Date: 2011-07-13
From: Falls Creek Campsite, PA

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 114 ¢ I slept well but it took forever to cool down. I had to get into my tent as quickly after I ate because the gnats were biting me and getting into my eyes and ears. I actually laid in my tent, sweating, but with no real viable option. In hindsight, I guess I could have gone and sat down in the creek but the bugs would still have eaten me alive. My plans were to get to Caledonia State Park because my guidebook said it had a pool, showers and a snack bar. That was enough incentive for me to get moving as it was 17.7 miles away. I was up at 6:40am and on the trail by 7:30am. I stopped by Deer Lick shelter and had breakfast/lunch, drank two liters of water, refilled my containers and hiked hard all day. The terrain was a little easier today and the heat was not overbearing. At 4:30pm, as I approached U.S. 30, I was out of water but I knew the snack bar was less than a mile away. Just a few yards off the highway was some trail magic; in an ice chest was some orange juice. Those two small containers of OJ tasted so good and refreshing. On top of the ice chest was a note that told hikers to come by campsite 99 for a free dinner and breakfast today and tomorrow. It was put there by a group call Appalachian Trail Ministry (ATM) but the sign did not have a date on it so I did not know how long it had been there. I proceeded to the pool and snack bar and arrived at 4:40pm and ordered me a cheeseburger, fries and lemonade. I had not eaten since Deer Lick so I devoured that meal rather quickly. I then walk around to the pool entrance and talked the attendant to let me in at the camper rate of $3.00 since I was going to camp there tonight. I was actually supposed to have the camp site number first but I did not want to walk all the way up to the headquarters and back to the pool. I also needed to rinse off before I got into the pool but I did not see any showers, so I just took off my boots/socks and jumped in. I am sure the water chemistry was all out of balance the next morning but it sure felt good. I scrubbed myself down and got out, changed clothes and rinsed out my chlorine disinfected hiking clothes. I left my back pack inside the pool area and headed up to the park headquarters to pay for a camp site. When I told the lady what I needed and if they had an AT thru hiker rate she asked me if I was going to stay with the ATM group. I asked her if they were still here and she said yes, so I elected to save $21.00 and go camp with them. ATM had 3-4 camp sites together and they were allowing hikers to stay there. So back to the pool I went, gathered up all my stuff and walked the half mile to the camp sites. When I crested the hill, there were 10-12 tents and 5 or so hammocks already set up with a huge canopy where hikers were congregated. I found the host, Scott Watson from Indianapolis, and asked if he had room for one more. I soon had my tent set up and found out that a dinner of chicken and noodles would be served at 6:30pm. Once again, I had a stroke of absolutely good luck and what a blessing. I talked with Scott for a little while; this is his tenth year doing this. It started out as a church mission trip but after a few years he started doing it by himself. He takes a week¢s vacation, gets a few people to help him and he comes to Caledonia State Park and does this. It was fabulous; we had 24 or so hikers and had all we could eat. Later, Scott went out and got ice cream so we had that with our warm apple cobbler. Scott says he enjoys doing this low key mission work and spreading Christ¢s words. Caledonia State Park has some interesting history; this is the place that Thaddeus Stevens, from Caledonia County in Vermont, moved to in order to build a charcoal iron works. He opened this self contained village in 1837 and had 60 tenement houses for the workers and their families. It is speculated that the underground railroad operated in this area. The high pressure weather system moved in late in the afternoon and the humidity was gone and it was supposed to get down to low 60* F tonight. It made for a great night. Once again, I went to bed completely hydrated, with a full stomach and cool sleeping weather.   I had hiked 17.7 miles today and my total was now 1,074.2 miles.