I came here to practice my hosteling skills before heading off to Wales in August. I’ll be traveling the U.K. again by train and also doing lots of hiking so I’ll need to travel light. In contrast to last time when I felt burdened every time I relocated, this time I want to travel with less weight but with more technology. I’ll have more cameras, my kindle and iPad, and all the supporting accessories such as a wireless keyboard. Importantly, I’ll be traveling without my six pound laptop computer and this is a frightening prospect, hence my need to test things out with a stay at the Harpers Ferry Hostel.
As usual I knew very little about where I was going. Harpers Ferry is one of two National Parks in West Virginia and it stands at the confluence of two rivers: the Shenandoah and the Potomac. The only other fact I knew was that my uncle wants to revisit Harpers Ferry because he enjoyed it so much. Pretty sad starting point for me, huh?
As usual, I started my education at the Visitors Center where I learned that this National Park focuses on six themes:
- Natural Heritage – the land and rivers which provide the reasons things happened here: rivers for power and transportation, easy passage through the Blue Ridge mountains, and access to the sea through the Chesapeake.
- Industry – manufacturing where interchangeable parts were first used successfully here in the production of fire arms for the U.S. government.
- John Brown – his failed raid in the cause of abolition was a timely, publicized and important catalyzing event for the Civil War.
- The Civil War – site of the largest surrender of U.S. troops until WWII in the Philippines and the Confederate victory which allowed the Civil War’s bloodiest battle to take place at Antietam, Harpers Ferry was a critical battle ground which changed hands eight times over the course of the war.
- African American History – pivotal developments happened here like the forming of Strayer College and the meeting of the Niagara Movement.
- Transportation – rivers provided the best paths for canal barges and rail trains to follow as they competed to provide transport to the Ohio River.
I was floored and excited by the vastness of what I was about to explore. For a town which was almost wiped from existence by a series of floods and is even now only a small backwater town, it’s amazing to think it was a center of industry, a key battleground, the site of a critical catalyst for the Civil War and for Black rights advancement, and all the while a stunningly beautiful location. Harpers Ferry was shaped up to be another Travis Marathon.
As if the above weren’t enough, it turns out that Harpers Ferry is also where a few special organizations are based.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy coordinates all the local clubs along the 2,175 miles of trail. It’s almost half way along the AT and over 1,000 miles from either end so through-hikers (those walking the full length) stop by to check-in, have their picture taken, and get their number. While I was visiting hiker #641 was registering … the 641st end-to-end hiker to stop by the Conservancy in 2010.
By chance and by dumb luck I also came across the innocently named Harpers Ferry Center. With that title you’d never guess it was part of the National Park Service. Neither would the name suggest it produced all the exhibits, audiovisual programs, banners and brochures for all the National Parks. I LOVE THEIR WORK! As I explained to the man at the reception desk, I’ve been collecting NPS brochures for years and my stack is now over a two feet tall!
While I explored, I hiked and I hiked and I hiked. I climbed to Maryland Heights to a rock cliff overlooking the rivers and towns. I hiked the AT into three States (MD, VA, WV). I walked every street in town and along the waterfront. It’s a remarkably accessible place and a worthy place to visit.
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