Dec. 14, 2013, Day 307
10 hrs, 20 kms

Note: Date has been changed to keep the hike segments in geographical order

Normally I would skip hiking on a day like today . It's supposed to start out at a windchill of -21 C (-7 F) and not get a whole lot warmer all day. This is the kind of weekend I'd hardly set foot out of the house.

But I feel got a rythmn going, and I really want to keep it up. So with a couple of modifications, I'm going to head out in the coldest temperature I've ever hiked in. No, there will be no guitar this time--trying to strum a guitar at minus 20? Nope, that ain't happening--nor will I need to... today my Superhike will take me to two towns I already parkbenched a full 6 years ago. Now I'm going to experience them a bit more.

Tips on Subzero Hiking on a Budget

Hiking in this kind of weather isn't a problem--if your suited up in an expensive snowsuit. Since I doubt I'll be doing this very often, I'm not going to go that route. The plan is to just double everything: double pants, double sweaters and double jackets. Then I'll start out with a 6 mile loop hike to see if I'm going to be able to handle it OK .

So, I start out... and, actually it's not so bad. I soon realize the different between hiking in moderate cold and extreme cold: in moderate cold, you mainly just have to worry about keeping your upper body warm--chest, back and neck. In extreme cold, you've got to worry more about your extremities, the parts of your body that get least bloodflow: fingers, toes, nose, ears... For the fingers I've got a Swedish style jacket with a front pocket where I find that 1 cold hand + 1 cold hand equals 2 warm hands... go figure...

For the toes, luckily I brought double socks, and once I put on an extra pair, I'm all right...

Starting out it's sunny--so that helps out a lot, psychologically. Subconsciously, we equate sunlight to warmth. So when the sun is out we tell ourselves "oh, it ain't that bad", and thinking it's warm actually makes us feel warm. Likewise, if it's overcast, we think cold thoughts, and it makes us feel colder . I'm going to try to discipline myself and think warm thoughts all day... hey, there's a guy who can swim for long periods in arctic waters and he says it's all just mind power!


I certainly don't have that much mind power!

The Grotto of Emmitsburg

Emmitsburg is one of the most interesting towns along this route. Here you can find the shrine of Elizabeth Seton, the first American canonized to sainthood by the Catholic church. I was quite intrigued by the shrine, the grotto and the story of her life when I stopped by here back at the end of my 2007B tour, and I glad to be back to explore it a little more.

So I start my hike, enjoying the blanket of snow, and the many creeks I cross. So are frozen solid, others a partially frozen--depending on how fast the water is flowing. I start my route alongside the mountain towards Mt. Saint Mary's College . Mass is starting and I see a lot of college students heading that direction. I suppose it would be nice to get out of the cold for a little while... but I'd rather keep up my pace.

Up some snow covered steps is a tall pillar with a golden statue of Mother Mary... gazing out to the vast valley below. Next to it is a visitor's center with an enthusiastic older fellow eager to answer my questions.

"St Anne used to come here to meditate. No, there were no apparitions here, that we know of--this is just a copy of the Grotto of Lourdes... but we get about 500,000 visitors a year."

500,000 visitors!? Why can't people just fly to France to see the real Grotto of Lourdes?

... Oh that's right... hardly any Americans have passports...

I head up to visit the site, where there are various statues, a mini-chapel, and the grotto itself . Inside the chapel there's an Asian couple... the guy is swiping his smartphone. Reading the Bible? No... it's a digital rosary!

OK... I can understand using the latest technology in religion.... electric candles instead of wax... listening to the Quran on your headphones... but a digital rosary?! Nah, that's just cheating... isn't it?

Overall, a nice place for quiet meditation... a reminder once again of how Catholicism changes in each culture. In some places the theme is patiently enduring suffering... in others it's about fun and social activities... here it's more about quiet contemplation.

So after enjoying the view of the vast plains to the south, I continue on my way.

The Shrine of Anne Seton

I'm not usually very interested in learning about the backgrounds of the many saints, but Anne Seton, the first American saint to be canonized actually has quite an intriguing story . Growing up in Mexico, I heard many stories of Catholics, who didn't find meaning in their inherited faith, converting into Protestants, even though this angered their family--but I never heard of it going the other way.

Anne was raised an Episcopalian, but when here husband died when they were in Italy, she had close contact with the Catholic faith, and chose to convert. Then she came back to America and set up the first parochial Catholic school here--despite persecution and rejection by her family and society.

This is a little discussed part of American history... the persecution of Catholics by Protestants, mainly due to the centuries old antagonism and warfare in Europe between the two branches of the Christian faith. I guess back then to convert to Catholicism would be seen by many as a betrayal of all the hard battles that were fought between the tow faiths. We don't think of that much now in the post-Kennedy era, but there was a time when many did believe that Catholics could be "true Americans"

... Nowadays there are other minorities that make easier targets...

I ponder on this as a I gaze at the American flag waving in front of the basilica. National flags in front of religious buildings... not something you usually see in other parts of the world...

"Because of persecution Catholics left the big cities to move to places like this" a volunteer guide tells me. "most people here in Emmittsburg are Catholics... this whole region is holy ground..." He shows a passion for his Catholic faith like I've rarely seen before.

I ask him what miracles were attributed to her that made her eligible for sainthood. He has to look them up in his book. "Officially there were three... but people come in all the time telling of miraculous healings... Not always... sometimes God says no"... He goes on to tell me of a 33 year old relative who is dying of cancer.

Clearly Anne Seton is still very much alive in the hearts of people here . However, I don't think the concept of "praying to saints" is the same in American Catholicism, as it is, say, in Latin America where indigenous people continue to pray to their pre-Colombian deities... they've just given them different names--the names of saints. In Northwest Mexico, for example, instead of praying to the Rain God, they pray to San Juan...

Anyways... I do a full tour of the museum, which talks about all the facets of St Anne's life... and anothe display of how the nuns offered comfort to the injured and dying soldiers of both sides in the Civil War....


I then head and expore a rather scruffy--but charming Main Street of Emmitsburg--with worn, but nicely repainted wooden structures of yesteryears...

The Hike to Taneytown

I've finished my Emmitsburg Loop, and I think I'm capable of continuing this hike for the rest of the day . So I drive to Taneytown, 14 kms away, and bike back. Actually, cycling in the cold is worse than walking. You have to suck in a lot of cold air, and your extremities get a lot colder...

Back in Emmittsburg, I grab some lunch, then start out on my hike, gazing out to the endless sea of white... pausing occasionally for a photo of something that catches my fancy... a decaying barn... a frozen creek... a long haired pony in a snow covered field...