Miles: 1441.9 | A relaxed morning leads into an unexpectedly strong, easy-paced hiking day despite extreme heat and scarce water. A lucky road crossing reveals a deli oasis—cold water, an unforgettable sandwich, and a much-needed nap. With morale restored, we make steady miles to a quiet stealth camp, using cell service to solve real trail problems: ordering new shoes and trekking poles to keep moving north.
This day was a particularly good day. We woke up a little bit later than we had planned, but it was nice to get to hang out at camp in the morning for a bit. We packed slowly and eventually found the blue blaze back to the AT. The trail was pretty easy this day and we quickly found a good pace that we kept for a while.
We arrived at that deli drenched in sweat and ready for a nap. I got a sandwich inside and I bought a couple liters of bottled water. This sandwich was one of the best sandwiches I'd ever had! Maybe it was because I was hungry and we'd walked there but it was incredible! The water was EXTRA refreshing on this day. I drank a whole cold liter right there. It was the best feeling to finally sit and cool down.
Unfortunately, on this day there were no water sources that weren't dry so we had to get creative. We did find one water cache which was helpful, but it wasn't enough. Up ahead on Guthook, I saw a random deli listed half a mile up the road a road crossing coming up. We decided to give it a try. It was so hot out that any reprieve would be nice. At the road, we found the last can of trail magic from a fellow thruhiker!
I took a nap at the picnic table behind the deli. The full stomach, probable dehydration, and the hot humid weather made me ready for a good long nap. I slept for about half an hour before Miles woke me up. We got moving shortly after that. Walking up the road past a concrete factory and back to the trail.
It was a beautiful day, despite heat. The trail was easy this day, too. We found a stealth camp not too far from the deli and pitched our tents. At camp we had service. Miles' shoes were falling apart after more than 500 miles so we ordered him a new pair on Amazon to be delivered in Kent, CT, our next town stop. It was insane to me that we could just order supplies and gear we needed from the woods! Earl Shaffer certainly didn't have that luxury!
I also ordered myself a new pair of poles. The ones my friend had sent me in Warwick, NY had really helped me out so far, but they weren't holding up so well to thru-hiking. The joints kept squeaking and getting jammed. The twist locks got stopped up with dirt. I ordered the same poles as Miles had. They were nice and durable, had metal locks, and had stood up to over a thousand miles of hiking for him already. (My new poles were completely funded by donations and I want to thank each and every one of you, my readers, for helping me out here. Seriously, y'all are life savers.)