Day 349
2 hrs, 3 kms

The Traveler finds himself at a dead end high up the mountain--but he knows that there's another town out there somewhere ... Luckily he finds a footpath that runs through the woods, and takes him to a classy, shady borough of Westmont. For the first time in this entire region he sees upscale homes will well maintained yards--something he thought just didn't exist here in Greater Johnstown.

And there's a good reason for this: way back in Johnstown's heydey, the common folks lived in cramped quarters in the polluted and flood prone valley. The business owners and wealthy lived safely here at the top of the mountain. An inclined plane connects Westmont to downtown, built in 1891, it is still in use today, and holds the world record as the steepest inclined plane at nearly 71 percent grade.

Gazing out from the top, you get a great panoramic view of the city and its surrondings. Here, four river valleys join together and become one in a very narrow space... a place that was a major hub of industry and transportation a hundred years ago. Now just a shadow of its former self, you can still see the outlines of the city that once was..

And looking down on the city from this birdseye view, you get a stark picture of how big the social divide was in this area. The elite were very much removed the the dangers, struggles and suffering of the commoners who did all the hard work. And this social divide would have catastrophic consequences, as the Traveler will soon learn.