In Praise of (At Least the Very Eastern End of) West Virginia

I've made a few mild enemies over the years making fun of West Virginia's lack of internet access, among other things.  Needless to say, it's all tongue-in-cheek.  I have vacationed in WV for 9 straight years over the July 4 Holiday.  My family is rabid for the history and the hiking and biking opportunities in this part of the world.

Harpers Ferry marks the epicenter of two of America's best trails, the Appalachian Trail and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. 

Thomas Jefferson once said about the overlook of Harpers Ferry at the confluence of the Potomac and the Shenandoah Rivers:

"this scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic"

-Thomas Jefferson, 10/25,1783.

Harpers Ferry marks the center of the Appalachian Trail, and the Official Visitors Center is located there.  In fact, Earl V. Shaffer, a resident of York, PA became the first hiker to traverse the entire trail from Georgia to Maine in mid-1951.  Earl was quite the eccentric and a hermit, and did a through-walk of the trail again, while in his early 80's just before he passed away.

The C and O Canal is the longest biking and hiking Trail in the US, running from Georgetown (Washington DC) to Cumberland, MD.  There is an extension from the end of the trail to Pittsburgh