You're lost. You don't know where you are, where you've been or where you need to go. In fact, you have been wandering aimlessly for close to two hours. You feel as if you've been going in circles. You have absolutely no idea how to break out of the trap you're in.
You're also having the time of your life.
Call it the corn-maze craze. People who normally don't like getting lost - and who does? - are entering these confounding cornfields by the thousands. They're all over the country and all around the Baltimore area. It's as if farmers can't build them fast enough.
These intricate pathways and designs (representing everything from dinosaurs, kangaroos and crabs to boats, trains and tractors) are made by cutting into 6- and 7-foot-high stalks of corn.
Your goal, upon entering, is to see if you're smart enough to make your way through the twisting turns and find the exit before breaking down and blubbering like a baby.
Can you make it through 17 acres of corn in under an hour? How good is your sense of direction? Will the map and clues given out at many mazes speed you on your way, or will you end up dumbfounded even with them?
What began as a way for a few farmers to make a little extra money at the end of the summer-harvest season has become a full-fledged phenomenon. There are several hundred corn mazes scattered throughout the United States, and more than a dozen just within a day's drive of Baltimore.
Brad Milton, owner of Brad's Produce in Churchville, says having a corn maze on his farm this year has helped bring more customers to his fruit and vegetable stand.
Milton, 29, has been working on farms since the age of 13. He bought his first farm in 2000. Like all farmers, he knows that one bad summer can ruin you, so he struggled to find a way to keep the farm he worked so hard to get.
"I was looking through a farming magazine and I came across an ad for a company that designs corn mazes. It seemed like a good idea. Not only do people come to my farm, I can also educate them about the farming industry."
Milton used the company, Maize Quest, to help him map out his corn maze. This year, the company designed mazes for 24 farms in 12 states.
"Turning a cornfield into a challenging game that turns a profit for the farmer makes Maize Quest an exciting business," said Hugh McPherson, owner and operator. The 5-year-old company is based in New Park, Pa., in York County, where Maple Lawn Farms, the company's first and "flagship" maze, is also located.
Last year, more than 15,000 people visited Maple Lawn Farms in the 2 1/2 months the maze was open. McPherson expects more than 250,000 visitors to all his Maize Quest locations this year.
Another major player in the corn-maze business is the MAiZE, based in Utah. Owner Brett Herbst grew up in a farm family but wanted to make his own way after getting a college degree in agriculture. He got into the corn-maze business as a way to stay in the farming industry.
In 1995, after reading about a corn maze in Shippensburg, Pa., Herbst set out to design his own. With some borrowed land and borrowed farm equipment, Herbst - with the help of a couple of friends - cut out a map of the state of Utah in a cornfield. At the time, it was the largest corn maze in the western United States.
Herbst was surprised when 18,000 people came to the maze in just three weeks. "I knew I just had to do this," he says. Right now, Herbst designs and redesigns mazes for 130 farms across the United States, including two in Maryland - Horizon Organic Farm in Gambrills and Bowles Farm in St. Mary's County.
Nearly 2 million people have visited one of the more than 300 mazes Herbst has designed over the past seven years. He will create just about anything for a client - from animals, buildings and farm themes to likenesses of John Wayne or an astronaut on the moon.
Some mazes, like a crab-shaped one in Stevenson, are designed using global positioning systems - the same satellite technology used in luxury automobiles to help drivers track where they are and map their way around a traffic jam.
"Using GPS makes the maze map extremely accurate," says LeaAnn McNabb of Trimble, a maker of global positioning systems. A number of farmers are using the company's GPS devices and field-mapping software to draw out their own corn mazes.
Farmers who decide to turn their cornfields into mazes start out by planting their corn as they would in any season. The stalks that need to be cut are marked with flags or string when they are only a few inches tall and are then cut away. While the remaining corn grows, the pathways need to be constantly tended and cleared, otherwise crops and weeds would start to grow.
"It's a lot of work and a lot of man hours to maintain the maze," said Denise Sharp of Waterford Farm in Howard County.
It's clear why farmers make the effort, but why do people love wandering around in a cornfield? It's not always a pleasant experience. Besides getting hopelessly lost, they have bugs and heat to contend with. There's little wind inside a cornfield. Temperatures can be as much as 10 degrees hotter inside than outside of it.
"Mazes have been around for centuries. People are drawn to them," Herbst says. "You look at a maze and it's a piece of artwork. It's mesmerizing. ... It's challenging. Most humans like a challenge. ... I believe the true value is the actual interaction between people, which is unique. Nobody goes to a corn maze alone. Interaction is crucial. It's entertaining. I've seen squabbles between husbands and wives and [members of] church groups.
"You learn who is a leader and who is a follower in a maze. You learn who's adventurous. You leave a maze and you take home memories."
If you want to make some corn-maze memories of your own, try one or several of the mazes on the following list. They're all within a day's drive of Baltimore.
Horizon Organic Farm & Education Center
100 Dairy Lane, Gambrills
Located just outside Annapolis, this 875-acre farm was once the U.S. Naval Academy Dairy Farm. Everything grown at Horizon Farms is organic. That means the cornfield is pesticide-free.
Maze design: A cow driving a tractor near a barn.
Getting out: This fairly challenging maze spread over 7.5 acres should take you about an hour to get through.
A-maze-ing fact: If you traveled every path along this maze, you will have walked 3.5 miles.
Open through: Oct. 27.
Hours: 2 p.m. until dark on Fridays, noon to dark on Saturdays and Sundays. Last ticket sold one hour before dark.
Admission: $8 for adults, $5 for ages 3 to 12, free for ages 2 and under. Adults must accompany children under 13.
Call: 410-923-7600.
Web: www.horizonorganicfarm.com
Bowles Farm
22880 Budds Creek Road, Clements
In addition to the corn maze, Bowles Farm has an easy straw maze for small children. You can also pick your own pumpkin or test your skill firing a corn cannon at a target.
Maze design: The Dove, the historic sailing vessel that reached the shores of St. Clement's Island in 1634.
Getting out: Expect to take at least an hour. If you get stuck, there are 10 hints scattered throughout the maze.
A-maze-ing fact: There are 170 different decisions to make in this maze.
Open through: Nov. 3.
Hours: 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays, 11 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays, 11 a.m. to dusk on Sundays.
Admission: $8 for adults, $6 for ages 6 to 11, free for ages 5 and under.
Call: 301-475-2139.
Web: www.cornfieldmaze.com
Sweet Pickens Market
4558 Carlisle Pike, New Oxford, Pa.
Just over the Maryland line, this corn maze benefits the Ronald McDonald House charities.
Maze design: Children in a Ronald McDonald House, with a smiling sun overhead.
Getting out: Most folks average an hour to an hour and a half.
A-maze-ing fact: The maze is extremely challenging at night. The last ticket to the maze is sold at 10 p.m. and some folks have been found wandering around way past midnight. Bring a flashlight!
Open through: Nov. 3.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. On Columbus Day, Oct. 14, hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: $6.75 for ages 12 and up, $4.75 for ages 5 to 11, free for ages 4 and under.
Call: 717-624-9435.
Web: www.cornfieldmaze.com
Forrest Hall Farm's Crazy Corn Maze
39136 Avie Lane, Mechanicsville
In addition to the corn maze, this St. Mary's County farm has hayrides, seasonal produce, friendly farm animals and a picnic area.
Maze design: Three dinosaurs.
Getting out: You can easily get lost in the "Land Before Time" - as this maze is called - but the average time to get out is about 45 minutes.
A-maze-ing fact: There are six mailboxes scattered throughout the maze, with tokens inside. Find all six, take a token and get a free gift when you make it out of the maze.
Open through: Oct. 27.
Hours: 10 a.m. to dusk Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Admission: $6, free for ages 2 and under.
Call: 301-884-3086.
Brad's Produce
Route 136 and Asbury Road, Churchville
This is the farm's first year offering a corn maze. Owner Brad Milton is a regular at the farmers' market in Bel Air and the market at Rockfield Manor.
Maze design: The theme is "Outback Australia." The design features a kangaroo with a joey in its pouch.
Getting out: If you try to find your way to all of the educational stations and map checkpoints inside the maze, you could easily spend close to two hours here. Alternatively, you can look at the map maze to plot your way to the exit and be out in 45 minutes.
A-maze-ing fact: Crossing the bridge near the exit of the maze won't take you to freedom. In fact, it will just take you to another part of the maze. It's a bit of a tease to be so close to the exit and still be a good 15-20 minutes away.
Open through: Nov. 1.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Admission: $5.
Call: 410-734-GROW.
Web: www.bradsproduce.com
North Run Farm
1701 Greenspring Valley Road, Stevenson
This five-acre maze was designed using the latest in GPS technology.
Maze design: The Maryland blue crab.
Getting out: There are more than 2 miles of trails and 250,000 stalks of corn in this intricately designed maze. Settle in for a nice, long walk - at least an hour.
A-maze-ing fact: The crab is 264 feet from point to point. If you were to steam it, you would need a crab pot the size of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and 4,587 pounds of seasoning.
Open through: Oct. 31.
Hours: 3 p.m. until dusk Fridays, 11 a.m. until dusk Saturdays, noon until dusk Sundays.
Admission: $6 for ages 13 and up, $4 for ages 4 to 12, free for children under 4.
Call: 410-296-6293.
Web: www.northrunfarm.com
Lawyer's Moonlight Maze
13001 Creagerstown Road (Route 550), Thurmont
You know that Maryland Lottery commercial where they shoot pumpkins out of a cannon? Well, you can experience all that pumpkin-chunkin' fun firsthand at Lawyer's Farm every Friday and Saturday night. The cannon shoots pumpkins several hundred feet. If you'd like to pull the trigger yourself, it's $2 a shot.
Maze design: The U.S. Capitol, with the words "One Nation Under God."
Getting out: Better pack a lunch. Don't expect to get out of this thing in under two hours. If you try to find all 12 checkpoints in the maze, you could be here for half the day.
A-maze-ing fact: This maze takes up 17 acres of land. That's a lot of corn.
Open through: Oct. 27.
Hours: From dusk until 10 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The last ticket is sold at 10 p.m.
Admission: $6 for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 6 to 12, free for ages 5 and under.
Call: 301-271-4826.
Web: www.mazeplay.com
Maple Lawn Farms
251 E. Maple Lawn Road, New Park, Pa.
This isn't just a corn maze, it's a maze theme park. In addition to a massive corn maze, there's a bamboo maze, a meadow maze, a rope maze, a stone Celtic labyrinth and an ever-changing fence maze. There's also an 80-foot-long slide on the farm's maze mountain.
Maze design: Intricate abstract pattern within the shape of Australia.
Getting out: The main maze will take you close to two hours. The others will take you from 20 minutes to an hour.
A-maze-ing fact: The ever-changing fence maze features gates that move, repeatedly altering the course of the maze.
Open through: Nov. 3.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. The last ticket is sold one hour before closing.
Admission: $7 for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 4 to 12.
Call: 717-382-4878.
Web: www.cornmaze.com
Sharp's at Waterford Farm
4003 Jennings Chapel Road, Brookeville
The Sharp family has been farming in Howard County since 1903. After wandering through the maze, you can take a free hayride, walk the nature trail or feed the very eager and fat goats some dried corn.
Maze design: The Howard County agriculture logo.
Getting out: This one is pretty easy. There are plenty of clues, which, if you follow correctly, could get you out in less than a half-hour.
A-maze-ing fact: The Sharps designed and cut their maze entirely by themselves.
Open through: Oct. 27.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Call for information on nighttime maze adventures.
Admission: $6.50 for ages 13 and up, $4.50 for ages 12 and under.
Call: 310-854-6275.
Web: www.sharpfarm.com
Crumland Farms
107 Harpers Way, Frederick
The Crums were dairy farmers until two years ago. Farming still continues today, with crops of corn, wheat, alfalfa and hay.
Maze design: A firefighting cow.
Getting out: If you're lucky enough to find the clues scattered throughout the maze, you could be out in as little as 20 minutes. If you're not so lucky, you could be here for as long as three hours.
A-maze-ing fact: The Crums tell folks that instead of herding cows, they now herd people.
Open through: Oct. 27.
Hours: 1 p.m. to dusk Saturdays and Sundays.
Admission: $7 for adults, $5 for ages 5 to 12, free for ages 4 and under.
Call: 301-898-1449.
Web: www.crumland.com
Padonia Park
12006 Jenifer Road, Cockeysville
This maze is meant to be spooky. It's part of the "Trail of Terror" event running in October. Be prepared to get scared.
Maze design: None.
Getting out: The challenge in this maze is not in the complexity of the design. It's in whether you can keep your wits about you in the creepy surroundings. Bring a flashlight!
A-maze-ing fact: This maze is the only one on the list that's not a working farm.
Open: Oct. 5, 11-12, 17-20, 24-27 and Nov. 1.
Hours: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the above dates. Noon to 11 p.m. on family days: Oct. 19-20 and 26-27.
Admission: $5.95 for people 49 inches and taller, $3 for people 48 inches or shorter. The family-day price is $5 a person.
Call: 410-252-2046.
Web: www.padoniaparkclub.com