Description for A. T. At Pen Mar Park, Cascade, Md, 06/06/09
Description by Irish Eddy
This is a view of the scenic overlook from the A.T., which passes through the park. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Pen Mar Park was once the site of a bustling amusement park owned and operated by the Western Maryland Railroad, but declined with the invention of the automobile. The A.T. follows the former track beds for the railroad that once brought tourists to the park. SoBo 1124.1. NoBo 1054.2.
-
#1
Re: A. T. At Pen Mar Park, Cascade, Md, 06/06/09
My future wife and I camped in this pavilion in June 1979 on our Duncannon to Harpers Ferry section hike (her first and last backpacking trip!). In the middle of the night we were jolted wide awake by the train roaring past!
I'm pretty sure that they don't allow camping anymore. -
#2
Re: A. T. At Pen Mar Park, Cascade, Md, 06/06/09
Thanks for your response, Kerosene. I thought that Pen Mar Park was a beautiful place. On the day we hiked there was a wedding reception taking place in one of the pavilions.
The train still goes by although less frequently now. Pen Mar is now a county park and overnight capping is not permitted, but since the A.T. traverses the park, I imagine that a weary hiker who arrives in the evening could still stretch out on one of the benches in the scenic overlook pavilion and catch a few winks.
If it is any consolation, my wife won't go hiking with me either. Once during Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC, I convinced her to walk around the Tidal Basin, then across the Potomac River, and then completely around the Pentagon before finding a Metro station. She has never forgiven me for that.
Comments for A. T. At Pen Mar Park, Cascade, Md, 06/06/09 (2)