Winter Season 2023/24

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I’m writing this on 14th March and it’s 76F! I think winter is over for this year 😉

Suffice to say, it was another short winter, like last year. In fact, winter didn’t start properly until the first snowfall on 6th January and it was all over by the end of that month. But we did have more snow than last year at least, so I’ll give this year a C+ grade rather than an F.

Some highlights from this season:

6 January 2024: Stone Fort loop

9.1 miles / 1,969 ft ascent / 4 hrs 7 minutes

Enjoyable walk in a couple of inches of fresh snow.

On top of the Maryland Heights ridge (Stone Fort loop)
Panorama from Maryland Heights, with the Potomac River (right), Harpers Ferry (middle), Shenandoah River (coming in from the middle) and Loudoun Heights (left)
Lower town Harpers Ferry and the confluence of the Potomac (bottom) and Shenandoah (top) rivers

More photos on Instagram.

7 January 2024: Loudoun Heights Sunset + Snow

7.8 miles / 1,762 ft ascent / 3 hrs 40 minutes

Tremendous walk with stunning views of Harpers Ferry and Charles Town at night. Cold and crisp. Beautiful colors at sunset from Split Rock overlook.

Sunset on the shoulder of Loudoun Heights
Split Rock overlook at dusk
Charles Town and Harpers Ferry lights from high on Loudoun Heights

More photos on Instagram.

14 January 2024: Sunrise and snowstorms (Weverton Cliffs and Ed Garvey return)

16.8 miles / 1,982 ft ascent / 6 hrs 50 minutes

Fantastic long walk to catch sunrise from Weverton Cliffs. Brief snowstorm on the return journey.

View from Weverton Cliffs, with Loudoun Heights in the background
Sunrise over the Potomac, from Weverton Cliffs
Dusting of snow on the AT

Full details here.

16 January 2024: Snowy Bolivar Heights

3.7 miles / 422 ft ascent / 1 hr 23 minutes

Bolivar Heights panorama (click to enlarge)
The cannons at Bolivar Heights

19 January 2024: Snowy Loudoun Heights

7.9 miles / 1,695 ft ascent / 4 hrs 16 minutes

The most wintry hike, with about 3 inches of fluffy snow on the ground.

Split Rock / AT junction
Essential winter gear: poles and a flask of tea!
Harpers Ferry from Split Rock lookout
Close up of the cliffs above the railway line on Maryland Heights

More photos on Instagram.

21 January 2024: Snowy Bolivar Heights

3.7 miles / 416 ft ascent / 1 hr 22 minutes

On the west slopes of Bolivar Heights, looking SW
The cannons at Bolivar Heights at sunset

24 January 2024: Snowy Twin Peaks (Loudoun Heights and Stone Fort loop)

14.7 miles / 3,029 ft / 6 hrs 23 minutes

Sunrise from the side of Maryland Heights on my way up the Stone Fort loop
Sunrise from the top of the Stone Fort loop, Maryland Heights
This walk was the only time I needed the traction spikes this season 😦
The snow turned to slush on the way down
A frozen creek on the way up Loudoun Heights
Looking across to Maryland Heights from the shoulder of Loudoun Heights

Otherwise, we had plenty of non-snowy adventures in the hills and along the C&O towpath during the “winter” season. Hopefully, and I say this every year, we get a bit more snow next year!

Prior Years

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