June 26 - 19.9 / 1,438.4

Well, my food was still there when I woke up. Good thing it wasn't stolen by a bear or even a human. I got my hike going knowing that I would be able to stop in 5 miles at a deli just off the trail. It was definitely the place to be when I got there. Locals and other hikers were packed in that place. Being a hiker, I felt like I was being pushed off on being served while others were called on first. I guess that is the perk of being a local too. I finally was asked what I wanted to order and got a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit for breakfast and an Appalachian trail something or other for lunch. The AT sandwich was a spicy chicken with melted pepper jack, banana peppers, and hot sauce. I ate my breakfast sandwich and packed out the other for lunch later in the day.

Turkey, Thrasher, and I headed back towards the trail. That is where we ran into Grin. He too was hiking to the deli to grab some food. We spoke with him from across the road for a minute or two. He is really fun to speak with and almost like a grandfather to some of us. I have only known this guy for pretty much one day. He just always seems upbeat and happy. It helps to have Grin as a name too.

Later in the day, we came to a highway in which there might be a school bus in sight from the trail crossing. All the guide books say that this is actually a hot dog stand now and not used for carrying children. None of us could see the bus, but we did see some hikers walking back from the direction it was supposed to be. Not wanting to walk down there, we walked into the woods and waited for the other hikers. However, the hikers never came. They must have taken a side trail that we did not see. Since T and T and I all had sandwiches from the deli, we decided to just eat those. My AT sandwich was awesome.

Shortly after my late lunch, I passed Nuclear Lake. Many hikers talk about swimming here. I decided to push on though. It was quite tempting. The lake got its name because there used to be a nuclear cooling plant located on it. Supposedly, many test have taken place to make sure the water and land are safe to be on. Many that was another reason I chose not to swim. I feel like the trail after the lake was poorly blazed. There were quite a few times in which I was walking over rocks and then realized that I was not longer on the trail. A few times I had to back track and search for a blaze.

Telephone Pioneers shelter was the second shelter I came to in the day. I rested knowing I only had three more miles to go. However, I was worn out. T and T soon arrived, and all three of us made our way down to the road crossing. We cross Dover Road which has the Dover Oak. The tree is the largest on the trail. At the last measurement, it was 20 ft 4 inches. It is suspected to be over 300 years old.

The plan for the evening was to stay at Nature Landscaping. The owner allows hikers to tent on his property as well as use a shower and kitchen when they are open. It was after 5, so all we would be able to do was camp. Showers might be on the agenda for the morning. Coming into the road, I had to walk across a boardwalk. They were in the process of building a new one. On the new one, I met a guy and his wife who do trail maintenance. They were just out for a walk. He was a 4,000 miler (i.e. he has hiked the trail twice). After speaking with them, I arrived at the landscape center. As I was setting up my tent, a car pulled up. A man got out with a case of beer. I knew this was going to be a good night. The man approached and asked if one of us was Half Pint. We told him we were not and had not heard of the trail name before. He introduced himself as Sasquatch and his dog Hank. Instantly, we knew who he was. He is known on the trail for maintenance and helping out hikers. He offered a beer, which we all accepted, and spoke to us for awhile. Eventually, he got back in his car. He was going to take the rest of the beer to Telephone Pioneers for other hikers. We started to make dinner while Thrasher made his way down to a convenient store for some ice cream and a coke. We were all craving ice cream. Again, it is nice to be able to eat a pint and not have to worry about the amount of fat and calories. A few minutes later, Thrasher called his wife and said that some guy had picked him up. He was going to take him to a grocery store where there was a better selection of ice cream. He also said that the guy offered to let us stay in his backyard in a "hiker cabin." Weary, we told Thrasher that we didn't want to do it. Eventually, the man drove Thrasher back to the landscape center. Again, the gentleman offered to allow for us to stay in this cabin. He also mentioned that he had an outdoor shower with hot water. He also offered chili; he had already given some to Thrasher. We told him we would think about and give him a call. He said he was going to go home and return with a few beers for us. He drove off. The four of us, Fusion had shown up, discussed the opportunity and figured this was something we could not pass up. We instantly changed our minds and called him. He told us he was coming to get us in 10 minutes. We rushed to take down our tents and repack our bags. He showed up and took us to his house.

The gentleman, Mike, is only allowed to have hikers stay in his backyard when his wife and children are not around. She still does not feel too comfortable with us around. It is kinda sad for her to feel that way. 99.9% of the hikers are normal everyday people. As his family was gone for the weekend, this was his opportunity to have us offer. One stipulation though. We were not able to go into his house. That was understandable. He showed us the cabin he had built. It was sweet. It was a two story building which he had built himself for his kids. He is a teacher by trade, but does mill work during the summers. As the evening was going to be hot, he offered for us to just stay on his screen in porch. We chose that. We spent the next few hours sitting around with him. We ate chili and ice cream. He also gave us watermelon, cookies, cokes, adult beverages, and even a night cap. Mike is a wonderful guy and is almost too nice. We all took showers in the shower he also built. It was great to fill warm water. I think it rained on all of us while we were showering, but that didn't matter. We were clean and dry afterwards.

It ended up raining for a good portion of the night. The trail magic from Mike was awesome and something we were very glad to have the opportunity to experience.