Date: 2016-04-20
From: Weverton Rd.

To: Turners Gap
Miles today: 14.0

We liked the hiking strategy we used yesterday so much that we decided to try it again today. So I¢ll provide a few more details for those of you who are interested, others can skip to the next paragraph. Our goal is to break a longer section (say 15 mi for example) into 2 shorter subsections and then use the key swap technique for each subsection. The benefits are that we get to see each other three times during the hike instead of just one time (if we only use one key swap for the whole section), and it also forces us to take a breather at the midway point. Plus, we keep water bottles in the car, so we can camel up at the break point between the sections. The strategy is only possible when there is a good secondary road that crosses the AT reasonably close to the midpoint of the full section. If we used a single key swap strategy for the 14 mi section we did today, we would have just seen each other once as we passed midway through a 5 or 6 hour hike. Instead we passed once during the initial subsection, then we met again at the halfway point when we switched drivers, and we passed each other during the second subsection. We could have eliminated the driver switch at the midpoint, but we like the break opportunity. So we¢ll probably use it as often as possible (i.e., when there is a reasonable midway access road). Since we each hiked one subsection NoBo and the other subsection SoBo, I¢ll just talk about the total section as if we went NoBo only. So the starting point was the parking lot at the base of Weverton Cliffs. We¢ve done the climb up to the cliffs probably 4 or 5 times now. I still remember how hard I thought it was the first time that we did it. Now it still seems steep, but much shorter - I was at the trail to the cliffs sooner than I expected. But I didn¢t take the side trail, I already have ample pics from previous visits so I continued on. Then there¢s another mile or two of uphill that¢s less steep, but pretty rocky, so it can be tiring. After that, it levels out with fewer rocks and it¢s mostly rolling ridgeline, up and down to Gathland State Park. There are some rocky sections, but no sustained, tough uphills. Gathland Park is interesting, very picturesque. Thee are a number of structures including a large pavilion, a mausoleum, decent restrooms, a building, a meadow, the ruins of an old structure, and several parking areas. Certainly the most impressive structure is the War Correspondents Memorial, a tall structure with a lot of features. I¢ve included a photo, it¢s not my best effort (the sun angle wasn¢t good), but it gives a sense of the scale of the monument. The grounds around this area are neat and very well kept. Thru-hikers usually stop here to use the privy and stock up on water - there is a pump with potable water. It¢s a comfortable place to hang out, catch a nap or chat with other hikers on the benches under the trees or the pavilion. Today it was our mid-point. Heading north from Gathland, the trail climbs a little to White Rock Cliff (I didn¢t see a sign, so I was never quite sure where the cliff was) and then starts a relatively long but slow descent toward the Dahlgren Campground. This is a backpacker¢s campground, but it has restrooms, picnic tables and water. Plus it¢s about a quarter mile from a good access road and parking lot at Turners Gap. This was our northern point today.One item I mentioned last year was the extent of the Civil War history that took place in this area. Gen. Lee made a foray into this area and the result was a series of significant battles around South Mountain. Two generals were killed here, one from the Confederacy and one from the Union. Lee¢s strategies and McClellan¢s responses led to the battle at Antietam. It¢s hard not to hike through here and think about what it might have been like over 150 years ago with soldiers from both sides swarming up and down these hills. There are not many other hikers on the trail, compared to a few weeks ago in NC and TN when we were in the midst of the March hiker bubble. Harpers Ferry did have a ¢Flip Flop Festival¢ this past weekend for hikers who choose to start hiking north from Harpers Ferry to Mt. Katahdin, then return to Harpers Ferry and hike south to Mt. Springer at the end of the summer. This strategy has been promoted as a way of easing the glut of hikers that start at Springer in March and April and saturate the shelters and campgrounds. Starting midway at Harpers Ferry gives hikers the advantage of summer weather for the northern states and then gives them cooler fall temps to finish the southern states. We encountered several hikers who have just started their flip flop. After the hike today, we stopped by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters in Harpers Ferry to register and have our ceremonial photo taken in front of the building. The ATC HQ is just a short side trail (blue blaze) from the AT and it¢s worth a short visit to look around. They have lots of hiker friendly stuff and a giant relief map of the entire trail. You can run your fingers over the bumps in the Smokies and in the Whites. It¢s a little foreboding. So now it¢s hiker midnight in Harpers Ferry and nothing is happening outside. It¢s a scenic place, beautiful in the morning light, but absolutely dead at night. Perhaps we¢re just a little too early for the tourist season?