Friday, July 6, 2012

Zero Days Continued Due to Extreme Heat

I was still not feeling great last night, so we decided to spend another day here resting up, and then we checked the weather and saw a 99 degree day in the forecast for tomorrow, so we decided to stay ANOTHER day, just to avoid the extreme heat.  The day after that, the forecast calls for highs in the 80's, which is SO much better, especially in the shady woods.

We hated to miss it, but Swamprat and Dania went into New York City today.  They were going to catch a commuter train into the city, and see as much as possible, and then come back tonight.  Swamprat has never been to the northeast before, and wanted to see NYC while he was this close.  We had planned to do it also at one time, but I just really didn't feel up to it, and decided the smart decision would be to stay here, rest up and drink up.

We have spent the day getting caught up on things that needed to be attended to for the rest of this hike.  First, we called the company that makes my air mattress.  If you recall, they had sent me a new (free) one several weeks back.  Unfortunately, it began leaking the a very FIRST night I used it.  Most frustrating.  This hotel has a pool, and Keith was finally able to locate the leak, and once he found it, figured out that it wasn't a hole, as much as it was a design flaw, and he called the manufacturer, and they are sending yet another one!  In the meantime, he was able to patch this one, and now it seems to be holding air!  I have been reinflating it at least twice during the night for the past several weeks, and that routine was getting old.

All three of us had purchased new lighter-weight hiking shoes (low tops, not boots) in Harpers Ferry, and all three of us were having problems with them.  Once again, we called the manufacturer, and they were very aware of the defect, and send us new (free) boots - this time, I got the original mid-height boots that had worked great for the first 1,000 miles.  Keith ended up ordering himself a new pair of the same boots he had started out with as well. 

The other thing that I had worn out was the rubber tips on my trekking poles.  I hate the sound of the metal tips on the rocks, and the metal tips tend to not work as well on rocks.  We called the manufacturer, and while these were not going to be free, we went ahead and ordered some new ones, and all of these will be waiting for us at our next resupply stop, except the boots, which have already arrived.

If we can wait out the bad heat, I think we will be all set for the remainder of the trip, and the final push to Maine!  I just noticed that I had made a note on my resupply spread sheet that many people think that the section of the trail from the MA/VT border to Hanover, NH is the prettiest section, and we are getting very close to that!  I am feeling good and rested again, and we are excited about what lies ahead - especially if it going north means a little bit cooler weather!

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