Walking New Freedom PA

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Walking

Walking with the Walrus

NEW FREEDOM PA USA VOLKSMARCH
SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 1997

by Kevin Shaw
On a gloriously beautiful Fathers Day Sunday, I traveled with my faithful cohorts, canine companions India and Peaches, and my daughter Robin to New Freedom PA to walk the 10 KM volksmarch, sponsored by the York White Rose Wanderers. I met up with my friends Bobby Miller and Al Krienik at Bobby's house in close-by northern Maryland, and we traveled on interesting back roads through the countryside to the start point at the New Freedom Community Center. Plenty of parking, and an inside start point with all the necessary facilities, including food, which Robin and I sampled before starting the walk.
There was a 5 km, 10 km, and 20 km option to walk. We chose the usual 10 km trail. I later found out that the 20 km trail was not just twice around the 10 km trail, but a continuation to another town, Glen Rock, along the Rails to Trails path, which was the main attraction for today's activities.
Registration was simple and organized well, and we were out on the well-marked trail quickly. We traveled on some town streets, following the streamers, through a nice neighborhood, then down a hill to a bridge which crossed the rails to trail. We headed along the rails to trail but on a road paralleling it for about a mile till just before the Maryland border, where we turned around and onto the rails to trail.
The rails to trail basically had one old rail on one side and a gravel path on our walking side. We shared the trail today with a lot of bikers, they usually outnumbered us on the trail. We alternated between nicely wooded, shaded sections with sunny, open parts. Eventually we really opened up to the downtown New Freedom section, where an unmanned checkpoint had water and a punch device for our start cards. We talked for a few minutes with a local club member on his bike. I wondered why they didn't have a bike event with this prime walking event, and he said they did not think about a bike event till it was too late in the sanctioning scheme of things. Also I am not sure any of the club members have a lot of experience on putting on a bike event. Anyway, a bike event will be definitely considered next time.
After the checkpoint, we passed by the old rail station, where they still have dinner and mystery theatre trains emanating from, and also further on, old train cars, cabooses, and locomotives on the second rail. Eventually we were back in the woods, crossing over a few roads, stopping by a lemonade stand for a refreshing drink, and giving the pooches a shot at a local watering hole that several kids were enjoying. India and Peaches did indeed cool themselves off, but mostly just their feet. There were also small streams running along the trail in many spots, which gave them the extra chances to catch a drink. Soon after the watering hole, we were at the turnaround/only staffed checkpoint at the small town of Railroad, PA. We met more nice club members there, under a shade tree on this most pleasant day. We also were advised of the existence of Captain Bob's, an ice cream shoppe, just a few feet away so we refreshed ourselves there with some cold delights. 20 km walkers continued from this point on the rails to trail to the town of Glen Rock. It sounded like many of the 500+ walkers attending this 2 day event did actually do the entire 20 km trail.
After returning to the unmanned checkpoint in downtown New Freedom, we turned onto the main street through town, Route 851, towards the finish. An old tradition of having an uphill portion right at the end finished off this outstanding event in grand style. The trail was great, well-marked when and where it had to be, plenty of help by the members of the York White Rose Wanderers, and a superb day weather-wise really helped make this most enjoyable. This was my first Pennsylvania event this year, and I got a new PA County tee shirt after finishing the walk, along with a couple of club t-shirts for Robin and I. Too bad they didn't have doggie t-shirts! Peaches and India also enjoyed the trail, as I could tell from their great smiles and sleepy, contented manner on the way home. It was also great to see all the great PA walkers on the trail today; since I don't get up to this great state I don't see them all that often. Thanks so much to the York White Rose Wanderers for sponsoring this volkswalking event! I hope to return with Robin soon with our newly purchased bikes; this is a great biking trail too! This probably will be my last walk before convention, so who knows when and where I will be reporting on my next walk!

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