Accomac, PA to Manchester, PA
section miles: 14 total miles: 133
From this point on, the “trail” becomes somewhat of an abstract concept, or perhaps more like wishful thinking on the part of the dedicated volunteers at the Mason-Dixon trail organization. Most of it , by far, is simply road walking, as we say goodbye to the Susquehanna river and head west toward the intersection with the AT. Which is fine and interesting in its own right - don’t get me wrong. To their credit, they keep you off the main roads for the most part, and many are lightly-travelled dirt or gravel roads that offer nice walking and the occasional scenic view. But there are also swaths of new construction to wade through, particularly as you pass through the various small towns within commuting distance of York and Harrisburg.
The terrain next to the river has flattened considerably at this point, and we noted our first exposures of Pennsylvanian red-beds as we headed west. Thankfully Rene didn’t find them sufficiently interesting so as to load my pack with samples. We learned some things about half-log construction used in this area back in colonial days, and stopped to admire the Codorus Furnace, a pre-revolutionary iron-smelting furnace that sits forlornly and unceremoniously by the side of the road, where it now serves admirably as a local teen climbing gym and nightclub, judging by the refuse.
I’ll let the photos do the rest of the trail-talking here, but I did want to mention one thing. If you EVER are in the vicinity of York, make a point to stop at the Moonlight Cafe in Dover (just outside of York). It doesn’t look like much on the outside - in fact, it looks like a used-car dealer’s shack, which it very well might have been, because it’s right in the middle of car lots - but this is the best Italian restaurant not found in a major city. Bring cash, bring a bottle of wine, and expect to wait... there are only 12 tables, and it’s very popular.
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