(South Mountain Pass Road (mile 1409.1)) - Dennytown Road Campsite (mile 1421.2))

Over the course of our time on Long Island, I think that Jasmine’s dad, Acky, never stopped cutting up and serving us fruit. Mango and watermelon were clear favorites, but there was also no shortage of grapes, blueberries, little trail mix packets, and various Indian snack foods. Acky and Jasmine’s mom, Samina, were incredibly gracious and gregarious people. Before we left, Acky managed to wash the stink out of all of our socks, which I suspect would qualify as a miracle in the eyes of the Catholic church. The secret was an overnight water and detergent soak, followed by vigorous wringing before the washing machine.

As we were packing, Jasmine made the call that she would stay behind to rest her knee for a few days. Her left knee has been giving her serious trouble, and though she suspected it was only tendonitis, I think we were also spooked by Clover’s injury. Out of an abundance of caution, Jasmine planned to rest, visit the doctor, and also book some time with a family friend who is a gifted masseuse.

Samina drove us back to trail and Jasmine accompanied. Things seemed pretty normal, all jokes and silliness, until we reached the trailhead and it became apparent that it would be tough for Katie to hike on without Jasmine. The two had started the trail together and rarely hiked apart for long. I saw them as inseparable and I think they did too. We all hoped this would be a brief “see ya later” kind of split, but after Caroline’s leg, I think we all feared the worst. As we walked into the woods and started up a hill, Caroline’s emotions really started welling up, and Puddin’ stayed to comfort her while Delta and I hiked on.

After about 6 miles, we reached the Appalachian Deli - Grill - Pizza at the Route 9 intersection directly on trail. The deli was a large 24/7 convenience store attached to a Shell gas station, and sold hiker staples as well as subs, pizza, and all manner of junk. We stopped briefly because everyone wanted a snack. In my eternal frugality, I opted to eat the lunch I had packed out from Long Island.

The next 8.7 miles offered relatively uneventful group hiking. Spirits were higher after our deli stop and we made good time to Dennytown Road, where there was a sizeable group tenting site maintained by Fahnestock State Park. At the road crossing, we found a pumphouse with a running spigot. The campsite was just up and off the road to the west. It was a flat, open field, with fire pits, grills, port-a-potties, and tons of mosquitos.

We set up camp, and I joined Katie, Delta, and Puddin’ around the picnic table for dinner. I was a bit startled when Delta and Puddin’ each busted out bags of homemade Indian flatbreads that they called theplas. Despite enjoying Indian food, I had never heard of theplas. They looked more like tortillas than fluffy naan. They also seemed to be well-seasoned with bits of pepper embedded in the bread. Delta and Puddin’ had ordered their sacks of thepla from Jasmine’s family friend. I must have not been in the room when these orders were placed, because I would have loved to get a sack of my own 😭