The Great Wander of 2026 - Day 14

 

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

Day 13

Day 12

Day 11

Day 10

Day 9

Day 8

Day 7

Day 6, Part 2

Day 6, Part 1

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

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. 

Day 8

Day 7

Day 6, Part 2

Day 6, Part 1

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

The Great Wander of 2026 - Day 13

 

The Great Wander of 2026

Day 13: June 5th, 2026

States Hiked: Virginia (14 total so far)

Trails Hiked: Third Winchester Battlefield Red Bud Run Trail, Confederate Flank Trail 

Distance Hiked: 4.8 miles

Elevation Gain: 233 ft. elev. gain

Cumulative Wander: 90.9 miles

Duration: 1h 31m

Day 12

Day 11

Day 10

Day 9

Day 8

Day 7

Day 6, Part 2

Day 6, Part 1

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

The difficulties of travel nearly led me to taking a zero day for this one. Getting from Mystic to Martinsburg, West Virginia (the location of the only hotel within a reasonable distance of Laurel, Maryland in my network with even a remotely reasonable price) was such an epic disaster of traffic stoppage that I lost count after nine different times (they write as the principal and mother from Ferris Bueller's Day Off repeat "nine times" with varying levels of snark.) 

Weirdly enough, once I actually ate for the first time that day, I had this odd sensation called "energy to human again," and I noticed just how close I was to multiple Civil War battlefields, including Winchester and Antietam. I knew what I'd be doing for two of my state counts! 

Antietam had an admission fee to go along with its surprisingly extended network of hiking trails, and with the hour already entering dusk proximity, I opted to pop down to the Third Winchester Battlefield, as it was the closest. 

Most people who look at me or know me longer than eight seconds are surprised to hear about my interest in the Civil War. It doesn't really make sense to me either, but growing up near Gettysburg gave me an appreciation for studying the time period specifically, but I hadn't gotten much of a chance to see other preserved battlefields for varying reasons. Gettysburg also casts a long shadow in terms of grandeur and commitment to the aforementioned preservation, so I was curious to see what a lesser-known location would be like. 

Third Winchester Battlefield Park felt a lot more rustic and simple than Gettysburg, but that's to be expected on some level. But that's not inherently a bad thing, and in this case, it was combined with a gorgeous sunset over the hills which minimized the godsawful intrusion of ugly industrial buildings along the horizon. 

Although upon first entrance I got a staredown from a couple that implied I'd offended their sensibilities by existing in the same place as they did without asking them first, I slowly settled into a stroll throughout fenceposts and cannons with the unique addition of hiking late in the day as opposed to my norm of the "early to start, early to end" method of avoiding as many trail tourists as possible. 

Once I was alone, following a path with multiple complete ovals that AllTrails somehow managed to make into a single trail (was I supposed to figure-8 it?), I was joined by hundreds of lightning bugs dotting the landscape with yellow beacons I hadn't seen in quite a long time. I forgot how common they were back east, and maybe that Owl City was onto something back in the day.

Thank the gods for headlamps, because I definitely didn't make it back to the trailhead in time, and preserved battlefields are notorious for their lack of artificial light. It almost made the idea of returning to West Virginia slightly less intolerable. 

Emphasis: Almost.