Labors of Love : Loudon Heights Trail to Split Rock

“One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others.” -Lewis Carroll

It has been way too long between hikes, blog posts, and reading other bloggers’ work. It has been 4 months since I’ve been on the Appalachian Trail and as I’m writing this, a stone’s throw from the trail, I’m in a hotel room after meetings for work. Labor Day weekend we had planned on taking the kids on the trail, but between iffy weather forecasts, their start of a new school and exhaustion from traveling for work, we opted to stay home and do a day hike again. We will get back out to the trail but for now my hiatus is an act of love for my family, respecting their needs and putting my goals on hold. The boys picked to go to Harpers Ferry, a favorite spot of ours, and I chose to re-do the Loudon Heights trail with them, rather than Maryland Heights, because I suspected it would be less crowded. We parked in town, which made the total hike just over 8 miles, out and back. James, Charlie and I had all done this hike 3 years earlier and it’s amazing how much they’ve changed, and yet how they are still well described by their trail names – Farts and Feet/Always Snacking.

The boys brought a friend with them, and the five of us quickly made our way to the blazes in town after parking the car. The familiar path up the steps next to St. Peters Catholic Church and climb towards Jefferson Rock made me realize they were so young when I first brought them to Harpers Ferry. I am no longer a young mom, my boys are in middle school and I’m closer to being an empty nester than I realize. All three young adults bounded up the steps with enthusiasm and we paused at Jefferson’s Rock for pictures and views. The trail continues its ascent a bit longer before meandering along the hills edge, until the steps that take you down to Route 340 and the bridge that takes hikers across the Shenandoah River. The trail then loops you under the bridge and along the river. I always liked this section, between the underpass and a road crossing. The trail crosses a small stream, opens to views of the river, and dips down into a dense patch of forestry, which was littered with fallen pears creating a pungent aroma that mingled with the earthy scent of damp soil added a sweet yet musky undertone to the air.

We crossed a road, and began our climb. This is the third time I’ve been on this small section of the Appalachian Trail and the incline wasn’t nearly as bad as hikes past. Carrying only a small day pack with water and snacks helped. The boys still kept the lead, while Ken and I stayed behind a bit searching the ground for unique rocks. When we got to the cross fork in the path, we continued to follow the blue blazes towards Split Rock to the left. FarOut shows that it’s a 0.6 mile hike but it is much longer than  that. The boys began to tire a bit, and Charlie’s blood sugars began to go low. We passed power lines, and my memory failed me.  I thought I remembered Split Rock not far from the power lines, and a little zig-zagging path leading down to the views. Instead, we were faced with stairs and an incline. I quickly became the least favorite person on the trail, since the end was not in fact, “just around the corner.” We walked about another mile and all the boys grew hungry, tired and a little resentful. For myself, I felt defeated. I hadn’t hiked in so long. All I wanted to do was enjoy my time in the woods and it dawned on me that maybe they were sacrificing for me the way I do for them. These hikes are just their labor of love for me. The trail does in fact zig zag before gently descending towards the mountain’s edge. Walking out into the clearing, Split Rocks are a few scattered rocky outcrops that offer rest and breathtaking views of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. Below, the point of Harpers Ferry juts out into the rivers, and the town’s skyline remains the same as it did in the era of its boom. 

We took in the views briefly. The invasive spotted lantern flies were abundant, as were the wasps who devoured them. Both of my kids got stung, they were talking about what they were going to eat as soon as we got back into town, and I realized we had to turn and go back. As we made our way back to the car, both James and Charlie’s sugars started to drop, and Ken was very upset with me for not packing enough low food. I did have a secret stash that he didn’t know about – with three of us Type 1 diabetics I often keep hidden stashes of extra candies and quick sugar. I hate to write this, but it wasn’t a good time for me. The general consensus of a brief Google search came up with this about the spiritual significance of a wasp – that good comes with bad. In life there is almost always pleasure with pain, joy and hardship, giving and receiving. So although the playful, and not so playful, comments about being “unguided” and “unprepared” stung, I have to appreciate that they all spent a day with me out in the woods on the last weekend of the summer. Hopefully some “fresh” AT miles are right around the corner for me, and not like they are now, literally taunting me from a few miles away.

-Liz