has been growing while out on the AT trail as I listen to PCT stories. The Pacific Coast Trail is taking on its own character for me with each new story I hear about it. There was also conversation about experiences on the El Camino Trail in France and Spain.As we headed back to the hostel, each thanked the others for the evening together. We observed that it was the combination of good food and good company. I shared my thought that communion had occurred in the act of breaking bread together.I started my day by connecting with the AT at High street and hiking past St. Peter's Church up to the promontory referred to as Jefferson's Rock. From this point I could see the the Shenandoah River just before the confluence with the Potomac. Jefferson wrote that "this scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic."Continuing up the hill, I passed through Harpers Ferry Cemetary with a sight detour. Returning to the trail I encountered deer grazing on the lawn and could not keep from taking a few photos. One deer bounded gracefully into the steep forested hillside. She reminded me of the experienced trail runners I have passed on the trail who move over the terrain with the grace of a dancer, while I am picking out one step at a time through the rocky terrain.I completed the circuit back to the ATC center to cover the part of the trail missed with my initial walk to the Center via the blue blaze trail. Today I slowed to read the historical markers for Storer College, one of the first colleges in the south open to African Americans, which was founded in 1867. It was here in a speech in 1905, W.E.B. DuBois stated "The battle we wage is not for ourselves alone but for all true Americans." We have many oppressed people to thank for the freedoms we all enjoy in this country. For example, Jewish Hospital in Louisville was founded In order to provide a place where Jewish doctors could practice. But Jewish also opened its doors to African Americans and others to practice as well as receive treatment without discrimination based on race or religion.After a rest in the hiker lounge at ATC, I went back down to High street and followed the trail on the footbridge across the river where it meets up with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and followed it for a short distance. Today was the shortest possible nero day with my mile of AT hiking.