When I woke up in the morning, my leg and hand looked like the top of a lasagna from the burns the day before, but for some reason, I had almost no pain at all. Also, I was unexpectedly full of energy, and ready to put in some big miles. The lack of pain was a huge relief. The night before I was sure I would have to find a doctor to treat my burns.
I blasted out the first few miles like it was nothing. A couple of hours into the hike, we came to a road. In the guide book it said that Waynesboro, PA could be reached with a two mile hitch to the west. Initially Freight Train wanted to hitch into town with us for a mini resupply and lunch, but when we got to the road she seemed angry and said she just wanted to hike ahead. Seth and I got a fast hitch into town. We ate some subway and bought some supplies at the Walmart. I stocked up on Goldfish, Pasta Sides, Ramen and bought some huge bandages for my burns.
Getting back to the trail was a little tougher, it took about 30 minutes before we got a ride. By 2pm we were back where we had left off. There were still 15 miles to go to reach our goal for the day at the Rocky Mountain Shelters. 20 minutes from the road we crossed the Mason Dixon Line and took a photo at the sign, but there was no sign for entering Pennsylvania.
Hiking out of Dixie.
It started to drizzle in the late afternoon, and we just hiked right through the rain. Seth and I were in a silly mood and just joked with each other the entire day. The talking and laughing made the miles fly by quickly.
The Deer Lick Shelters looked like some of the most well kept shelters on the trail.
Around sun down, we came across Freight Train and a section hiker taking a break near the peak of a small mountain. Together we decided to push on to Caledonia State Park. All of us hiked in close proximity and we fed off each other’s energy. The sun dropped below the horizon and we ended up hiking the last few miles in the dark. Although it was more dangerous than hiking in the daylight, I loved night hiking. At the state park, we couldn’t find the camp section anywhere, so we just stealth camped behind a large picnic area. With our tents set up, the four of us cooked our dinners under the covered picnic area. It was a treat to have water from a spiquet and sit on a bench while cooking dinner. I had hiked almost 24 miles and I felt great! We all got into our sleeping bags and the jokes continued to fly between the tents. As I fell asleep I had a vision that I should change my trail name to “Rat Dick.” I let that thought marinate, as I fell asleep on the soft grass
Smooth's Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike 