The Great Wander of 2026
Day 14: June 6th, 2026
States Hiked: Maryland, West Virginia (16 total so far)
Trails Hiked: Snavely Ford Antietam National Battlefield Trail, Cornfield Trail, IDK around the hotel I guess?
Distance Hiked: 10.4 miles, 1.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 377 ft. elev. gain, 69 ft. elev. gain
Cumulative Wander: 103 miles
Duration: 3h 38m, 33m
I am not used to the southern sun anymore.
Yes, I call Maryland "southern." It's south of the Mason-Dixon line, but it's also incredibly far south compared to Minnesota, and though I grew up in Southern Pennsylvania, I've been in Minnesota for a decade now, and it's so much hotter than I remember.
Though I've spent a lot of time at Gettysburg, I'd never made the trek down to Sharpsburg for the Antietam Battlefield. The 20-dollar admission fee was offset in my mind by the extensive trail network that they not only contained, but encouraged one to use. The lovely folx at the front desk even gave me a printed out guide for the occasion. I guess in my hat and pack, I must've been pretty obvious.
Sharpsburg itself left a lot to be desired, especially with some of the grotesque signs I saw on front lawns (We encourage dehumanizing these people specifically and somehow we're so proud of that we're gonna print it on a sign because we're the good people!), but I wasn't there for the town.
It was hot, it was insanely busy, and the longest trail in the park (because that's who I am as a person) went from the battlefield itself to some distant creek trail and underpass that seemingly had very little to do with the park or battlefield itself. I picked up some Adventure Labs along the way, but no AL has ever caused me more of a headache than the Antietam Adventure.
I appreciate the Lab itself for the amount of detail they put into it, as well as having park rangers record videos with explanations to create an immersive experience. On the other side though, trying to figure out how to use that cipher cost me more brain cells than the time I got a concussion doing the dishes (Total concussions - Hiking 0, Doing the Dishes 1, ergo: Doing the Dishes is more dangerous than Hiking, these are my rules, I make them up).
The site is beautiful, well-traveled, well-maintained, and goes to great lengths to preserve the battlefield itself. It wouldn't be fair to judge it for not having the same aura and awe-factor as Gettysburg, because even for someone who knows more about the Civil War than they appear to (yes, it's a thing, and a delightful subversion of expectations when someone tries to call me on it), Gettysburg National Military Park cannot be matched.
All the famous places I wanted to visit, I did. Though the huge group on the stone bridge dissuaded me from spending any time there, I still managed the shot above. But, in 90+ degrees and humidity, when the end of the trail was heading uphill, I opted to take the road back to the visitor center. Verified complete though, so I did enough of the percentage at least.
Then, I also walked around town in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Checked off the state list, and my goodness, it certainly is a place that exists.
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