I’m having trouble with this section of the Canalway Trail. Not with the walking bit. That part’s going just fine. And not with the trail itself, which is clearly marked and well-maintained.
In some places, the Canalway Trail disappears at the edge of town, leaving you scratching your head as to how to get back on it once you’ve navigated through the city streets. Sometimes the trailmakers will change the route slightly, but they’ll forget to take the old signs down — or they’ll put up a Canalway Trail sign with an arrow pointing left when the trail clearly goes straight ahead, and the only thing you’ll get from going left is back out on the main road. Most places, the trail is paved and has wide, grassy shoulders — but for several days after Syracuse, the shoulders vanished and the trail turned to dirt, and I could see the poison ivy reaching in from both sides as it tried to toss a vine around my ankles.
But in this section, the wide shoulders are back and there are even carve-outs strategically placed that could act as picnic or camping areas. The trail is hard-packed dirt, yet somehow the dirt is easier on the feet than pavement. It’s bouncier, has a bit more give. And it’s graded, so there are no muddy spots where the rainwater gathers. Plus, did I mention the carve-outs?
This section east of Rochester sees a lot more traffic than most of the other sections; still, it gets my vote for most thru-hiker/biker friendly.
No, the trouble I’m having isn’t with the trail. It’s with the people on the trail. I just don’t know what to do with them.
As I said, there are lots of folks out here, and that’s fine. There were lots of folks east of Syracuse, as well. But there’s just such a mix of people on this stretch. Of the bikers, some are obviously doing the whole trail, some are obviously not, and some it’s hard to tell. Then there are joggers, walkers, and people pushing baby carriages. Just now I saw two women rolling by on scooters — the kind you stand on and scoot yourself along with one foot, except these were motorized.
The thru-bikers, they’re not even looking at anyone else. Except when they are. And the day-bikers, well, they’re pretty friendly, except when they aren’t. I just can’t get a handle on any of them. The joggers will nod or wave, but the day-hikers … well, there’s just no predicting them. Sometimes they’ll pretend not to see me. Sometimes they’ll stare at me for a couple of ticks before turning away. Sometimes they’ll say hi, but I suspect that’s just to confuse me.
I know, I know. It doesn’t matter what other people say or do. Just be friendly. Smile, wave, say hello. Some will say hello back, and maybe some won’t, and that’s okay. That’s up to them. Just be your normal, cheerful self. (Ha!)
Well, that works for a while. But it does get discouraging when four, five, six people in a row don’t acknowledge a simple hand wave. I start thinking okay, maybe the rules changed. Maybe we’re not doing the smile-and-wave thing here. Maybe it’s against the law in these parts. So I’ll ignore the next person — who sneers “have a nice day!” as she passes, like I just committed an unbelievably stupid faux pas.
I suppose I did.
Anyway, a storm is moving in and I’ve got to get under wraps. So, this blog will have to launch without a pithy ending. It was going to be something about the fact that what I haven’t seen out here is other people with backpacks — other thru-hikers. So, maybe I’m the problem — nobody else knows how to react to me. But the thunder is rolling closer, and I’m out of time, so this is what I’ve got. Such a pithy …
Take care, everyone. Stay safe — and if possible, stay dry.
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