Day 4, 25 APR, Harper's Ferry and Blackburn Center (18.6 mi)

Trail Towns (towns through which the AT actually passes) are a real highlight on the AT.  Not only do they provide the opportunity to pick up food easily, for me I prefer mail drops (packages mailed to myself containing mostly food), but they also provide the opportunity for food not easily obtained (or carried) on the trail.  Harper's Ferry, WV, is probably the most talked about trail town (at least from a historical perspective) because it is known as the "emotional or psychological halfway point of the AT."  Having never visited HF, I was especially excited since it would be a new place to visit.  To the left is the walk into HF along the historic C & O canal path.  Plus, who wouldn't want to arrive at the emotional halfway point of the Trail.
     One disadvantage of a Trail Town (TTs) is the amount of time spent not hiking.  TTs are often places that bog-down thru hikers because they present too much of the life once lived by the thru hiker.  Hostels, restaurants, and other conveniences cause hikers to linger, sometimes to great detriment.  It seems like TTs always cause me to spend about twice the amount of time I plan, and HF was no exception.  HF is a TT rich in Civil War history, as well as AT history, since it was the location of John Brown's rebellion as well as the international boundary between the Confederate States of America and the Union.  I really felt like one could spend a day or two soaking in all of the history HF has to offer.  There is a significantly preserved "old town" to HF, filled with rich buildings and museums.  To the right is a snapshot of the historic main street of old HF.
    After picking up my food at the post office, mailing back some trinkets acquired at the AT Conservancy (ATC) headquarters, registering my section thru hike, and grabbing a piece of NY style pizza, I still had quite a bit of hiking before arriving at my
intended destination, Blackburn AT center.  It was a long afternoon as it was a rather hot day, and it is always hard to make time after noon with a full pack of mail dropped food (5 days worth for me) and a full stomach of pizza (or other TT foods).  I had picked up a Backpacker's Pantry Indian meal (considered high-class cuisine on the AT) so I was pretty encouraged to get to my end point.  Plus at Blackburn there was an unlimited supply of already filtered water, which is always nice.  The attendant at Blackburn actually offered me a sprite, which was a nice addition to the BP meal I picked up earlier.  It was a nice end to a long day and I ate and slept well. :)
   The morning at Blackburn provided another nice sunrise directly from my tent pad, which provided a great incentive to get started on the new day into the great state of VA.