Hiking At Harpers Ferry

What a beautiful day to be outside!

Hiking is becoming a regular weekend activity now that spring is in the air — remember last Saturday’s short hike at Carderock? Today it was off to West Virginia and historic Harpers Ferry. Can I just say that the journalist in me hates the lack of apostrophe in the town’s name?

Harpers Ferry is famous thanks to an 1859 raid of the armory by abolitionist John Brown. He was captured and hanged but his actions became a motivation for more abolitionists to act. The area is filled with Civil War history and we picked the 5 mile Maryland Heights trail because it winds past Civil War fortifications and other points of interest.

Parts of the trail were steep and rocky, but the hike was definitely overrated as ‘difficult.’ I’d call it ‘moderate.’ A good workout and great for getting back on track after a rough week. Then again, I’m not pushing a 9800-pound cannon up the mountain. One historical marker even noted that Abraham Lincoln began the hike but turned around when it got too steep.

While Revolutionary War history is mostly found in New England, artifacts and locations from the Civil War are all over the DC area. In fact, 60% of Civil War battles were fought in Virginia! All this history just one hour from DC — not that the city itself doesn’t have its own history — but it’s just another reason this area is a great place to live.

No Civil War-era buildings are still standing along the trail, although there are plenty in town, but you can see crumbling fortifications and remnants of walls.

Once you reach the summit, the climb is totally worth it. What a view of the Shenandoah River!

This hike is Lexie-approved. She loved it!

Lots of good smells for dogs and pretty pictures for people.

After the two-hour hike, it was time to eat. I used the Yelp app on my iPhone to find The Anvil Restaurant.

The restaurant’s decor was very basic but comfortable and covered with antiques.

I went for soup and a sandwich to warm up after a breezy hike. The Maryland-style crab soup was a pleasant surprise as it was tomato-based, not creamy, with big chunks of crab and plenty of Old Bay seasoning.

I was also happy to find a vegetarian sandwich on the menu: the Hippie Sandwich with portabella mushroom, peppers, lettuce, tomato and secret sauce (thankfully the sauce was on the side and not on the sandwich). Delicious combination of flavors that only could have been better with a slice of avocado or smear of guacamole.

My sweet tooth was dying to be fed after lunch and I remembered seeing a cute coffee shop by the water. I’d much rather support a local cafe than visit Starbucks so… The Coffee Mill to the rescue!

That said, at least at Starbucks you know what to expect. My gingerbread latte — I go for plain lattes 98% of the time but my sweet tooth craved a flavor shot — was way too sweet and milky. I got a little caffeine boost but the gingerbread latte tasted more like gingerbread milk.

My Saturday night plans involve ‘Downton Abbey’ — several friends have recommended it so I’m going to try out the first episode — and Sala Thai takeout. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour tonight!

Are you interested in history? Do you have a favorite era? I’ve always loved reading about World War II and watching movies on the subject. On a shallow note, I also love that 1940s fashion.