Long Walks On Leafy Streets

5/28/2013 C&O canal towpath, between mile 60 and 61 (Taken by Nicole)
It has been just over a week since returning from Harper’s Ferry, but the memories of my stay there are still fresh and pleasant like the flower blooming in the morning dew. What a great pleasure it was to wake up in the morning, pack a small lunch, and simply wander around all day by the river or in the mountain woods! It filled the mind with so much peace and stillness. Looking back now it feels like it was in a different world, in a different time. I also spent some time looking at the ruins and the exhibits in historic Harper’s Ferry, learning a lot about the civil war.
Almost every day I had to walk along the towpath. This was built in the early 1800’s along the Chesapeake and Ohio canal. Abandoned because of competition from the railroad, it is now a national park. It stretches for over 180 miles from Georgetown in Washington, DC all the way to the Cumberland valley. It is a pleasant and quiet path to walk, bike or run.
It goes along the Potomac river, lined on both sides with trees and shrubs. I saw a lot of wildflowers, mainly fleabanes, buttercups, sweet anise, meadow parsnip, thistle and the invasive and ubiquitous garlic mustard and dame’s rocket.
I saw a lot of birds and animals as well, both on the towpath and in the mountains. Bluejays, goldfinches, blackbirds, great blue herons sitting calmly on the shores, turkey vultures circling near the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah and indigo buntings. I just learned this Saturday that the place Buzzard point at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia just south of Washington, DC got its name because buzzards circled there looking for carcasses of animals caught in the swirl created by the joining of the rivers.
One day while hiking on the Loudoun heights woods above Harper’s Ferry I saw some turkey vultures up close. There are a few rocky outcroppings by the side of the cliffs from where you have a great view of the valley of the two rivers surrounded by mountains. It was at one of these rocky places that I had stopped to take in the view when I saw the vultures. Sometimes these large birds seemed headed straight towards me and I must say they look a little menacing when you see them eye to eye. As I was sitting at the particular rock named Split Rock I saw an Amtrak train emerge from the hillside tunnel just outside Harper’s Ferry station and move slowly on the bridge over the river. It was one of the purest and childlike joyful moments I have experienced in my life recently. From this place high above the river the train moving over the bridge looked like a silkworm inching across a twig.
Nicole joined me on wednesday the 15th. While walking in the woods west of Harper’s Ferry town, along a section of the Appalachian trail, we saw what I think was a pileated woodpecker. Nicole was thrilled to see it for the first time in her life. She was also thrilled to see a snapping turtle sitting on the towpath. I have posted a picture of it along with other pictures from Harper’s Ferry on my flickr page. To go there simply click on the little photo on the top of this page and then click on “Pictures.”
While hiking in the woods near Weverton cliffs in the Maryland section of the Appalachian trail I saw wild pink azaleas. They are a truly beautiful sight. I also saw a lot of mayapples and ferns. The mountain woods are populated by oaks, hickory, paw-paw, tulip poplars and maple. The paw-paw especially were popular among native americans as a fruit tree. It was a little discouraging, though, to see the invasive garlic mustard even in the mountains. I imagined native americans walking amongst many of these trails and that filled me with a certain reverence for the woods as well as a sense of being in a different time.
At Weverton cliffs you have a spectacular view of the Potomac and Harper’s Ferry. I lay on the rocks for a little while, just enjoying the mountain breeze and the sun, trying to rest my mind. I tried to simply focus on the breath and just listen to the sounds of the distant highway and the breeze when I realized that I was simply following what I had learned about meditation and mindfulness. Even the notion to let go of all notions is a notion in itself. So I decided to just be, and avoid all efforts to even rest. Although we learn many valuable lessons from the great teachers, at some point we have to let the training wheels fall away and let the path take us where it will. It was a liberating thought and my mind became more peaceful and I simply lost myself in the company of the rocks and the trees.

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