I tossed and turned for most of the night, sweating in my tent. Another hiker told me that the temperature wasn’t expected to drop below 80 degrees overnight, and I definitely felt it. I set an alarm for 4am to start walking before sunrise and avoid some of the heat. It seemed like everyone had the same idea, because when I left, almost the entire camp was up.
dry stretch
It was about 9 miles from the shelter to Port Clinton to resupply, and there wasn’t a drop of water the entire way. The water sources in this stretch have been getting worse by the day and I think we may be in desperate need of some rain. But the positive thing is that I saw my first porcupine on the road. He was cute, wandering around and totally unaware of my presence.
The big boy is coming to town!
When the train finally dropped us off on the outskirts of town, we passed right by the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad. It was still early in the morning, but the parking lot was full and there were people sitting in lawn chairs at the edge of the track. Everyone seemed to be waiting for something, although at the time I had no idea what. It turns out that «Big Boy,» the world’s largest steam locomotive, is on a coast-to-coast tour to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. Train lovers had flocked to Port Clinton this morning to watch it pass.
Flaming
I walked down the street to the pavilion of St. John’s Church. This was the pickup location for the free shuttle service operated by Cabela’s in nearby Hamburg. I guess they realized they could make a lot of money by taking hikers directly to the store. When they dropped us off in the city, the heat was scorching. A group of us resupplied and then hung out at the Dunkin’ Donuts to freshen up.
The temperature was 99 degrees, with a heat index of 111 degrees. My hiking partner and I decided to spend the night in town and booked a room at the Microtel, the only option available. I think almost everyone who had been with us on the road the last few days was in the lobby. No one thought it would be wise to continue walking and most people decided to cut back to zero tomorrow as well.
The heat dome has completely descended upon us and is not expected to lift until after the 4th of July. I spent the rest of the night relaxing in the hotel room, simply because it was too hot to do anything else.
This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!
For more information, visit the About page of this site.
