In theory, today I passed through three towns. In practice, I had a stop in the city.
The day began with a four-mile walk to West Hartford. West Hartford has two things to offer hikers. A house from the beginning can offer coffee and soft drinks, when available. On the way out of town there was a farm stand selling fresh baked goods and refreshments. Otherwise, there wasn’t even a stop to go to the water or the bathroom (the library was closed).
After West Hartford came Norwich. Walking down Elm Street, there was an outside faucet that I was allowed to use for water. Norwich has a small general store and coffee shop, but I didn’t really want to add off-trail hiking, so I skipped those too. To Hanover!
While walking through Hanover, Lou’s Diner attracted me. Was it the pancakes? Not this time. Lou had shakshuka, probably my favorite non-hiker breakfast dish. Since shakshuka costs less than pancakes, I made an easy decision. The staff was very nice and very friendly to hikers. They also give free cakes to hikers, so I went with a Kreuller.
Next, I sat in a coffee shop to load and load. During that time someone mentioned that thunderstorms were coming. Even with only a mile to the shelter, I wanted to get moving. I arrived at the shelter just before the first wave of rain. At the first break, I set up my tent. After days of rain, the mosquitoes have arrived.
- Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberry, chia, walnut
- Dinner: Cous cous with marinara
- Snacks: 2 cereal bars, trail mix, met rx bar, fig bar
- Bonus: Shakshuka, donut
- Known today: Search
- Days without a ramen bomb: 104
- Today I am grateful for: Red and Snow
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