UNAUTH PENETRATION OF PROHIBITED AREA.

Narrative

I DEPARTED HAGERSTOWN ARPT VFR; FOR A PLEASURE FLT AT XA00 AM LCL TIME USING A L TURN FROM RWY 27 FOR A SE DEP. VISIBILITY WAS AT LEAST 10 MI; WITH CLOUD COVER AT 12000 FT. I EXITED CTLED AIRSPACE AT 2000 FT MSL AND CIRCLED MY HOUSE WHICH IS JUST OUTSIDE THE HAGERSTOWN CTL ZONE; AT 164 DEGS FROM THE ARPT. NEXT; I TURNED NE; BEGINNING A CLB TO 5500 FT TO CROSS THE MOUNTAINS TOWARDS GETTYSBURG. DURING THE CLB; I HEARD AN ACFT ANNOUNCE THAT IT WAS INBOUND FROM THE E; 7 MI OUT. I TURNED MORE TO THE E TO AVOID CUTTING ACROSS THE OTHER PLANE'S FLT PATH AND BEGAN LOOKING FOR HIM. I CALLED HAGERSTOWN AND ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS E AT ABOUT 7 OR 8 MI CLBING THROUGH 3500 FT. THE TWR RESPONDED; TO; 'STAND BY.' THEN THEY ASKED FOR COURSE AND ALT. I TOLD HIM EBOUND THROUGH 4000 FT; HDG TOWARDS GETTYSBURG. HE SAID COURSE CHANGE APPROVED. HE ASKED ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT MY LOCATION AND I ANSWERED. I HEARD THE CTLR ASK THE OTHER PLT FOR HIS ALT. HE SAID OUT OF 4000 FT. SHORTLY AFTER; I ANNOUNCED I WAS AT 4000 FT APPROX 1 MI FROM THE MOUNTAINS. I RESPONDED THAT I HAD THE TFC OFF MY L WING AND BEHIND ME. I HEARD THE TWR ANNOUNCE TO THE OTHER PLT THAT HE WAS PAST ME. JUST PRIOR TO XING THE MOUNTAINS I WAS AT 4500 FT AND STILL CLBING. AFTER A SHORT PAUSE; I CHKED MY CHART AND REALIZED THAT I EITHER INFRINGED OR WAS ABOUT TO INFRINGE ON THE CAMP DAVID AREA. I WAS PAYING MORE ATTN TO GND LANDMARKS AT THAT POINT - NAMELY PROTUBERANCES IN THE MOUNTAINS SHOWN ON THE CHART. I SAW THE MOST WESTERN RIDGE TO MY L AND INITIATED A TURN TOWARDS THE N TO AVOID ANY MORE EBOUND MOVEMENT. IN RETROSPECT; I ASSUME I WAS AT ABOUT 5000 FT AT THAT POINT BECAUSE I HAD BEEN CLBING AT ROUGHLY 500- 600 FPM AT 80-90 KTS PRIOR TO XING THE MOUNTAINS. I CONTINUED ON A MORE NORTHERN COURSE; WHILE TRYING TO LOCATE EXACTLY WHERE I WAS. I CONTINUED UNTIL I WAS ABOUT DUE W OF WHERE THE MOUNTAINS PROTRUDED E NEAR EMMITSBURGH. I SAW WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE GETTYSBURG ARPT AND DSNDED; STILL CONFUSED; AND; TO SEE IF I COULD RECOGNIZE ANYTHING THAT WOULD INDICATE I WAS OVER GETTYSBURG. AFTER CIRCLING; I REALIZED THAT I WAS OVER EMMITSBURGH AND INITIATED A CLB TO RETURN. AT ALT I DIALED IN THE HAGERSTOWN VOR NEAR THE 90 DEG RADIAL; AND CROSSED THE MOUNTAINS. DURING OTHER SIMILAR FLTS I HAVE ALWAYS DOUBLE CHKED MY LOCATION BEFORE XING THE MOUNTAINS. THIS TIME; I BECAME CONCERNED AFTER HEARING THE OTHER PLT CALL OUT HIS INBOUND LOCATION IN THE AREA WHERE I WAS FLYING. AT THAT POINT I WAS ONLY WORRIED ABOUT FINDING HIM OR AVOIDING HIM. I FELT SAFER FLYING DIRECTLY E SO I COULD KEEP MY EYES STRAIGHT AHEAD AND AVOID XING HIS PATH WHERE HE WOULD BE HIDDEN FROM MY VIEW. DURING THIS TIME I COMPLETELY NEGLECTED NAV. ONCE I SPOTTED THE PLANE THERE WAS STILL A LAG IN TIME WHERE IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I MAY INFRINGE ON THE CAMP DAVID AREA.