Hancock to Antietam Creek; Distance = 58 Miles; People Met = 25
We took a rest day in Hancock, hosted by the United Methodist Church there. They have a general policy of accommodating wayward travelers, as Pastor Duane explained to me the morning we left. They also had unsecured wifi, the reason we needed a rest day in addition to meeting up with Ky again.
Ky is back
This three day stretch featured more people as we made our way eastward and entered into the weekend. One large group of cyclists passed us the other way, stretching out for a half mile, or so. The historical focus turned to the Civil War, with signage at Dam 5, Williamsport and Antietam Creek.
Civil War history
I know there is a lot of fascination with the Civil War, and I can’t help but read the signs myself, but what a depressing chapter in our country’s history. I compare reading the signs to watching the movie Gallipoli. There’s a saying, no doubt promoted by historians, that to ignore history is to repeat it. The truth appears to be almost the opposite. We’ve ignored the history of small scale societies to large extent, without showing much signs of returning to their social nature. Meanwhile, our focus on the heroic and/or tragic events of civilization and empire seems to compel us towards continual reenactment of those events.
Oh well, kindness still remains, as it is indeed as natural as empathy. With the return of meeting people on this stretch we had many pleasurable encounters (photos below). Kathy rode along side of us for awhile and insisted we take some her snacks before she departed. We walked together with Tom and Dave for a bit, who were getting in shape for a fishing trip. Bill was an enthusiastic guide at the Williamsport Visitor Center. We met Morey where we set up camp the second night and got into a nice philosophical chat about disaster relief and health care. Two brothers who are lawyers, Eric and Jack, gave us some advice on approaching our congressman when we reach DC.
The most memorable encounter came on a towpath detour. During that road stretch we first met Sam Wright and Nelson Harsh. Sam’s father was an intrepid traveler in his own right which predisposed Sam to being enthused about us. You could tell he wanted to do something for us. While there is plenty of water along the towpath it is treated with iodine, so we asked to fill our water bottles.
Nelson, Sam and strutting turkey (they wanted us to take him)
Sam brought us inside where we met wife Dana and kids Will and Annie. You could tell right away from the relationship between kids and parents that this was a good family. We spent a good bit of time talking to Dana about problems of housing and hunger. As a judge she experienced through the court system what we’ve learned in our pilgrimage across the country.
Will, Dana, Annie and Sam Wright
Other Photos
Pastor Duane of the UMC in Hancock
Cathy rode along side us for awhile
Tom and his friend Dave walked with us for awhile
Bill was enthused about the cultural history along the towpath
Anna Belle and Morey
Brothers and lawyers Eric and Jack
I hope the dam itself is more conspicuous
