A couple of weeks ago my wife, Rene, and I were hiking along the Mason-Dixon Trail in White Clay Creek State park near our home town of Newark, Delaware, when the nagging thought occurred to us that we really had no idea where this trail came from, nor where it went outside of the park, even though we have trooped around these parts for almost two decades. I say nagging, because it is one of those things that has sat at the bottom of our wanna-do list, which is actually our never-do list, forever. But this time we were determined to scratch it off.
A little research that evening opened our eyes to a remarkable possibility. It turns out the trail runs from Chadd's Ford, Pennsylvania, down into Delaware, crosses a thin neck of Maryland, then back up into Pennsylvania, eventually joining the Appalachian Trail at Whiskey Springs. We could literally step out our front door, walk a couple blocks through our neighborhood to the MDT, and hike to the Appalachian Trail, 160 miles away (or so). Not only that, but one could make a giant loop, if so inclined, and return to Chadd's ford by way of the Horseshoe and Brandywine trails.
Wow. Let's do it.
And so we've started. Our plan is to section hike at whatever pace and intervals meet the demands of our schedule and the weather. To date we've covered two sections, and will be completing our third in a couple days. I'll catch up on those first two hikes in arrears, and then try to stay current as we go along.
For more information on the trail itself, visit the Mason-Dixon Trail organization.
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