Day 319
7 hrs, 20 kms
Day totals: 15 hrs, 38 .8 kms

I should just continue straight south if I want to continue following the Appalachian hills and valleys, but no, I'm heading east once again. Looks like my Superhike will continue to zig and zag as I continue to detour looking for interesting things on the side.

It's a 13 kilometer hike to Shepherdrdstown, right on the Potomac once again. Here I come across one of my favorite little towns of this entire hike so far.


Shepherdstown is a complete anomally here in West Virginia. Most of West Virginia, is traditional Republican "Red State" conservative. Shepherdstown went 90% for Obama last election.

"Is it just the college?" I ask a local lady.

"A lot of people commute here to DC--it's one of the last stops of the commuter train. Also, this is a popular retirement town for federal workers from DC ... including a number of spies... giving this place an air of mystery"

Sure enough, Main Street feels more like some yuppie California town, with yoga bookstores, outdoor cafes and incense shops--as well as a very lively music scene it seems. In fact, right overlooking the river, three boys are playing an acoustic set as their mother (I think) does a video of them.

"They're a new band" she tells me "Someday when they become famous, you'll remember you took a picture of them!"

It's very refeshing to wander through this town, around the college campus... profiling all the older dudes to try to figure out if this guy might have been a spy or not. Very different feel than Martinsburg--and West Virginia as a whole. It feels like its own little world here.

Down along a rushing stream I spot an enormous metal waterwheel hooked up to a retired mill . I have to cut through some private property to get to it, but I don't care... I must pay homage to this symbol of the Early Industrial Era...

Finally I cross the Potomac and am back in Maryland once again. It's only 2 miles to my next town: Sharpsburg, but I choose to take the long way: following the C and O canal trail (see Williamsport entry), as it winds alongside the Potomac, squeezed between sheer cliffs and the river. Not much left of the canal here, but you can still get a feel for what a mammoth undertaking it was, building a barrier between the canal and the river far below.

It's a beautiful walk... immersed in the stillness of nature... with an occasional cave in the cliffside where you know you could find quick shelter if you needed it. Despite the sounds of civilization not so far away, here it's all about you, the river and the cliffs... very serene.

Don't think I'd want to follow this trail its full 184 miles though... too much of the same I'd think...

Finally I reach Snyder's crossing where there's a road to Sharpsburg. Here I see one more interesting sight: several homes have both an American and a Confederate flag in the front.


I like that. Maybe it's a way of saying, "it's not a question of being for or against the US government... it's about aknowledging our history... and both these flags played a part in our history".

And with that thought I'll call it a day.