Saturday morning we crossed the Potomac from Maryland into West Virginia. Today’s hike was short but tough. We started in Weaverton, MD and hiked northwest up the C&O Canal tow path. We crossed the old train truss bridge over the Potomac River into Harpers Ferry. The river moves quite well this time of year. We walked through town and past the ruins of the Federal Arsenal and up the steep grade past the Catholic Church. The west end of town sits along the Shenandoah River, which include awesome views from Jefferson Rock. We crossed the Shenandoah River on Rt. 340 and marched past the Appalachian Trail Conference HQ and off into the woods of West Virginia. So many points of interest and significance here in Harper’s Ferry. Always worth the trip.

Saturday morning we marched off 11 miles through the Pennsylvania mountains. This hike lasted 4 hours, 9 minutes. Good timing considering the amount of ice & wet snow. We are as far south as Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Still a long way to go before we arrive at Front Royal.

Back on the trail. Today’s weather was very tough. The air temperature was 16 with very strong winds up to 40 MPH. Made for a lot of ice, many slips and even a few falls. The ground really hurts when its frozen. Today we hiked south from Boiling Springs, PA down to Mount Holly Springs. Only 9 miles today, but very tough.