I’m up by 7:30 and boiling water by 8 for my oatmeal I had picked up at the 7 Eleven. Hobo and Twitch were up too and we ate breakfast together. I wasn’t in a rush today. I had 10 miles to do before 3:30. I visited the creek one more time before leaving since I thought it was a magical place. There was a 1000-foot climb immediately after the shelter and it was tough. I could feel the 18 miles from yesterday and it was hot and humid on top of it all. It was not fun. I was almost finished with Harry Potter #1 so I listened as I walked and the hours flew by. More rocks today but I didn’t mind. I would be getting a break very soon. By 2:30 I had reached the Caledonia State Park in Fayetteville, PA my rendezvous point. The entire park was packed with families swimming and grilling out. It was the fourth of July. The smell of hamburgs and hot dogs filled the park and I desperately looked for trail magic. No treats for me. I made my way to the park entrance and office to wait for Lucy. I enjoyed the AC, bathrooms, and rattlesnake pamphlets. I was embarrassed about the power of my aroma. I hadn’t washed my clothes in 4 days. It was really bad. I had a snack while I waited.

Finally, I saw a blue Prius drive up and I walked out to greet a road weary Lucy. I took a driving shift and navigated 40 minutes north to the Red Cardinal B&B near Boiling Springs, the town I thought I would be in at this point. We managed to find a pizza place open for dinner and took our margarita pizza to the local park for a picnic. Tomorrow I’d be driving back to Massachusetts for a break and to celebrate Lucy’s birthday. My plan was to start hiking in Connecticut the following week. Over the last 2 years my friend Misa and I had completed 25 miles of the AT in Connecticut already. I’d be starting where we stopped in Cornwall Bridge. I’m hoping for milder humidity and manageable heat and maybe a few less snakes. See you in Connecticut!

Miles: 1074.7 – 1084.7 (10)

Total: 478.2