Day 74-75: 6/22-23/16 (Virtual AT 2020 Days 81-82)

We weren’t really sure if we were going to even take one zero day in Harper’s Ferry, but as usual… we ended up doing a double zero.

The first morning we woke up in the hotel, headed down to get food, and we immediately knew that we weren’t going anywhere, as there were some storms in the forecast. Plus, we wanted to actually see some of what Harper’s Ferry was all about, so we added a single night, then headed out.

Our first stop was the Guide Shack Cafe, where we grabbed some cold brew iced coffees. I’m not really sure how else to say this, but this was the best iced coffee I’ve ever had, hands down, no contest. Seriously, if you find yourself in Harper’s Ferry and need a coffee or a little baked treat… go to the Guide Shack Cafe. I wouldn’t even bother looking for coffee elsewhere.

Our next stop was the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters. We had our picture taken and added to the official book of hikers for 2016. The ATC keeps all the books so anyone can go back and find a hiker from any past year. We also got a new hiker number… our number through Harper’s Ferry is 911. We obviously ran into a bunch of other hikers here, but there were also some tourists checking out the place too. In fact, one little boy and his mother came over to us and asked if we were thru-hikers and handed us some Snickers bars. It was very sweet of them.

Next we headed back down to the historic district of Harper’s Ferry, and just wandered in and out of all the exhibits they’ve got. The town is basically a preserved historic town showing what things might have been like back in the 1800s. Of course there was a bunch of stuff regarding the abolitionist John Brown, and his attempt to take over the Armory at Harper’s Ferry with the ultimate goal of inciting an uprising of the slaves in the south. This event, dubbed John Brown’s Raid, was one of the catalysts ultimately leading to the Civil War.

We had some lunch at the Potomac Grill, a Reuben and a falafel sandwich, which were good. The only problem with the place was no draft beer. In fact, we only found one place in town with beer on tap. It looked like there was recently a fire in town that destroyed a bunch of businesses, including a pub, which is a shame. It was nice to see that they’re working on restoring the section of town that burned. After lunch, we got some soft serve ice cream (or creemees for you Vermonters) at a place called Scoops. Those really hit the spot as we watched all the summer camp groups wander about town.

We did a small resupply at the outfitter, then headed back up the hill to the 7-Eleven where we grabbed a few more items, including another 6 pack of local beer. We headed back to the room and relaxed the rest of the evening. When we inevitably got hungry, we got delivery from the same pizza place we had gone the night before.

Our second zero day came about due to an unfavorable weather report. When we woke up to see a scary looking radar, we added another night, had breakfast, then went right back up to the room and relaxed all day. We didn’t leave the room until 3 in the afternoon. When we finally did, we headed back to downtown, but took the much less hilly Shenandoah street.

We had a late lunch/ early dinner at the 1840 Bistro. The place a little pricey, but completely worth it. First of all, they have local draft beer… the only place we visited in town that had draft beer. Second, the portions are generous. We both got the burger and split an order of fries. The burgers are monstrous, and the order of fries came in a huge crock… plenty for two. The burgers were amazing, with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and Greuyere cheese. It tasted like French onion soup on a bun. Really good. We learned from our waitress that the Inn had recently been featured on the show Hotel Hell with Gordon Ramsay. Apparently the place was kind of bad, but they focused on a smaller, fresher menu and it seems like they’ve got a good thing going now.

We hit up Guide Shack one more time on the way back to the hotel. I just couldn’t leave town in the morning without one more of their iced coffees. The second one was even better than the first.

We really enjoyed Harper’s Ferry, and have no regrets about spending two days here. We could’ve easily gotten sucked in here (maybe the town could use a brewery? ). Alas, we’ve got miles to walk, and other towns to visit, but this place should be checked out by everyone if you’re in the area.