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Tuckahoe
05-16-2014, 10:43
Well after our usual 2 month very busy spring break period, I'm taking a long weekend to head up to Harpers Ferry for a short hike.

Its also a number of firsts...

First time on a train.

First time going stoveless. Food is a little heavier than what I normally carry, but I am seeing the benefits.

Getting to finally get out and try out the new top and bottom quilt, break the hammock out a few more times. And hiking with the new pack I picked up a couple months ago.

Best of all according to the Amtrak scale the total pack weight including food water and trekking poles is 20 pounds.

johnnybgood
05-16-2014, 12:01
Sounds great . Amazed at the miniscal weight .What type of TQ and UQ ?

Tuckahoe
05-16-2014, 12:16
Sounds great . Amazed at the miniscal weight .What type of TQ and UQ ?

They are both from Arrowhead Equipment. The TQ is the Owyhee and the BQ is he Ridge Creek for use with my WB Ridge Runner hammock.

I was very happy with the total weight which I got to from an average of 28 pounds.

rafe
05-16-2014, 13:35
Never been on a train? Ever? Only in America. In Europe and Japan, trains are still a very popular way to travel.

I've taken the train to/from a couple of AT sections, it's a nice way to travel. It's nice not having to worry about a car sitting at some trailhead.

bigcranky
05-16-2014, 14:05
Back in the early 1980s I used to take the train to school in Williamsburg -- the Colonial, from Boston to Newport News. It stopped in Trenton, just across the river from my parent's house. I actually rather enjoyed it. Took almost a full day to get back and forth, but train travel was relaxing.

I tried stoveless a couple of years ago and got hooked, especially for summer hiking. I don't need hot coffee in the morning (Starbucks Iced Via is terrific), and I don't really want hot glop for dinner. So I just make "lunch" for dinner -- a tuna wrap, or some cheese and crackers, whatever. Works great.

Have a terrific walk.

Alligator
05-16-2014, 15:03
Keep an eye on the river conditions http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?103986-High-water-in-MD-creeks-impending-flooding-of-Potomac-River-in-Harpers-Ferry.

Tuckahoe
05-16-2014, 15:22
Keep an eye on the river conditions http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?103986-High-water-in-MD-creeks-impending-flooding-of-Potomac-River-in-Harpers-Ferry.

Yup! #@&$ $&@%#!!! Saw that as we approached DC and now see all MARC to HF are cancelled. Oh well...

Alligator
05-16-2014, 23:03
Bummer. We're you able to shift plans? Hard to hit trailheads south of Harpers by mass transit but north of there could be possibilities.

MDSection12
05-16-2014, 23:38
What's the situation? I'd like to help and live in the area.

Mrs Baggins
05-17-2014, 05:42
As of yesterday the pedestrian bridge over the river is closed because of flooding. They were working fast to remove everything at street level near the river to higher ground - benches, etc. and closing all of those buildings.

Mrs Baggins
05-17-2014, 06:14
As of yesterday the pedestrian bridge over the river is closed because of flooding.  They were working fast to remove everything at street level near the river to higher ground - benches, etc. and closing all of those buildings. Pictures in today's paper (Saturday's Frederick News Post) of display cases being removed from museums to protect them from flood waters.

Mrs Baggins
05-17-2014, 06:21
As of yesterday the pedestrian bridge over the river is closed because of flooding.  They were working fast to remove everything at street level near the river to higher ground - benches, etc. and closing all of those buildings. Pictures in today's paper (Saturday's Frederick News Post) of display cases being removed from museums to protect them from flood waters.

Mrs Baggins
05-17-2014, 06:22
Sorry for the double post. :( The website seems to be unresponsive for several minutes at a time and when I first posted I got back that I didn't have enough characters in it and it showed the post as blank, so I tried it again......the Post Quick Reply button won't work at all and then suddenly does work......

Tuckahoe
05-17-2014, 08:17
Well, that was a bust.

Between Quantico and Alexandria I saw Lauriep's post on potential flooding in Harpers Ferry, especially the intended closing of the foot bridge. If they're closing the foot bridge, I wondered if that would affect the trains. I checked on the MARC trains and the website showed delays and cancellations.

HF wasn't flooded yet, and it was beautiful out... right? But I did begin to concern myself with the question of what would I do if I did get to HF and then got stuck there once the flooding came.

Once my train got to Union Station, I could see that there were problems. Nearly every Amtrak train was delayed, MARC's Penn Line was delayed because of a broken down train and there was a police incident on the tracks north of the city (4+ hours). And the Brunswick line was all canceled except for three trains over the 4 o'clock to 6 o'clock hour, and they would only go out to Brunswick.

Once I saw the disaster that was unfolding at Union Station, I had to very quickly make the choice to try to find my way to HF or turn around and go home. Dammit! The hiker in me wanted me to just do it, but I was only intending on a few days and I would have lost them to try to get out there; and without knowing how flooding would unfold over the next several days.

So I made the "responsible" choice to switch my ticket and get the "5:50" train home that finally got to Union Station and we pulled out heading home about 8pm. I finally got home and fell to my own bed at almost 12:30am.

On the up side! Hey! I got to ride the train for the first time ever... 12+ hours of train and train stations. Have I mentioned that I have never flown? And I have somehow managed to get my pack to 20 pounds (+/- depending on the actual trip).

Tuckahoe
05-17-2014, 08:22
What's the situation? I'd like to help and live in the area.

Thank you for the offer of help! That means a lot and I know that I could have called on help. There is a good feeling with that knowledge. But not knowing how the potential for flooding would have played out, it was best to just go home. Thanks a whole lot for the offer!

Coffee
05-17-2014, 08:24
Hopefully you will have better luck next time. I just hiked through the HF area last month and it must be a pretty impressive flood to have closed down that bridge and threaten the lower parts of the town. Here near DC, the Potamac is pretty high and brown with lots of branches, logs, and other debris floating down the river. The flood walls are up in Georgetown as well, but as of yesterday afternoon, the river was well below flooding. I think you made the right decision.

johnnybgood
05-17-2014, 08:57
That's too bad Tuck . You did the right thing though. I had a similar thimg happen on a section hike from PenMar to Harpers Ferry a few years ago . It had rained for two straight days out of PenMar during a wet Spring year .
Waded through ankle high water on the towpath enroute to the pedestrian bridge , got within a hundred feet only to realize the Potomac had flooded the path completly with swiftly moving water. Water was almost half way my trekking pole on the first attempt to gauge the depth. I then saw that the sign indicating that the bridge was closed due to flooding.
Had to turn around and walk back down the towpath to the road crossing to get shuttled into town.