OK guys, it’s time to start thinking of another MAD outdoor activity. This weekend’s kinda busy what with Easter and all, but I was thinking of the stretch of AT between Rt. 9 and Harpers Ferry for either 4/26 or 5/3, especially if Theios or Jonathan Chance is available and interested on one of those weekends.
Any thoughts, suggestions, alternatives?
My calendar is getting all muddled up through there, but 4/26 actually looks good to me…can we schedule midish-morning (for those of us who fear hours between 5-9am?) Yay for frolics, I support the Harpers Ferry route!
I’m available either weekend.
I have more questions than suggestions. How long does it take to hike the AT between Rt 9 and Harpers Ferry? Do we leave cars at each end, or hike back? Carry lunch to eat on the trail, or finagle an invitation to picnic at the Chance Manse?
I don’t mind an early start. Panache, you should be OK, you can just steal a piece of pizza from your roommate and run out the door, like last time. (Of course, if the hike is short, we won’t have to start so early.)
I’m sorry, RT, but suddenly my life is upside-down and the next couple of weekends are going to be outrageously busy for me. I’m going to make time on Friday the 25th for the AAA Society meeting, but I can’t spare the time that the AT trip will require.
If you don’t get any more MADs signed up this time, do you think we could postpone until mid May? I’d sure hate to miss this hike.
My apologies, all. I must’ve been away from my 'puter when you guys posted to this thread, because I thought it had disappeared without a trace on the afternoon of 4/17.
It’s just as well that we didn’t plan anything for today, since it’s wet and rainy out. Next weekend I’ll be in FL visiting the in-laws. The weekend of the 18th is my anniversary. So it looks like the weekend of the 10th/11th for anything I’m gonna be organizing, either that or wait awhile.
A few of us put our heads together last night at the AAA gathering, and decided on Sunday, May 11 for the Harper’s Ferry hike. And while we’re hoping JC and Theios can join us, since it’s practically in their backyard, we decided we’d do this one whether or not they could.
So, who’s up for this? I promise I’ll track the thread more closely this time.
May 11 looks good for us, so far. I hope it stays that way, cause I really really really want to make this.
May 11th should be good for me as well. I’m really looking forward to this one.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for good weather!
Great! Anyone else?
Let’s hear from the Harpers Ferry contingent!
I’m in!
The 11th is Mother’s Day. I hope that doesn’t make it hard for some folks. The next opportunity would be the 24th-25th, which is Memorial Day weekend.
Either the 11th or Memorial Day weekend are lousy for me, although the 11th is marginally better. Memorial weekend is Airman’s and my wedding anniversary, and Airman’s grandmother’s birthday, so we’re going to Pittsburgh to do her spring cleaning.
Robin
May 11th is no good for me either; I’ll be out of town for a wedding. Weather permitting though, I’m planning to do some kayaking off Georgetown this coming weekend. You can rent a boat for about $10 per hour and the upper Patomac is a pretty gentle body of water to learn on – everyone is welcome and encouraged to join me.
I’d love to. Unfortunately, my wife and I are flying down to visit the in-laws this weekend.
I hope a kayak is safer than a canoe. Please keep an eye out for the German girl; they still haven’t found her.
I guess have a morbid streak.
I work on May 11th. But since it’s so close to home and coffee is so cheap, I might be able to work something out. I just won’t get any sleep before work and my gf will yell at me.
I know this section of trail fairly well. How did you guys plan on hiking it? Are you going to go the whole way from Rt 9 to Harpers Ferry? Or are you just planning on hiking a peice of it? If you aren’t sure, I can offer up some suggestions. I hike this section quite a bit. I can walk to it from my house. 
Theios: it’s, what, about 8-9 miles? I looked at it on my topo book at home back in March, and the elevation changes didn’t look too worrisome. If the trail itself is in decent shape, I’m thinking the whole thing, in whatever direction’s more downhill. (I’m assuming that’s from Rt. 9 towards Harpers Ferry.)
Some people might want the option of starting/ending in the middle, though, so some suggestions would be appreciated.
Theios - I’m looking at my topo maps again, and it looks more like 6 miles: I was extrapolating from 671 between the Potomac and JC’s house, but it seems like Route 9 is a bit further north when it hits the AT at Keys Gap than it is at JC’s.
And the elevation change…it looks like you go up 300-400 feet from Keys Gap to the ridge, follow the ridge through some modest ups and downs, then head downhill rather steeply toward the Shenendoah crossing.
Is that an accurate read of the trail? I know things aren’t always as nice on the ground as they are on the map, but it really doesn’t look tough.
And it looks like there should be some pretty good views of the Shenendoah River in WV.
Shameless bump in time for lunch.
This is my kinda thing–heck, I sorta kinda do it for a living.
And that’s why May 11th won’t be good for me: I’ll be off for two solid weeks of hiking/teaching in New Mexico. I will keep my eyes open for it later this summer, however!
Meanwhile, if there’s every interest to do a MAD Outdoors Club thing along the Outer Banks, I’m right here! (Of course, most of my OBX outdoors activity consists of fishing, not hiking.)
May 11th we will be at the in-laws for my birthday dinner.
Aaaw nuts, the 11th is an out-of-town weekend for me, I’ll be watching Hokies graduate en masse. Memorial Day weekend looks like a possibility though- I’ll subscribe myself to this thread now and promise to pay attention!