Miles: 1279.2 | A short, emotionally heavy hike into Wind Gap begins with hunger, tension, and failing rocks—but turns on a dime through unexpected trail generosity. Donations, spare trekking poles, and a dinner invitation lift my spirits just before devastating news from home: the loss of my cat, Clyde. Grief, gratitude, and exhaustion collide in town, ending the day grounded by kindness, community, and a quiet sense of stability.
We got up around 8am. Biscuits had already headed out but Krafty, Blackbird, and Supersize were just getting up. They were going to get breakfast in town. Miles and I headed out with two bottles full of water, thanks to Supersize who had extra. It took a lot of restraint to not drink the whole bottle right there.
Miles and I were both grumpy when we woke up. We were hangry and tired. I had an odd sense that something was wrong at home, but I couldn't tell what, and I didn't have cell service. I was fully exhausted and I just wanted to get to town to shower.
We were only 5 miles from Wind Gap and we got going quickly. We were bothering each other. I was being negative and he didn't want to hear it. Miles sped ahead of me and told me he'd meet me in town.
I slowed down on the pointy, Pennsylvania rocks and turned my phone on to see if I had reception. I had a few bars but no one at home was answering the phone. When my phone finally connected to LTE I started getting all kinds of notifications.
My parents' friend Davey wanted to send me a spare pair of poles he had (thanks Davey)! A few of my other followers had donated to my blog! Trial and Error, who we met back at Woods Hole Hostel, had also made a sizable donation and wanted to take us out for dinner when we got to Wind Gap! My day was turning around, thanks to the generosity of all of my followers!
I still didn't have enough money to finish, but the trail provided at least up to Vermont with these generous donations. I couldn't believe it. I felt like I worked hard out here and on my blog but it was so much more kindness than I ever could have expected. I walked and listened to some podcasts to distract myself from this underlying feeling of uneasiness. But I was happy with all of this good news.
About two miles outside of town, my phone rang. It was my dad. I told him all about my day and what happened with my poles and the blog and everything. I could tell he needed to tell me something, though. He paused and said, "Clyde had to be put down this morning." Clyde was one of my two cats. He was an older cat who I found at a shelter.
(Clyde shortly before he went to the vet)
No one really knew how old he was but he showed all the signs of being very old: bad teeth, poor eyesight, he could only hear out of one ear, sensitive stomach, hair loss. I guess his health began to decline rapidly over the past two weeks and he had a hard time eating. He walked around at night screaming in pain but nothing they did made him feel better. He had lost 2 out of 7 pounds. He was emaciated and couldn't even purr anymore.
Mom took him to the vet early that morning and the vet recommended he be put down. They couldn't reach me at the time but they knew it was the right decision to help him be more comfortable. There was no way I could have made it home to say goodbye to him. The cost of the time and the ticket to get home would have been exorbitant and thru-hike ending. My love for him and my family's care for him was far better than anything he could have had before I adopted him. He had a good two years with us.
At first, I was just shocked. It didn't feel real. Tears formed at the corners of my eyes but it felt like I couldn't cry. I could hear my mom crying in the background. She loved Clyde as much as me and had diligently given him his medicines, made him special food, and took him to the vet for me while I was gone.
My dad felt bad, I could tell. I got to town as I said goodbye to my parents and walked with my thoughts. I tried to call Miles and find out where he was but he wouldn't answer. I was anxious, upset, and hangry. I went to the post office first and got a care package my mom had sent. I took my box and walked toward McDonald's and the motel we had reserved a room at. I called my aunt, who had gone with me to adopt him and let her know what happened. She comforted me.
I arrived to McDonald's where I had planned on getting lunch, and found Miles there waiting for me. I told him what happened and apologized for being grumpy that morning. I got food and ate there. Miles had already gotten food somewhere else. After I ate, we went over to the motel and checked in.
This motel was weird. It had all kinds of junk around outside and looked run down. The owners' apartment was clearly visible from the office and their cat glared at us from inside. One of the owners checked us in and took us to a maintenance closet to give us towels and full size bottles of body wash and shampoo. She told us to bring them back when we checked out.
When we got to the room we found a semi-updated bathroom with improperly installed faucets and a Jacuzzi tub that clearly didn't work. There was one light that barely lit the room. I was so tired I didn't even care. I plopped down on the bed and Miles showered first. I showered after him and then we took a well-deserved nap.
We woke up around 5pm and Trial and Error came to pick us up by 5:30pm. They took us to WalMart and waited while we resupplied. Then they drove us over to Texas Road House. We picked out our own steaks and they took us to a table. We talked about trekking pole mishaps, their hike, their amazing story of how they got married in the White Mountains, and all of their hiking adventures.
It was a lively dinner and Error had a lot of funny stories to tell. When we finished eating, they took us out to get ice cream in Wind Gap. Error was a good driver, unlike most of our Pennsylvania car rides thus far! It was nice to be in good company, especially after the news I got that morning.
I finally felt a little bit stable. I knew what I was doing as far as backpacking was concerned. My blog was finally taking off. I had, on my own, procured enough money to sustain me a little bit farther just as I was about to run out. I was with Miles. I was content, even with the twinge of sadness that Clyde moving on had brought.