Weverton Cliffs near Harper's Ferry, WV
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I’m a slow walker, but I never walk back. – Abraham Lincoln
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Grant set a blistering pace and immediately I am struggling to stay with my son. He is 23, his hands are in his pockets and he is walking as slow as he can.
We are on the C&O Canal at Harper’s Ferry and I have invited Grant to join me on the first leg of my summer vacation. My vacation plan is to walk the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Maryland (approximately 40 miles) in a series of one-day hikes. The AT stretches 2,100 miles from Georgia to Maine and was principally built in the 1930’s as a Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) project of the New Deal. It is not lost on me that we hiking a trail built 80 years ago by young men just like Grant.
After three miles the AT leaves the C&O and winds up the ridge (!). Having grown accustomed to Grant’s pace my gasping has turned to merely heaving. Grant has graciously slowed his pace and is kicking rocks and branches out of my way (hands still in pockets). My concern has turned from breathing to toenails. Too tired to lift my feet, I am constantly tripping on rocks and jamming my shoes against my toes. My toenails are goners.
When you ride long distance bicycling events, your told not to think of the entire distance (100 miles). Your mantra is “ride to the next rest stop” (20 miles). I call on this mantra. “Walk to Weverton Cliffs…”, “Walk to that big oak tree…”
Sometimes that is all it takes, break life down into rest stops. Ride to the next rest stop, rest, and ride some more.
How about you? What was your vacation adventure? Share a Story.
