Harpers Ferry

I told myself that I would visit all 50 states before I turned 30. I don’t know where I got the idea, but I like attainable goals, so I’m sure that had something to do with it. Pre-pandemic, I had planned to cross off at least seven more states this year. The pandemic put an obvious wrench in my plans, and I assumed that I wouldn’t be traveling for a really, really long time.

I guess the pandemic changed my outlook on a lot of things, and I just expected that I wouldn’t be able to do anything I planned to do before the pandemic. I’m starting to accept the new normal, and understand that I’m not in a holding pattern - this is my life now (and for the foreseeable future). This is all a very long-winded way of saying that I’m surprised to have crossed another state off of my list this week. My goal wasn’t as unattainable as I thought it was.

I’ve been spending a lot of time in nature. I don’t feel balanced unless I’ve had a chance to walk in the woods or felt the wind in my hair (I know, I’m becoming that girl). Luckily, I have like-minded friends. Christine, Kaitlin, and I planned to hike in Shenandoah. I fantasized about bringing my Patagonia Better Sweater out for the season (seriously, I’d be great at sponsored content). I was ready. Instead of heading to Shenandoah, we decided to head to Harpers Ferry at the very last minute - literally, we made the decision in the car.

The spontaneous decision worked in my favor - I had never been to West Virginia. We still experienced some crowds, and way too many cyclists without masks - don’t worry, I heckled the heck out of them. The further we walked, the more people we left behind, the closer we got to undisrupted peace. It was a perfect day.

The weather was cool, but not cold. The sun was warm, but not hot. We walked with no constraints, no limits (once we extended our parking). We walked onto some rocks that took us to the river bank, and we listened to the water. The sounds of the river washed away my “Sunday scaries.” The river was louder than my intrusive thoughts. I think we could have walked forever - if we didn’t forget our snacks in the car.

Harpers Ferry was exactly what I needed - what I wanted, without knowing what was waiting for me. Even so, I’m glad the country road took us home.