A Taste of the Wild.

Well the concert in Pittsburgh was the highlight of my time there. The venue, an abandoned Catholic church that had been renovated into a bar, made for a great concert space. Aside from the odd moral dilemma of drinking and dancing taking place in a building that once frowned upon that behavior, I was very impressed.

In the morning, the young man that I had stayed with took me to the edge of town and back to my faithful route 30. Though the intersection of his route with the highway that was so clearly marked on the map, neglected to say that the road we were on crossed nearly 40 feet beneath the highway that I needed.

Seeing another intersection marked, I kept on walking hoping that the two would cross on the same elevation. My hopes were dashed as I came to a tunnel with my desired route still 30 feet up an incredibly steep incline. With no other option in sight, I trudged up the thorn covered hill and nearly spent all of my energy for the day.

One short break later, catching my breath and looking for all the scratches left by some mean foliage, and I was on the way.

I passed through several small towns with very little break in between and had very little thoughts of anyone picking me up. My experiences with the traffic in PA thus far has been borderline hostile. I wonder what inspires young men to roll down their windows and scream just as they pass. I'm sure it gets a good laugh to see me nearly jump out of my skin, but when walking that close to traffic, autonomic behaviors such as the knee-jerk reaction are not entirely welcome.

But many miles down the road, a young man shouted from stopped traffic at an intersection and I had a ride.

I was especially glad for this blessing being that 30 turned into a freeway (i.e. no pedestrians allowed) with no alternate route for several miles. So this young upstart real estate agent brought me passed all that deciding several times to keep going beyond where he planned to drop me off.

Soon after we were passed Greensburg, He remembered a place from his young life in this area that would be perfect for the night. There is a point where 30 splits into two one-way roads and down the center runs a beautiful quiet stream. One of the crossing points had always been a favorite with locals for hosting bonfires and wading in the stream with beer in hand (which I did, sans beer). And nestled here in between the highway and some majestic wooded foothills was a campsite.

The locals had simply built up this small patch of land very naturally over the years. There was a bench and fire ring made out of flat river stones and a clearing surrounded by the tallest maples I've ever seen. I can only imaging that this is just a glimmer of what the Appalachians will be.

My new real estate friend left me there but not for long. Only an hour or so later, he returned with his fiancee and a couple friends to join me at my quiet little fire. I was so glad for the company in this wilderness location as spending nights alone is still one of my biggest struggles.

They left me just after dark and I took some quiet time by the fire as I listened to the stream nearby to journal a while before bed.

This morning I woke up to one of the most amazing sites. Just looking down the river and seeing fog roll up and over the hills with the sun barely burning through and that was the view I had for quite some time as I headed down the road.

I only walked five or six miles today through some of the most incredible scenery thus far. The road was still very close to the stream and the hills all around were more lush than I could've imagined. The first town that I came to was Ligonier.

The people here were immediately friendly and several greeted me even before I said hello! That's actually very rare. Part way through town, a woman seated on the porch of her bed and breakfast shouted good morning and immediately I felt as though I were a friend. We talked a while and she pointed me to a great breakfast joint.

Not long after I sat down, the waitress called me by name, but the funny thing is that I hadn't told her my name. She told me that the woman from the bed and breakfast had called to put my meal on her tab! And I hadn't even told her of my lack of resources!

So I had a hearty breakfast and a great chat and semi-devotional with my waitress. When all was over, I went back to the B&B with thanks and an offering of half of a great pastry (that she had paid for).

She is on the list of one of the most intentionally kind people I have met so far, and tonight I will be camping on the lawn behind her quaint cottage B&B.

So far, I absolutely love this town. It is obviously a tourist location but they have maintained the feel of a small town community even though many people are just passing through.

When I leave here, the walking will be slightly more labor intensive as here is where foothills become mountainous, but I welcome the change in scenery as much as this kind locale.

Much love,

Christopher Andrew.