mountain biking, as well
as white-water rafting to
the north on the Gauley
River.
If you’re interested in
that latter activity, also
consider contacting the
professionals at Cantrell
Ultimate Rafting (%304-
574-2500, 304-663-2762;
http://www.cantrellultimaterafting.
com; 49 Cantrell Dr; packages
from $60), which runs
several varieties of
expeditions onto the
water, including rafting
for beginners.54 p275
The Drive »Take US 19 south
for 15 miles until you can merge
with I-64/77 (it eventually
becomes just I-77) southbound.
Take this road south for 75
miles, then get on I-81 south and
follow it for 27 miles to Marion.8 Mt Rodgers
You’ll end this trip at
the highest mountain
in Virginia (and yes,
you’ve crossed state lines
again!). There are plenty
of trekking opportunities
in the Mt Rodgers
National Recreation
Area (%800-628-7202,
276-783-5196; http://www.fs.usda.gov/gwj; 3714 Hwy 16, Marion),
which is part of the
Washington & Jefferson
National Forests.
Contact the ranger
office for information on
summiting the peak of
Rodgers, and pat yourself
on the back for getting
here after so many state-
border hops! The local Elk
Garden Trailhead is one
of the best access points
for tackling the local
wilderness, and intersects
the actual Appalachian
Trail, making for an
appropriate finish to the
trip.JOHN BROWN WAX MUSEUM
For those of you who appreciate kitsch and history, the ultimate, if overpriced,
attraction to seek out in these parts is the John Brown Wax Museum (%304-535-
6342; http://www.johnbrownwaxmuseum.com; 168 High St, Harpers Ferry; adult/child $7/5; h9am-
4:30pm, 10am-5:30pm summer).
A white abolitionist, Brown led an ill-conceived slave rebellion in Harpers Ferry
that helped spark the Civil War. The uprising went wrong from the start. The first
casualty was a free black man, and the raiders were soon surrounded by angry
local militia in the Harpers Ferry armory. Local slaves did not rise up as Brown
hoped, and the next day two of his sons were killed by the militia. Eventually, a
contingent of Marines commanded by Robert E Lee captured the armory and
arrested Brown. The Albany Patriot, a Georgia newspaper, editorialized on Brown’s
proposed punishment: ‘An undivided South says let him hang.’ In the end, that
execution was Brown’s fate. Northern abolitionists were convinced slavery could
only be ended by war, and Southerners were convinced war was required to protect
slavery.
Brown was described as eccentric at best, and perhaps mad at worst, by
contemporaries, but Frederick Douglass – a leader of the abolitionist movement –
held him up as a hero, and wrote: ‘Had some other men made such a display of rigid
virtue, I should have rejected it, as affected, false, or hypocritical, but in John Brown,
I felt it to be as real as iron or granite.’
Stirring stuff, right? It is, which is why there’s a cognitive disconnect when you
visit the wax museum dedicated to Brown’s life. The spot is sort of old-school, but
well worth a visit for all that; nothing says historical accuracy like scratchy vocals,
jerky animatronics and a light-and-sound show that sounds like it was recorded
around the late Cretaceous.VIRGINIA.TRIPS22
(^) ACROSS THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL