Harpers Ferry and Sharpsburg Staff Rides - Harpers Ferry, WV > C&O Canal along Potomac > Sharpsburg, MD

​LOGISTICS:

​Travel:  Recommended travel days on Monday and Friday with organizational offsite time on Tuesday.

​Lodging: The Bavarian Inn at Shepherdstown for our commercial clients; or The Clarion for Government clients.  Bavarian Inn or Harpers Ferry Brewing Company for icebreaker.

Schedule:  Preparation time on Tuesday with icebreaker in the evening.  Staff ride on Wednesday and Thursday, with integration dinner Thursday night.

Group size:  Minimum 6 people per conference group; maximum of 12 people per conference group.  Maximum of 4 groups at a time.  OMNA will provide one retired senior leader either a U.S. Marine or a Firefighter to facilitate learning for each conference group.

Transportation:  Groups provide their own transportation to the battlefields (usually rented 15 passenger vans).  Walking options available (12-18 miles per day).  Contact us for logistics options.

Price and payment:  Contact OMNA for scheduling, pricing, and payment options.  

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Either of these staff rides are great as part of an offsite event.  Harpers Ferry was the site of an 1859 hostage rescue operation and then a contested value at risk throughout the American Civil War.  It played a prominent role in the 1862 Maryland Campaign leading up to the September 1862 battle of Antietam Creek (Sharpsburg).  We offer two staff rides that can be done individually or together.  Harpers Ferry can be done in half-a-day, with a full day at Sharpsburg.  An added feature of these rides is the option to walk along the C&O canal between Harpers Ferry and Shepherdstown WV (near Sharpsburg) - about 15 miles.  Sharpsburg staff ride can also be walked (about 12 miles) or done in vans or by bus.

​LEARNING OUTCOMES: 

+ Leaders evaluate the consequences of ideas by taking a look at actions leading up to the American Civil War, comparing them to 21st century ideas and actions.

+ Participants learn more about how their colleagues feel, think, frame problems, and communicate their decisions into action.

+ Teams build cohesion by spending time walking together in small groups along the Potomac River using the historic C&O canal towpath; and along the farm roads across Antietam Creek.