Walk Across Maryland (WAM), May 29-31, 2009

A few years ago, I heard of The Appalachian Trail (AT) from Greg, my colleague, and had went on a camping trip with him at Deleware Water Gap. The trail starts in Georgia in the south and runs north through the East Coast up to Maine, a total of 2,178 miles. There are two main colored markers, white and blue, painted on trees, rocks and signposts along the footpath. Hikers follow the main white markers while the blue markers are side trails leading to scenic spots.

My journey walking across Maryland (41 miles with elevation between 230—1,880 feet) began with Yiting who sent out an email asking if anyone was interested to go on this trip organized by a group of Mensans. Since Greg had mentioned that he would like to hike the entire 2,000 miles trail one day, I invited him along. We could not make it for the Friday day hike as we were either at work or studying. However, we drove to the camp ground on Friday night and decided to set up camp in the twilight before driving to town for dinner. There was only a pizza place and two pubs opened on a Friday night. When I asked a local, who was sitting outside one of the pubs, if there was another place nearby, he said, "None. It is a small town." Well, we stuck to the pizza place and every customer who came in knew one another. Thereafter, we drove to a supermarket to get breakfast for Sat and Sun.

It was a wise decision to set up camp because it was pitch dark when we got back from dinner. I had a hard time sleeping as there was a big rock directly under my back.

Early next morning, we took bottles of water and some snacks, and for me, my heavy digital SLR, while leaving the tents in the car. We headed south towards Annapolis Rock where we would have lunch and rock climb. The second day trail began with a steep ascend till we reached a ridge. I could still remember a boy scout hiking at Delaware Water Gaps complaining about rocks everywhere. It seemed that most parts of the trail are rocky which is bad since my ankles were twisted a few times.

As I had camped at Annapolis Rock this spring (Apr 18-19), I led the way. When we reached there, the scenery was spectacular from the vista. Previously, I did not have my camera then during the spring camping trip, which was why I carried my heavy camera with me for this hike. We also got to rock climb off the face of Annapolis Rock. It had been a while since I did climbing during my undergrad days. My legs started to tremble as I got higher. I managed to touch the carabiner at the summit before being belayed. From an old timer, the belayer, who had done WAM for 24 times, I learned that I could be a Mensa member since I had a Ph.D. degree. He told me a Master and above was sufficient. From then on, three of us (Yiting, Greg and I) made jokes relating to Mensa.

We proceeded towards the Washington Monument State Park, which was the first monument to the first president of the USA. Climbing up the tower was a torture after hiking about 10 miles but the view atop was beautiful. With a 360-degree view, one could see historic Antietam National Battlefield, Hagerstown where I shopped at the outlets and White Tail Ski resort among other landmarks. Along the way, I took pictures of pinkish Mountain Laurel which I found out was poisonous if ingested. The flowers looked pretty and the bell-shaped buds were cute.

At Turner Gaps, this was where support cars would shuttle drivers to get their cars back from Wolfsville Road. Also, we set up camp at the Hikers Campground which had hot shower available. It was a luxury and I showered without towel or soap. I just flicked off the extra moisture and put on a clean set of clothing. Dinner was stir-fried vegetables cooked Chinese-style with Chinese sauces and chilli. I did not know that Americans like Chinese food so much.

Greg and I decided to cover out tent although we had wanted to see the stars at night. As I was exhausted from lack of sleep on Saturday and hiking, I slept almost immediately upon lying down. Well, in the middle of the night, it started to pour and many got out to cover their tents while we continue to be dry. Another good decision.

On Sunday, it was a torture to hike the remaining journey. However, lunch was delicious. We had fried chicken, deviled egg, spaghetti, salad, potato salad, and dessert cake and fruits. Marshall, the organizer, thought of this wonderful treat some years back as they were craving for something delicious on the last day.


We were told to go to Weverton Cliffs, a blue marker trail, which overlooks the Potomac River. We took a 15-minute breather while drinking in the natural beauty of the place. I was caught looking over the precipice to see the height of the cliff.

The last part was easy as the trail was flat and followed the C&O Canal towpath for less than three miles before we crossed the footbridge across the Potomac River to Harpers Ferry, WV. Along the towpath, I could see white water kayakers and river rafters floating down the river which reminded me of my canoeing and kayaking trips along the same stretch. We had finished walking all the way (minus Friday hike) across Maryland. In Harpers Ferry, we had dinner at a local restaurant before parting our ways. They hoped that we would be backed for their 25th anniversary next year.

For me, it was an accomplishment and had enjoyed the hike even though it was strenuous.

Walk Across Maryland pictures.

Delaware Water Gap pictures.

Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Toronto, May 22-26

I finally stepped into Canada for the first time on May 22. But before that, I flew into Buffalo Airport in the morning, rented a car and drove towards the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. It was unfortunately closed for a week due to the bad economy. My eyes, however, caught the greenish roofs of the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane and I walked towards it, passing by The University at Buffalo. The Asylum was situated on a big compound and it was quite a walk just to cover half of the estate.

Next, I headed to the Forest Lawn Cemetery and Crematory, designed after Père-Lachais, the world's most famous cemetery which was established in Paris in 1804. Père-Lachais balanced art and nature, where civilization did not disturb the grandeur of the romantic setting. I am somehow drawn to the serenity I felt at cemeteries. Most of the tombstones were elaborately decorated and grand like the one on the left with Roman columns. It was interesting to learn how Americans remember their loved ones.

After my moment of peace at the cemetery, I headed towards Buffalo Downtown for an architectural tour. I was surprised to see many interesting facades and historical buildings in Buffalo. The Main Street with the light rail reminded me of Lexington Market area in Baltimore. Traveling on the light rail is free on Downtown's above ground section. I also drove to the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna which was impressive with its sheer size and splendor.

Around 10pm, I drove back to Buffalo Airport to pick up my two traveling companions, Guanglan and Ana, who flew in from Boston. Thereafter, we headed to our lodging in Canada and were excited since it was our first in this country.

The next day, we began with a trip to Niagara Falls where we took the Maid of the Mist which brought us close to the American and Bridal Veil Falls. I presumed that the horsepower of the boat was super-duper strong since we were stationary at the middle of the Horseshoe Falls, experiencing the mist and sound of the roaring falls. Here I was posing with the American and Bridal Veil Falls in the background after the misty ride. The water temperature was still very cold.

The area around Niagara Falls was full of attractions for kids and families, such as arcades, museums, casinos etc. While heading towards Niagara-on-the-lake in the north, we went along the wine route for wine tasting at various wineries. I do not like wine in general but now I am an ice wine convert. It is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine during winter. The frozen grapes had a more concentrated sugar content which give ice wine its characteristic sweetness.


At Niagara-on-the-lake, we could see in the distant the skyscraper outlines of Toronto from the lake. We did some shopping where I bought fridge magnets and the famous Canadian maple syrup. After dinner, we headed back to Niagara Falls as there was illumination of the Niagara Falls at night. I took several pictures of various illuminations and my favorite was the pure white illumination of the American Falls. I had to improvise by placing my camera on the fence while exposing for 1.3 seconds.


On Sunday, May 26, we left for Toronto to visit Chris and Judice who were at the University of Toronto. They played host and showed us around. Ana joked that she was definitely with Singaporeans since all we did was ate at different restaurants. We also went up to the CN Tower where you could stare down to the ground from 342 m (1,122 ft) through a glass floor. It was scary initially to stand on the glass floor. The wait to the top of the Skypod was very long as there was only one elevator in service. From there, I took aerial pictures of Toronto, covering almost 360 degree.

The next day, we visited Casa Loma (Spanish for House on the Hill), a museum converted from a neo-romantic castle, with elegantly decorated suites, secret passageways, and stately towers. I purposely took a shot of the castle hidden by trees to give the effect of a secret castle in fairy tales. Our next itinerary was the University of Toronto where Chris is currently pursuing his Ph.D. The school buildings reminded me of Hogwarts of Harry Potter. I was thinking this ancient design would not fit into Singapore University context.

On our final day, we bade farewell to our gracious hosts and went to The Cave of the Winds which was on the US side. This was where you could get real close to the Bridal Veil Falls along a wooden footpath and staircases. My poncho got ripped when I went under the falls. The air around the area was smelly because of seagull poo and many seagulls were nestling at the cliff. Just look out for aerial poo bomb when they fly over you because birds cannot control their bladders.

Buffalo, NY pictures.

Niagara Falls pictures.

Toronto pictures.

10-10-2009, Baltimore Running Festival

My janitor friend at lab often teased me for being a thrill seeker such as jumping out of the plane or white water kayaking. This time round, I am thinking of a mental and physical challenge: running a marathon (42 km or 26.1 miles) on Oct 10, 2009 at the Baltimore Running Festival. Training would be tough since I would be traveling often too.

Writing along the MasterCard advertisement theme:

1. Buying a Nathan Speed 2 Waist Pack with Two 10-Ounce Nutrition Flasks, $24.86
2. A new pair of Asics Gel Kayano-15, $122.91
3. Motivation to train and complete the marathon on Oct 10, $PRICELESS.

After a 1-month hiatus because of tour and recovering from a cold, I began to run 5 km this evening with my new pair of running shoes and the hydration pack along Linkwood trail. The shoes felt great and comfortable, plus the cushioning was good. The hydration pack did not bounce, fitting snugly to my waist. The bottles were easy to retrieve and fit back into the holders while running. The only issue I had was the velcro was sticking out.

As daylight faded, there were flashes of small lights along the forested trail. It felt like an enchanted trail with fairy lights (actually they were fireflies).

Meanwhile, I had downloaded some training program for beginner marathoner. I need to be consistent and discipline to train. Besides these, eating a healthy diet and having sufficient sleep are important too. Turning in now since it was 11.37pm. Good night from Baltimore, MD, USA!