Camping and Maryland Heights Trail

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. My brand new memory card decided to corrupt all the pictures on it, and Hubs diligently worked to save as many as he could. I lost some, but a lot were saved. But I am so excited to share this story with you! This weekend's hike was epic!

A lot of thought went into this hike. With a plethora of trails available to us in this area, it is always a challenge to choose one. Hubs and I have looked at tons of trails and each one gets filtered out for one reason or another. Too close, too far, not challenging enough, too challenging... I wanted to do something big. I wanted to be challenged. I wanted an adventure.

During my search, Harpers Ferry, WV popped up. I was instantly intrigued. There were so many trails to choose from, and so many things to do out there. We could drive out there Friday night and camp, then hit the trail early the next morning! I would have loved to start hiking Friday and camp out on the trail, but we have a bunch more equipment we need to invest in before we do that. Plus.. I don't know that I'm ready to get that familiar with the great outdoors.. if you catch my drift... I need to shore up my courage a bit.

Hubs, Littlest Cloudy, and I set out much later than intended. It was my fault, because all good weekend trips must have a shopping trip before hand! Helloooo REI! I love that store! When we finally arrived, our campground was breathtaking. River Riders's campground is situated right on the Potomac River, which was so peaceful. I couldn't imagine a more serene place to spend the night.

Photo Credit: Littlest Cloudy

Photo Credit: Littlest Cloudy

Surprisingly enough, we managed to set the tent up quickly and it didn't collapse on us! I was really proud of us! Three city kids braving the wilds of West Virginia and living to tell the tale, who would have thought?! 

Our tent is a cute little thing that our dear neighbors gave us as a wedding present. I'm ashamed to say it went untouched the first two and a half years of our marriage, but I promise you friends, it will be used until its death from here on out! It's so easy to set up, and its roomy! It's also very stylish, which in my opinion is the most important thing. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it in style! Unfortunately the picture of our tent was one of the pictures that did not survive.. I'll take a picture the next time we use it. 

One of the essential backpacking items we need (desperately!) are bedrolls. We've been looking at some online, reading reviews, and doing our homework on them but we haven't made the purchase yet. So for the weekend a friend graciously lent us his bedrolls. They are about as basic as you can get, and after a fitful night's sleep Hubs and I agreed that we would be getting nice ones before our next overnight adventure. It is a purchase well worth my sanity. 

The puppers did a great job in the tent! We brought their beds with us and had them sleep on one side of the tent (they were more comfortable than us!) and they hardly stirred after we told them it was bedtime. Of course, they were so (dog) tired from our exciting car adventure and watching us set up camp, who could blame them??

The next morning, our friends joined us in historic Harpers Ferry to start our big hike! I was overflowing with excitement. Mostly because we were about to hike. The really nerdy reason was because we were right where the Appalachian Trail comes through and I was seeing serious hikers for the first time. I had to restrain myself from asking one of them for a picture. Hubs and Littlest Cloudy would have been so embarrassed if I had done that... 

The Maryland Heights trail is actually a couple of trails that wrap up and around the mountain. There are cool things to see along the way, like Naval Batteries and cliff overlooks. The batteries are gone for the most part, but there are signs that talk about each location and the history behind it. 

This trail kicked my butt. Literally. I have never been sore like I am now after hiking a trail until Maryland Heights. Part of that was due to the new pack that we acquired on our shopping trip (another Flash 18), and the bladder that we got to put in it (a 2L Platypus) along with all of the gear you carry for a day hike. Mostly the soreness was from all the uphill hiking. At the highest point we climbed 1192 ft! It was such a work out!

Check out that view! This was taken at the cliff overlook during the first part of our hike. We stopped here for a while to rest and re-hydrate ourselves, and I couldn't help but take an annoying number of pictures =]

Photo Credit: Littlest Cloudy

Like the sparkly sunglasses?? I know that's the first thing you noticed!

When we continued on our way, we got up to the highest point to have lunch, and then it was all down hill from there! No, nothing bad happened. It really was all down hill after that!

Like I said, this trail kicked my butt. It was really difficult, but I'm glad we pushed through! You can park across the river in downtown historic Harpers Ferry at the Amtrak lot if you get there early enough. The lot is controlled by the National Park Service, so there is a fee to park (it was $10 when we went). If you strike out and don't find any parking there, you can park at the main visitors center across Highway 340 and they will shuttle you over. If you have dogs with you though, you'll want to arrive early enough to park at the Amtrak lot because pets are not allowed on the shuttle. 

Amtrak Station

To get to the Maryland Heights trail, you go across the Potomac on the footbridge. 

This sign points you to the footbridge

On the other side of the bridge, go left down the C&O Canal Towpath until you come to a bridge that leads across the canal (there is a sign that says Maryland Heights). The trail entrance is directly across from the bridge. 

Good footwear is a must. Poor Littlest Cloudy didn't have the right kind of shoes. She is fine, but it definitely slowed her down since she had to worry with foot placement. The trail is really rocky, and one misplaced foot could lead to an ankle injury (and then you couldn't wear heels for like.. weeks). We brought lots of water with us and I'm glad we did, especially for the pups. The climb was just as hard on them, and they were very thirsty. 

This trail was very busy. I think that was due to the fact that it was so close to the A.T. and because Harpers Ferry is a summer destination for a lot of people. Just watch out and be considerate of other hikers you meet. Remember that you are not the only one on the trail =]

We hiked a little over 7 miles, and it took us just about 4 hours. You can see a map of our trail on EveryTrail. Its really neat to be able to look at a GPS of our route after we've done it! 

After completing this trail I feel like I'm ready to conquer the world! Ok, maybe just the next difficult trail. One day though, I will hike the Appalachian Trail - and it will be glorious!

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! I'd love to hear from you in the comments section! You can also follow me by email at the top of the left hand navigation bar by simply entering your email address. Happy Trails!