I am out of Dixie! It is quite a momentous occasion to cross the Mason Dixon Line on the trail, as it marks the passage of many things. In addition to the pure accomplishment of finishing all the southern states and being almost half way to Katahdin, the line also means that I am now in the land of faster talking, warmer blooded and more numourous people. It also means no more sweet tea, biscuits and gravy, fried okra, fried pickles, tossed cornbread, fried green tomatoes, Sonic Burger and a dozen other things I depend on for sustenance. However, I am now in the land of the deli, grinder sandwiches, better pizza, better bagels and awesome Italian food. I thought surely it meant I wouldn’t have to see another Confederate flag on a pickup truck, however at the first highway I crossed, I saw one, and the plate on the back was a Pennsylvania plate. Ah, I thought. At least I haven’t totally left the south behind. That man must be a southern sympathizer!

Before the border is a lookout called High Rock, which is unlike any other spot on the AT so far, in that it is covered in graffitti. It is a nice mountaintop lookout, to which they have paved a road and a parking lot. That is probably the first problem. It is also an unnatural concrete platform, which they have poured over the top of whatever rocks started out there. No wonder people don’t feel compelled to preserve it.

Right at the border is a park called Penn-Mar park, which is yet another beautiful park that I have come across since leaving Harper’s Ferry, - at least one per day. There is always water and nice bathrooms at these parks, and sometimes food or soda. I’m really liking this north thing already!

For being the Mason Dixon line, it is kind of sad that they don’t have a sign. There is the post from a sign, that presumably got stolen. On the side of the post, someone has written with a pen that it marks the Mason Dixon line and the PA border, so I got a picture of that and it will have to do.

I ended the day at Antietam shelter, which is named so because it sits on the east fork of Antietam Creek, which eventually flows to Sharpsburg, MD where the battle of Antietam was fought. It was one of the nicer shelter sites lately, and it was great to get there with plenty of time to set up, eat and enjoy the evening.

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