Day totals: 9 hrs, 12.6 kms

Actually, today's hike was a last minute decision . It looked like it was going to be a rainy day, so I figured I'd just stay indoors all day. Then I noon I checked to forecast again and there was no more rain in the works... so I grabbed my guitar, bicycle, jacket, cable, bicycle lights, rope (to tie down the trunk), jacket, water... am I missing anything?... and sped out the door.

So I quickly worked out my plan: Drop the bicycle in Waynesboro. Drive to Mont Alto. Hike from Mont Alto to Waynesboro. Arrive by 6 pm to play at Christine's Cafe. Once it's over, ride my bike back to Mont Alto and drive home.

Sound workable? Let's give it a try.

Got off to a bad start, taking a wrong turn in Waynesboro and found myself driving on a winding country road going who knows where. Normally in my travels getting lost is all part of the adventure... but that's in places where you know that if you get too lost you can always just hop on a bus or a taxi and be quickly shuttled to wherever you need to go . Not an option here in rural Pennsylvania.

Finally I make it back to the Mont Alto road, reach the town, park my car and begin the hike.

Mont Alto

Mont Alto is officially a "borough" but it feels more like a rural village. No real Main Street or shops, just houses along the highway and a couple of side streets. I suspect this town felt much more alive back in the days before everyone had cars and now just drive to Walmart 14 miles away to do all their shopping.

The "town hall" or borough building is kind of cool though: a log cabin like structure--but built in a octogonal shape. Looks like the spot for my Mont Alto videoclip...

Mont Alto's claim to fame however is a small Penn State college campus--one of two colleges in Franklin County. However, this place definitely doesn't have the charm of a college town. No coffeehouses, hangouts or shops catering to students . Let's continue on down the road.

An American Subculture

The plan was to follow a quiet road snuggled up next to the forest to the east... but there's an open field standing in the way. If I were in another country, I'd just walk across the field. But this is the USA... no tresspassing really means NO TRESSPASSING.... So opt to follow the highway instead.

Soon I'm in the village of Quincy, which does have a bit of "soul" to it... a convenience store, a couple of shops, an ice cream shop, a couple of churches--even a nice park scattered along the road. But I've decided that in Pennsylvania I'll only count boroughs as "new towns" (with a couple of exceptions) so I'm sticking to the rules.

One sign that has me scratching my head though is "Saddle up Ministries--revealing God's truth's through horsemanship". OK... I can see people riding horses for fun, for exercise, or just to learn a useful skill--but to "reveal God's truths?"

It's actually an intriguing American cultural phenomenon: a segment of the Christian population here attempts to immerse themselves almost exclusively in activities related to their faith--feeling perhaps that anything outside might have some sort of corrupting influence . They go to Christian schools (or homeschool), listen to Christian radio, watch Christian TV and Christian movies, for fun go on church picnics, Christian concerts and even go to Christian theme parks!

This is not something entirely new--it can be traced back to colonial times when ministers would sternly instruct the faithful to avoid the taverns and dance halls and other places of entertainment and not mingle with "worldly" folk. However, it seems this sub-culture really got going in the 1960 when many people were shocked at how un-Christian mainstream culture was becoming in their perception.

So I guess that would explain why some people, if they want their children to learn to ride horses, they want to make sure it's a Christian-themed-learn-to-ride-horses place...

A Relic of a Bygone Era

It's a bit further up the road, atop a lonely ridge that I find a true Relic of a Bygone Era .

It's a little store... but not your typical roadside convenience store with bright lights advertising lottery tickets and cigarettes. No, here you walk past a clutter of antique odds and ends, in through the door to a slightly musty smell... and there on the shelves are foodstuff in bags and glass jars. Flour...preserved fruit and vegetables in jars... spices and condiments... pasta... But you won't find Campell or Heinz or any other well known brand on them. This is all stuff produced, mixed, prepared somewhere not too far from here. The labels look like they were done off a home computer. There's "Jake and Amos" jarred goods from Myerstown, Pennsylvania--with a--you guessed it--different Bible verse on each jar!

It's like The Ghost of Commerce Past... this is how it used to be. Local people growing, milling, canning their own stuff and selling it to the local store where it's again sold back to local people. There's a wistfull sadness to this place as you realize, this type of store is very much an endangered species .

I have to buy something, so I grab a can of cherry drink that looks good. But nobody shows up, even when I call. Not even a ghost.

Interesting Encounters

I finally reach Waynesboro, a town that I parkbenched 6 years ago when the Global Parkbench Tour was still getting going. This time I'm back on another sort of mission: to play at a local Open Mike, and merge the Parkbenching Lifestyle with a Coffeehouse Performer Lifestyle.

I stop at an ATM to grab some cash, and I tall guy calls out to me, coming from behind. No, I do NOT appreciate it when strangers strike up conversations when I'm at an ATM--even in a quiet little town like Waynesboro! I quickly push "cancel" and turn to see what the guy wants.

"Would you be interested in buying a demo of some music I recorded?" Now that's a first. We chat for a bit--I'm actually looking into doing some low budget studio recording and this might be just the contact I need ... I think I'll definitely count this as an "interesting encounter"

I continue on and yet another surprise. Right there on Main Street there's a bunch of music equipment and instruments. I go to check it out. "Are you guys doing a concert?" I ask an older fellow in a wheelchair.


"Oh we just finished. This is an open air concert sponsored by the Art Alliance of Waynesboro"

Well, well, well... respectable people playing music in the open air in downtown Waynesboro? I'm liking Central Pennsylvania more and more... But now I've got my own performance to do.

Back at Christine's Cafe, Jerry's there as well as a lady who, whadyaknow--travels and plays at open mikes along the way!

"On weekends I go hiking in an area--and then find an open mike to play at" ... Sounds like I've met a kindred spirit.


So I strap my guitar to my back, hop on my bike and ride off into the darkness the 11 kilometers back to my car. Once again, very satisfied with my day. That's like 8 interesting encounters in 3 days of hiking! I haven't had that high a rate of interesting encounters per day since Iraq in 2010! Who said it's hard to meet people when traveling in the USA?