7 hrs, 19 kms

Today I once again followed the "Four Step Day Hike Plan" Today I parked my car down near Smithsburg, the next town to the south, then bicycling up to Waynesboro, where I ended my last day hike . Along the way north, I came across another guy walking south along an empty road. He looked like a hobo, but wasn't carrying anything.

"Is this the way to Waynesboro?" I asked.

"Yeah... that's where I'm heading" and he promptly turned around and started walking the other direction! I had half a mind to pause and chat for a bit--even offer him a ride on my bicycle... but the guy seemed pretty wasted, so I said thanks and rode off. Maybe I shouldn't have. That guy might have had a really good story to tell...

Main Street Architecture

Waynesboro was one of my last towns of my first semester of the Global Parkbench Tour back in 2007B. Back then, I still hadn't caught on to the idea that, when you see something cool, take a picture of it! Pretty much all I did was take one photo and video clip in each town.

Well, now I need to re-explore Wayneboro and take some pictures . What I'm quickly realizing is that American Small Town Main Streets can have an amazing diversity of architecture--something I've grown to appreciate more and more in my travels. In contrast, a non-historical town in say, Spain... all the buildings pretty much look the same.

Waynesboro's Main Street is particularly diverse. There are a couple of small, stern neo-classical structures right on the main intersection. Then you have various Victorian style homes and buildings with their rounded or half-onion domed turrets... you've got some 15 churches all with their distinct style--the roughly hewn stone churches I like the best, as they remind me of the villages around Edinburgh, Scotland...

One house that's being restored has a sign that reads "Restoration Classes". Well, I'm impressed. So here in America you can actually take classes to learn how to restore buildings. I thought that that was just a European thing. Another house that impresses me is plain, painted brick house--with a two story pillared portico added on, giving it a flair of grandeur ...

Of course the sad reality is that many, if not most of America's most beautiful historical homes and buildings are in the now "bad" neighborhoods and are being allowed to slowly crumble apart. But at least it's not as bad as, say Turkey or China, where in city after city the entire historical areas are being razed to the ground and big, ugly boxy apartment buildings are being built there instead...

Anyways, I must say, I'm quite inspired by my second visit to Waynesboro. Strange how traveling the world for 6 years can make you look at a town right nearby in a different way.

In front of the Catholic church is a display of 200 crosses, with a sign that reads "200 abortions are performed every hour in America". Although the abortion debate isn't as strong as it was 20 years ago, it's clearly not forgotten by many.

Towards the Mountains

It's only about a 9 mile walk along the highway back to Smithsburg ... but no... I've done enough highway walking. It's time to do some real hiking: I'm going to go the long way, heading for the Appalachian Trail. This is perhaps America's most famous hiking trail that crosses almost the entire country from north to south.

It's about 4 miles just to get from Waynesboro to the trail. But it's not to bad of a walk. Along the way I go to check out a log cabin atop a ridge. A sign reads "Meeting House: 1780" I think it's interesting how, in Europe, a "historical structure" is typically a 500 year old cathedral or a 2000 year old massive amphitheatre. Here in America, go back a couple hundred years and it's going to be something pretty rustic. That's American history.

On down the road, there's a nice estate turned into a park "Renfrew Museum and Park" with an early 1800s house, smokehouse and barn turned museum (closed right now). I ask an older fellow what the story of this place is... he doesn't tell me much, but we do get to chatting a bit about life in quiet Waynesboro vs . a bigger city which he prefers... He also tells me his son is a musician who has about 15 guitars. It seems everyone I meet along the way is a musician or related to a musician!

Anyways... that should count as an "interesting encounter".

On down the road there are multiple strip malls--Waynesboro's "real" Main Street, ending with a Wal-Mart snuggled right up against the wooded hills... and right next to it... an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. I figure I'm hungry enough, and this will be my last chance to get a meal for a long time, so I head for the buffet--possibly the closest all-you-can-eat buffet to the Appalachian trail (take note, thru-hikers!)

Then there's one more park right before the hills start. Here there's a 9-11 monument with an actual piece of the World Trade Center and a plaque paying tribute to the heroes of that day (with very little mention of the hijackers or their motives) .

A Disasterous Start

I follow the road up a gentle climb into the forest. No real mountains here, just a gentle wooded ridge running north to south--an oasis of undisturbed nature surrounded by farmland and semi-urban sprawl. Finally I reach the sign "Appalachian Train" with a picture of two backpackers. Ah... yes... now for some real nature hiking.

But something doesn't seem right about this trail. The trail itself is completely invisible, covered by autumn leaves. All I have to go by are white dashes on trees. And these dashes are very infrequent and easy to miss. Time and time again I realized I've lost my way and have to retrace my steps. And the trail seems to go right through the middle of thick brush.

I start feeling quite frustrated--and a little worried. There's no way I'll be able to follow this trail after dark, and in over an hour I've only covered a couple hundred yards . I actually hiked this stretch of the trail some 13 years ago and don't remember it being this difficult and baffling--and here I am, supposedly a very seasoned traveler who has blazed trails in some pretty rugged regions.



Actually, blazing a trail would be much easier than this. I would do that if this were another country. Here there are "no tresspassing" signs all over the place, and here in America, you'd better take those seriously.

I struggle on for about 2 hours, sometimes retracing my steps three times in an attempt to follow this elusive trail signs. This feels like some sort of Boy Scout game--but I'm really not feeling it right now. And then... what the--? That's a road up ahead... the same road I started from. Yep, this trail has taken me in circle.

Now it's past four o'clock . I have to get to my car down in Smithsburg, as tonights going to be very cold and I'm definitely not equipped to sleep outside. So I look over my options: I could go back to Waynesboro and follow the highway south... or... I'm pretty sure there's another north-south road right up ahead in the forest... I decide to try for it... Sure enough...

Down this road a short ways, another sign that says "Appalachian Trail", this one is very well marked, very obvious. Yes! let's do it! I sprint down the trail in happy relief.

Turns out, that first trail wasn't the Appalachian trail at all, just some half-trail that somebody marked with the same white dash that is used on the Appalachian trail... Wow. Glad I didn't try to follow it farther than I did!

Memories of the year 2000 hike with my Brother

It's a wonderful feeling just to have a quiet idyllic walk through nature without a care in the world--especially after such a frustrating wrong turn hike . As I soak in the beauty of the autumn colors, my mind goes back 13 years to October 2000 when I walk this exact same stretch of the Appalachian Trail.

Back then I was accompanied by my brother, Andrew--or I should say, I was accompanying him--he was the one who wanted to do a 2 day hike up the trail. We were both at turning points in our lives. He was 18 and trying to figure his life out. I was 26 and also trying to figure my life out! I'd just come to the USA after a quasi "Into the Wild" experience in Europe, trying to find myself and find some answers. I was having a bit of a rough time reconnecting to the world I'd known before which now felt so alien to me. Andrew was perhaps the only person I really felt at ease with, and it was a wonderful experience to spend those two days hiking together. I can't remember any really significant conversations we had, but it was great to be able to just reconnect with each other--as we hadn't spent much time together in 5 years .

That was 13 years ago. We carried way more food with us than we needed. Drank water from a spring. Built a campfire and slept under the stars. This was one of the happier moments of a rather dark period in both of our lives. Since then we've both gotten things sorted out and are living happy, fulfilling lives--and have developed an even stronger friendship. In fact, Andrew joined me on segments of my Global Parkbench Tour in 2008 in New York, Conneticut and New Jersey (cops ran us off for parkbenching at 2:00 in the morning in White Plains NY!) then again in Oregon in 2011 when I went to visit him. I wish he could walk this stretch with me so we could reminisce on how much has changed in the last 13 years...