Medal of Honor Grove, Freedoms Foundation, Valley Forge, Memorial Day 2014

I spent part of Memorial Day at Valley Forge National Historical Park, a hike I'll discuss elsewhere. But I also spent an hour and a mile hiking at a place I'd driven by for years without ever stopping. This is the story of an unknown gem in the shadow of the national park, why you should visit, and how it could be the most difficult hike you ever do.

Located two miles west of Washington's Headquarters on Route 23 is the Freedoms Foundation. The small campus with the massive 100 foot flagpole is the headquarters of a Cold War organization founded by business leaders and General Eisenhower. The mission of the Freedoms Foundation is to promote "the ideals and principles of our free society and encourage all Americans to embrace both their rights and the responsibilities and contribute to the common good of society." In other words, they teach and promote what my generation of students called civics. What the current generation calls the subject I don't know, nor do I suspect they study it. Just that morning at Valley Forge I'd overheard a young woman surprised that Washington was the first President of the United States. Her boyfriend set her straight, which in turn set my blood pressure back to normal levels.



However, as interesting as the mission and campus of the Freedoms Foundation was to me, that wasn't what I'd come for. Fifty-two of the eighty-five acres of the campus remains wooded. And in that woods is the Medal of Honor Grove. A winding series of paths take you to 54 memorials devoted to winners of the Medal of Honor - one for each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, military chaplains, and men who hadn't achieved citizenship at the time they committed their act of heroism.

The Medal of Honor, popularly called the Congressional Medal of Honor even though its been presented by
Presidents from Lincoln to Obama, is the highest military commendation in the United States. It's awarded to servicemen and women for valor above and beyond the call of duty. And its often presented posthumously, as valor demands sacrifice, and at times the ultimate sacrifice. As I wandered past the markers and monuments on this Memorial Day, I had a lump in my throat. Each name underlined the duality of war; its the most horrible of man's creations, and yet it brings out the noblest elements in us. And every name tells a story. At the Pennsylvania monument I stopped to photograph one marker, just one at random.


Ross McGinnis was a young man born in Meadville and raised in Knox, both towns in western Pennsylvania. . The nineteen year old was a private in the US Army serving in Iraq. In 2006 a grenade was thrown into the vehicle he was riding in. With seconds to decide, he alerted the other soldiers so they could escape the vehicle and then threw himself on the explosive. McGinnis' sacrifice saved the lives of the other soldiers. His parents were presented the Medal of Honor he earned by President Bush in 2008.

The Medal of Honor Grove is filled with such stories, some recent, many older. Here was a stillness in the air as I passed stories of lives cut short, parents outliving sons, children without fathers and spouses parted. My hike was on pavement, and little more than a mile. I didn't need boots or poles. There was no exertion needed, and yet I've not found a hike that took more out of me than this one. I emerged from the wooded Grove into the sunlight and couldn't look at the flag the same way I had when I walked in. And now a half day after my visit, I still can't.

Overlooks on Ridge Road, Michaux State Forest, May 2014

I'm a sucker for a vista. When I learned there were overlooks on Ridge Road, I headed there. What I found was both exciting and frustrating.

I left the Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel on Sunday morning and took Route 233 North. As the road climbed and crested South Mountain I turned right onto Ridge Road. For a PA forest road it was in excellent shape - dirt and cinder and gravel, but well packed. The driving was easy, and in about a mile I found the first overlook on the right. This vista is amazing but isn't on the Michaux State Forest map.

After walking a short distance from the pulloff, I was greeted with a spectacular view of Piney Mountain. It's not as nice as the view of South Mountain from Pole Steeple, but instead you can view Pole Steeple. The haze and my poor photograph don't do this vista justice, but if you look closely in the second photo you can notice a speck of quartz. That's Pole Steeple.

After I spent a few minutes trying to get a good photo and failing, I returned to my car and continued to the next overlook, Hammond Rocks. The first stop was flat, but Hammond Rocks is anything but. The rock formation offers decent views, the better the higher you climb. However, because its a drive up overlook its evidently easy for a disreputable element to reach. There was extensive graffiti on the rocks, and trash strewn around. I enjoyed climbing up the rocks but I was dismayed at the evidence left by other visitors. And when I realized a rock pile on South Mountain is the natural hangout of the Eastern Timber Rattler I decided I'd had enough. Back to the car and continuing down Ridge Road.

The final overlook, Spruce Run, takes some work to get to. Ridge Road deteriorates quickly once you are past Hammond Rocks. But I persevered and on my left was a pulloff with a view of the Cumberland valley. Again better shooting conditions and elevation mean a better photo. (Scott Brown in his photography books mentions standing on the roof of his Jeep to get photos, a feat I was not going to replicate.) The view was pretty, but under the circumstances not worth more than the couple of minutes I gave it. I resumed driving on Ridge Road, which after a bumpy descent lead to Mount Holly Marsh Preserve's entrance and PA Route 34. When I return to the preserve to hike I might come back to these overlooks and attempt photographs again.

Mount Holly Marsh Preserve, Mount Holly Springs, PA, May 2014

Like Mount Alto two days before, my trip to Mount Holly Marsh Preserve was a thwarted hike. But I'll describe the preserve for you, and why I turned around.

Mount Holly Springs is the closest town to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. It sits in a gap in South Mountain. On the edge of the town and the edge of the mountain, off Route 34, is the Mount Holly Marsh Preserve. 913 acres of land on the mountain and along Mountain Creek are held by Cumberland County, with The Nature Conservancy managing 200 of them. The inkeepers at the Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel and a few other residents of the area recommended the hiking trails in the preserve as worth a visit. With the AT, Pole Steeple, Tumbling Run, the Bucktail Path, and a few other trails in Michaux State Forest, the preserve is often overlooked. So I was looking forward to being off the beaten path.

However, less than a quarter mile in I ran into flooding from the recent rains or snowmelt or the creek overflowing or the springs that give the town its name. Whatever it was, the trail was a mess, and I wasn't in the mood to get wet feet again. And I was out of dry socks anyway. So I turned around. I will be back, however. In drier weather.

Mont Alto State Park, May 2014

I wrote a year ago, in one of my first posts, this description: "Mont Alto State Park, opened in 1902, is the
oldest park in the PA DCNR system, and its one of the smallest. I have an unexplained fondness for this park. It's like one of your grandfather's cufflinks - old, cute, small, but useless when you think about it. Still, I like the park, and visit when I can.

"The park is on Route 233 on South Mountain, a few miles north of the Mason-Dixon line. The park consists of a picnic area, restrooms, a play area that's seen better days, a bridge over the West Branch of the Antietam Creek - yes, THAT Antietam Creek - and a carousel shell. Mont Alto was originally
an amusement park, and the roof of the carousel was used to cover a raised picnic area."

I'm still fond of Mont Alto, and I had lunch there on my first day in Michaux State Forest. This time my post-meal hike was short again, although that wasn't by choice. I tried a trail from the parking lot across Route 233, but after a few hundred feet there was a blowdown, and I didn't feel like bushwacking around it. I had just read the park warning about the protected status of the timber rattler, and I took the warning "don't tread on me" seriously. So I backtracked and once again took photos around snowmelt-swollen Antietam Creek.That combined with lunch "under the big top" of the picnic area made for a pleasant hour.

Whispering Pines Trail and Pine Plantation Trail, King's Gap, May 2014

At the entrance to King's Gap Environmental Education Center is the Pines Day Use Area. Its the sole flat area in the park, and it holds two short trails, the paved Whispering Pines and the longer grassy Pine Plantation. As the names indicate, these are I walked both trails, which total a mile, before leaving the park during my recent trip to the Michaux State Forest. It was late afternoon and I was alone. The sound of my boots on the ground and the birds were all I heard, as I was surrounded by the smell of the pines and the light filtered through them. Although these trails have no technical challenges, no elevation changes, no vistas or waterfalls, I found my hike here to be as wonderful as any I've been on. A hike doesn't have to be busy or long to be fulfilling. Nor does a hiker have to do things to be filled.

Scenic Vista Trail, King's Gap, May 2014

This is the story of my four mile hike on a two and a half mile trail.

I didn't intend to do the longer distance. When I spent my last afternoon on my recent trip to the Michaux State Forest I headed towards King's Gap Environmental Education Center. The state park is located near Mount Holly Springs, outside of Carlisle, and is about six miles by trail from Pine Grove Furnace State Park. King's Gap in its previous life was an estate, and the mansion house is now used by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for conferences and events. Sitting on a hilltop, the patio of the mansion commands a fantastic view of the Cumberland valley. On a good day you can make out Carlisle a dozen miles distant.

But while the mansion and the view is a draw, its not the only one. The park has several views, and it has trails like our forests have deer ticks. For a relatively small park there are a bewildering array of hiking possibilities, and most of them intersect at one point or another. Blazing is inconsistent, with an array of colors and shapes and signs to direct the hiker somewhere or other. Add in a hiker who needs all the help he can get and, well, you'll see.

I selected the 2.5 mile Scenic Vista Trail, and promptly headed in the wrong direction down the wrong trail.  I soon corrected myself, and hiked beneath the patio of the mansion and and around to the south. The SVT soon merged with the Bucktail Path to Pine Grove Furnace, and just as soon diverged. The Bucktail headed south and the SVT headed back up and down around the mountain. I'd neglected to note the park trail map was a topo, and didn't bother to note all those elevation lines the trail crossed. Still, the weather was nice and the trail surface pleasant by Rocksylvania standards. And about a mile and a half in I was rewarded by the promised scenic vista.

Once seen, I continued down the mountain. I was curious how they were going to manage to get me back to the start. After a continued downhill, followed by crossing a flooded portion of trail, I noticed this trail was, in fact, not a loop. Not expecting to do a long hike I'd not brought water. Still, I wasn't terribly thirsty, and I thought I'd see this trail to its end.

I eventually came out at a day use area on the four mile drive up the mountain. I met a runner there, who advised me my best and shortest option to get back to my car was to follow the park road up. Although walking on pavement wasn't appealing, I did it, and began to hike up the road. Fortunately about a mile in I noticed the Mansion Trail crossed the road, and so I followed the half mile climb up the side of the hill. I emerged from the trail a few feet from where I started. Although I'd made mistakes, having been careless in map reading and not bringing water, I was proud of myself for completing a four mile hike with nearly as much elevation change as the Pole Steeple adventure the day before. Perhaps I'm getting the hang of this, I thought. Now if I could only learn to read a map.....

Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel, Pine Grove Furnace State Park, May 2014

During my recent weekend in the Michaux State Forest I stayed at the Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel. Located on Route 233 and the Appalachian Trail in Pine Grove Furnace State Park, the hostel is indeed a mansion, built in 1829 and standing above the site of the old blast furnace. Next door is the park general store, and nearby is the blast furnace stack, Appalachian Trail Museum, and park office. The park lakes and Pole Steeple are within a couple of miles. And Springer Mountain in Georgia and Katahdin in Maine are in walking distance if you are ambitious.

The hostel was run, and run down,  by American Youth Hostels for many years, and AYH was in charge when I first stayed there in 2009. The building closed in 2010 and was purchased by the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, who did extensive renovation to the property. Now with Roger and Kathy as hosts the hostel is open 11 months of the year with the exception of days the building is booked for a wedding or other event.

I've never stayed alone at the hostel, but I've never seen more than four guests at a time. I'm curious to see how a full house would look, with conversation and guests spilling from room to room. Instead I've been blessed to meet on a one to one basis the fascinating people who hike the world's most famous footpath. One of them was Shane, on a "flip-flop" hike, starting in Harpers Ferry, ending in Maine, and then resuming in Harpers Ferry heading south. He is a delightful conversationalist, and an even better pianist. He was in tune the morning before the Pole Steeple hike, the piano not so much.

For more on the Ironmaster's Mansion, visit http://ironmastersmansion.com/

Rocky Knob Trail, Michaux State Forest, May 2014

I spent three days in the Michaux State Forest area when I went out to lead the HIKE For Mental Health Pole Steeple hike. I was able to hike a few trails during my trip, including the remote Rocky Knob Trail, located off a forest road atop South Mountain.

The Rocky Knob Trail was surprising in many ways. First, its not especially rocky by Pennsylvania standards. Secondly, the views alleged to be on the trail were always obscured by trees. And thirdly, I found the sensation of evil present still, 26 years after one of the most notorious crimes in Pennsylvania history took place not far from where I walked.

I first read of the murder in Bill Bryson's book A Walk In The Woods, although Bryson errs in placing the crime on the Appalachian Trail. (The AT crosses the entrance to the Rocky Knob Trail, and the initial contact between killer and victim took place on it, but the crime did not take place on the AT.) I'm revisiting the events of May 12 and 13, 1998 here just as I did the crime scene. In brief, Rebecca Wight and Claudia Brenner, lovers and backpackers up for a few days in the woods after the end of the semester at Virginia Tech, decided to camp along the stream below the Rocky Knob Trail despite their twice that day having met a creepy man with a shotgun. Stephen Carr was living illegally in the forest, and decided to stalk the two women. Once they'd set up camp and the woman became intimate, Carr fired. Wight was hit twice and her injuries were fatal. Brenner, in one of the great stories of survival, hiked out of the forest at night with five bullets in her, and then reached the Old Shippensburg Road miles away, where she was picked up by young people driving by and taken to a hospital in time to save her life.

After a manhunt Carr was captured, and a plea bargain spared him the death penalty in exchange for no jury trial and a sentence of life without parole. The murder and subsequent trial are the subject of two books, H. L. Pohlman's The Whole Truth, and Claudia Brenner's memoir Eight Bullets.  Brenner recovered from her injuries, completed her architecture degree, and moved to New York state, where she runs her own firm and does public speaking on violence against gay people.

I can't help but think of the crime as I ride the Perkiomen Trail, which crosses land part of Graterford Prison, Carr's home. And it was on my mind as I hiked along the Rocky Knob Trail. At one point I looked down towards the stream and felt a chill. Was it because I was alone on a mountaintop and it was late afternoon? Or because I was in the midst of beauty and the thought of evil? Was THIS the place on the hillside where Carr stalked his victims? I quickened my steps, and I felt better once I was back at my car.

The Rocky Knob Trail is a pleasant four and a half miles of relatively easy hiking, and I doubt I will ever visit again.

HIKE For Mental Health at Pole Steeple, May 3, 2014

Photo by Sean McCloskey. All rights reserved.

On Saturday May 3 at ten AM a group of eleven hikers, and one dog, from all over Pennsylvania gathered at
Laurel Lake in Pine Grove Furnace State Park for a hike up to Pole Steeple. The cliffs towering 700 feet over the lake are a popular hike for many visitors to the park, but this hike was relatively early in the season and the trails weren’t crowded.

While the outdoors is for everyone, no two people are the same, and we had hikers of different levels of experience on the trail. “Hike your own hike” was the rule, but while we broke into groups of different paces we met up again frequently. Our pace was relaxed, as there was so much to see on and off the trail. The four hours for the four mile hike seemed to speed by, even if we didn’t.

As for the trails themselves, the climb to Pole Steeple was the usual mix of rocks, roots, and dirt that make up a PA hiking experience. As part of the loop we used the Appalachian Trail to get back to the road and the parking lot, and its clear the winter was hard on the AT. There was a lot of erosion and in at least one spot a fast moving stream formed across the trail. The only hikers who finished with dry socks were the hikers who didn’t wear them. For me, this continued a theme of my hikes that weekend, as my shoes got soaked on every hike.

Hero of the hike was my friend Joshua. Readers are familiar with my weekday hikes with Josh, but regardless of any preparation we could do this was a very tough hike for him. His wife, although fitter than her husband, was pushed too. Both got up the hill, and since we weren't rushing they took their time.

As for myself, I felt stronger than ever before on the climb to the top. I wasn't fast, but I felt more sure footed and faster than on previous climbs. I was still very cautious moving around on the rock outcropping, however.

The hike raised $320 for HIKE For Mental Health and introduced some of the group to the beauty of a stretch of the AT and the great view from atop Pole Steeple. As a first time hike leader and HFMH volunteer I’m pleased with both results.

Caledonia Falls, Caledonia State Park, May 2014

A waterfall is loosely defined as water traveling over a precipice, but man is a defining creature and no one is going to leave it at that. Scott Brown and Gary Letcher in their books on waterfalls and Raymond at PAWaterfalls.com all ignore Caledonia Falls for one reason or another. Yet it might be one of the most photographed waterfalls in Pennsylvania, simply because of its location on PA Route 233 and US Route 30 in Caledonia State Park. Whenever I am in the area, or passing west on 30, I stop for a few minutes, take the walk up the entrance to the Thaddeus Stevens Trail, and visit the waterfall.

Caledonia is a true cascade, as water spills from rock to rock as the old mill race flows downhill to Mountain Creek, meeting under the road. Its easy to photograph from the top, as I've done here, or from either side. Unfortunately shooting from the road requires standing on the shoulder on either side, which can be a little unnerving as cars and trucks go past. Still, I think its worth the effort, and unlike most waterfalls you need to invest little effort in hiking, as the falls are a few feet from the parking area. During the summer the flow is little more than a trickle, but after the spring runoff or a heavy rain the falls are impressive.

Adams Falls, Ricketts Glen State Park, April 2014

The most visited cascade at Ricketts Glen is arguably Adams Falls, the final named falls on Kitchen Creek. Its the easiest to access, being only a short walk from the parking lot on Route 118. Adams Falls was where I met Raymond of PAWaterfalls.com before starting our hike in State Game Lands 13, and he spent a few minutes with me photographing the cascade. At 7:30 AM we had the falls to ourselves, and since solitude is a rarity at Ricketts Glen, we made the most of it.  This is once again an instance where my photos do not do justice to the subject. Now, if someone would only remove the logs in the upper cascade and lower plunge pool.....

Sullivan Run, State Game Lands 13, April 2014

This blog is a diary. But I don't write it for myself. This is a story of how you, my readers, pushed me to do what my heart told me I should try.

State Game Lands 13 lies a dozen miles west of Ricketts Glen State Park. A State Game Lands tract in Pennsylvania is owned by the Commonwealth and open for hunting and fishing in season. With a few exceptions there are no blazed or maintained trails, no parking aside from roadside pulloffs, no visitor center, no park rangers and no maintained roads.

Which is why despite SGL 13 having nearly as many waterfalls as Ricketts Glen, there are no crowds. The only people who hike to the waterfalls are local residents and people who might have read about the falls on the Internet, or in Jeff Mitchell's book Hiking The Endless Mountains. 

Its Mitchell who coined the phrase "Waterfall wonderland" to describe the seventeen cascades on Heberly, Sullivan, Pigeon, and Orr Runs. Mitchell's book also details the eight mile hike to see all these falls. However, don't expect a walk in the park. There are no trails, only an old forest road or two and a lot of bushwacking. And to see all the falls you have to be prepared to scramble up and down hills and hike IN the stream and climb up the cliffs alongside the falls. Mitchell advises allow eight hours for the eight mile loop, never hike it in icy conditions, and never hike it alone.

So naturally, having read all this, I wanted to do the hike. Or at least part of it. Fortunately Raymond, the manager of the Pennsylvania Waterfalls Facebook group and the owner of the Pennsylvania Waterfalls website, offered to meet and guide me on the Sullivan Run leg of the hike. We set aside the last Sunday in April, and I arrived at the meeting place with hiking poles and hip waders. Ray drove us to a gravel lot in the SGL and we headed towards our first waterfall, Sullivan Falls. It was an impressive sight, and I was glad I didn't have to hike up it.

From Sullivan we followed an old forest trail, crossing a stream and then the top of Pigeon Falls. The water flow was high with runoff, but we had no trouble crossing. Even from the top Pigeon Run, and the falls, were beautiful. I could hardly imagine what they looked like from the glen below.

My problem began with the bushwack down the hill. As readers know I have from time to time trouble with descending steep slopes, and this was one time. I went down a few feet and stood there. Ray had hiked halfway down and he stared at me. Finally he said "We can turn back if you want. Its' OK."

I was afraid. I was nervous. But I didn't want to turn back. I wanted to see the falls. And there was another reason. "Ray, I write a blog about going out and doing things. If I don't at least try, I'm a liar and a fraud." A man takes risks, I told myself. And a big risk was in front of me. I told myself when I lost 160 pounds I wasn't going to live a boring life. Well, time to follow through.

But how to get down the hill? I looked at the ground, the usual Pennsylvania scree and grass, and remembered my Ravenshorn hike. "Ray, don't laugh, but I'm going to do a controlled slide down the hill." I sat down and scooted, using my legs to maneuver away from big rocks and trees. By the time I reached a point I could stand and walk down I'd blazed what I called a "big ass trail" and decided Cabella's is now my official hiking outfitter - those pants can survive anything.

Once in the glen, it was a matter of walking alongside Sullivan Run, walking IN Sullivan Run, and climbing on the cliffs. I was very slow and Ray was very fast, but we managed OK. I think he expected I was a better, stronger hiker when he offered to meet me, but we both learned fast - he that I'm slow but determined, me that I can do more than I imagine. And that includes climbing a waterfall. Or in this case, two.

Our hike continued to one of the few named cascades on Sullivan, Atticus Falls. Ray scampered up the side of the falls, and gave me advice from above on how to get up. This time I didn't succeed. It wasn't the will or the knees failing, it was the lack of flexibility in my hips that did me in. I couldn't bring my leg up that high to reach the shelf I needed to. As a result I stood half in, half out of the water flow. Finally I said "I can't", and carefully climbed back down the falls face. I wasn't upset, as I had given my all. My all wasn't enough, at least this time. 

Ray bushwacked up the side of the hill, followed by me very slowly. Going up doesn't activate my fear of heights, but the ground was soft and uneven, and I didn't want to fall. Once at the top we stopped, had lunch, and I amused Ray by pouring what seemed gallons of water from my waders. Once we ate and I struggled to get my boots back on we hiked back to the car. 

Will I ever do the complete loop in the Waterfall Wonderland? I don't know. I'd like to.  I was tested this hike. I'm not sure I passed or not. But the important thing is that I took the test. Thanks to Ray for guiding me, and for you, the readers of A Taste For The Woods, for helping to keep me a formerly sedentary man rediscovering the outdoors. 

Highland Trail, Rickett's Glen State Park, April 2014

After I had trouble hiking the Falls Trail, I took on the Highland Trail at Ricketts Glen. A friend had called the park "Pennsylvania's premier hiking experience" and I soon found out the truth of that. Even without the waterfalls Ricketts Glen would be a wonderful park. And the Highland Trail was a delight. Easy to hike for someone tired from a four hour drive, and scenic enough not to bore someone tired from a four hour drive.

Highlights of the Highland Trail included a pair of stone 'ledges', basically cliffs on the trail. Normally they wouldn't provide much of a view but the trees were not fully leafed and I had some lovely sights of the horizon. And at the trail passes through the Midpoint Crevasse, a large boulder formation. And the whole of the hike I was surrounded by the sight, sound, and smell of an old-growth forest. (Due to the difficulty of lumbering in the area these trees were never cut.) The surface itself is dirt and rock founded flat by decades of boots, and very easy to hike. I wound up hiking four miles on the Highland Trail and another connection trail from the distant parking lot, and my comparative failure on the Falls Trail was forgotten.

Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, April 2014

This hike was a failure or a success, depending on what you are looking for. I'm still not sure which it is.

The last weekend in April I spent in Pennsylvania's waterfall country - the northeastern part of the state. Due to quirks of geology this region has waterfalls cascading all over. And the crown jewel is Ricketts Glen State Park.

The park is named for Colonel Ricketts, hero of Gettysburg and lumber baron. Wikipedia has an astonishingly detailed account of the history and geology of the park, and I have nothing to add. I'll just state that hiking alongside 22 waterfalls isn't something to be missed. And I tried not to miss it.

My trip north was delayed, as once again I had to work late the night before. I arrived at the park about five PM and set out to hike the abbreviated version of the Falls Trail. The complete Falls Trail is a balloon or lollipop hike, starting at Adams Falls on Route 118 and heading north to Waters Meet, at which point you hike up either Kitchen or Fishing Creek. When you reach the Highland Trail you head to the other creek and hike back down to Waters Meet and return to your car. This is a hike of over seven miles, but you can cut four miles off by starting on the Highland Trail and hiking along both creeks, but skipping the trip down to Rt 118. You miss a couple of waterfalls, but you see the bulk of them.

In fact what happened is I missed the bulk of them. That afternoon I tried to hike down the Ganoga Glen side of the trail and I had my fear of heights kick in at the top of the steps down 33 foot Mohawk Falls. Knowing that navigating century old slate steps would be what I'd face the entire hike, I turned around.

The following afternoon I tried again. I was in a good mood, having not only hiked alongside waterfalls that morning at State Game Lands 13, but up their faces as well. This time I started from Adams Falls and headed north. determined to get as far as I could. The trail along Kitchen Creek is level as far as the first waterfall, sixteen foot Murray Reynolds, but the trail gets rougher as you approach the second, 36 foot Sheldon Reynolds. Once again the steps deterred me, this time due not only to a fear of heights but joint swelling. Climbing up waterfalls is hard work, and I'd worked hard that morning. My body was telling me I'd had enough.

So, was the Falls Trail a bust for me? Some might call it a failure, but I can't. I saw four marvelous waterfalls - Adams, Mohawk, and the two Reynolds - and had a great hike along Kitchen Creek. As for those stairs, I feel confident I can do the entire seven mile loop if I start fresh and rested, and take the usual care I do when hiking. Ricketts Glen is a marvelous place to hike, and I will be back to do the Falls Trail.

Maryland Heights, Harpers Ferry, April 2014

Maryland Heights was a trail I almost didn't do. And its an example of why listening to people requires exercising discrimination.

I'd asked online about hiking to Maryland Heights, and was told it was difficult. No one was trying to discourage me. But I was discouraged at first, as I'm a novice hiker and I trust the judgment of my hiking betters. Easter Sunday I work up with a sore back and decided I was going to stick to flat, easy walks for the day.

But as the sun rose in the sky and my back muscles warmed I walked easier. I had no trouble at Bolivar Heights, and as I stood there and looked at Maryland Heights in the distance I thought "what if?" I could always attempt it and turn back if it were beyond my abilities.

Also, I'd since read about how the trail came to be formed. Maryland Heights was the location of a naval battery during the Civil War. There was only one way to get the canon up there, and that was to haul it on a road. And hauling meant horses. And horses aren't known for hiking up rocky slopes. So there had to be a trail like the carriage roads I'd hiked in New York State. A drive by of the trailhead confirmed my suspicions. "I can do this" I said to myself.

Scott Brown, in his recent book on hikes in Maryland, suggests parking at the small lots near the trailhead on Harpers Ferry Road, but there's a much easier alternative - park at the national park visitor's center and take the shuttle bus to Lower Town, and walk across the pedestrian bridge and along the C & O Canal Towpath. It adds about a half mile and a parking fee to the hike, but the walk is easy and pleasant. Soon enough you reach a wooden bridge over the canal ruins, cross it and Harpers Ferry Road, and you start up the Maryland Heights Trail.

And up. And up. The comments about the climbing were correct. I was puffing like the pack horses 150 years ago, except I wasn't dragging a canon up the hill. Still, I paced myself, and caught my breath when I needed to.

That is, I caught my breath when the scenery didn't take it away. The elevated view of the Potomac vied with the hillside and stream views as I climbed. Meanwhile the trail was flat and smooth, not as rocky as a Pennsylvania hiking trail. Yes, it was a challenge, but not as much of one as I feared.

The trail continues to the site of the Naval Battery, where the canon were trained on Harpers Ferry and the surrounding hillsides. I'd passed the spur trail to the ruins of the fort as it would increase the difficulty of the hike and more importantly the time - one disadvantage to parking at the national park visitor center is that the last shuttle bus from Lower Town is 5:45 PM, and I started my hike mid-afternoon. From the Naval Battery site the trail climbs further to the cliffs overlooking Harpers Ferry, and I likewise left the cliffs for another day.

Scott Brown in his book barely mentions the Naval Battery view, but I found it worth the climb, and it made a good place to stop for a few minutes before heading back down. I caught my breath; I'd caught my courage at the start of the hike. I headed back down the road, along the canal towpath, across the bridge and to a shuttle bus, all while planning on the full six mile hike to the cliffs and fort for my next visit. The Maryland Heights trail is tough according to some hikers. But I'm tougher.

Harpers Ferry, Murphy Farm and Bolivar Heights, April 2014

All my hikes in Harpers Ferry Easter weekend were short. But all were wonderful. I had good weather and great views. Two of the hikes were on battlefields, and I'm combining them into a single post even though they were done on separate days in separate, but close, locations.

On Saturday I walked the loop at the Murphy Farm. The two mile trail starts at the Visitors Center for the park, and aside from a moderately steep drop to cross a stream the trail is level, and for most of its length a wide crushed limestone surface. And if you are not in the mood to cross the stream or want a shorter hike there is a trailhead with parking at the farm. Highlights of the short walk were the cannons and historical marker for the Battle of Harpers Ferry, and two vistas of the Shenandoah River.


The second walk was Easter Sunday, and consisted of a mile on Bolivar Heights. Everything is "heights" around Harpers Ferry - Bolivar Heights, Maryland Heights, Loudoun Heights - because the town was built into a hillside and on a flood plain. Being located next to the river is great for transporting goods, but not helpful when defending against an army occupying high ground. There's a quip allegedly from some Civil War figure that he'd rather have to attack Harpers Ferry a dozen times than defend it once. Seeing Bolivar Heights and Murphy Farm made me think there's some truth to that witticism.

A hundred and fifty years later what was a helpful view for battle is now a marvelous vista. I walked the flat portion of the trail facing the confluence of the rivers, and as the photos show I had a great view. Like Murphy Farm the Bolivar Heights trail has canon and historical markers, but its the views that make the hike.