Once we got to Raj and Neena’s House, we checked the weather and saw we were in for 3 days of high heat instead of 2. We decided to extend our rest and visit with old friends by another day. Nisha was home from college for the summer so we would get to spend some time with her as well.
Top on Bunny’s list was to defunk our gear to the point that no one will believe we are thru-hiking. She bought a small bottle of Fabreeze to spray our packs and boots with. She plans to carry it with us. Once again, she complains about wanting to shed weight and ends of carrying more necessities.
Since Raj has to work on Friday, we got to spend more time with Neena at the mall while we replaced the battery in Bunny’s phone (thank you Apple for admitting you are screwing with battery life of iPhones). When Nisha got off work in the afternoon, she picked us up and took us shopping.
Saturday, Raj and Neena had a party to go to for a close friend’s birthday. This gave us the opportunity to go to a movie with Neel (who is working in Manhattan) and Nisha. These are a pair of amazing young adults. Both very smart and fun to be around. Nisha is one of the most positive, upbeat young woman I have ever met. I love how she gets on Raj to be more positive and less judgmental. Neel is an ambitious young man with an entrepreneurial spirit. He will do well in life.
On Sunday afternoon, Raj and Nisha took us back to Delaware Water Gap. We all walked around town for a bit before we went to the Deer Head Inn (the oldest Jazz club in the USA). We had dropped our gear at the hostel next door, but after spending 3 nights in a clean smelling home, we couldn’t stand the smell of the other hikers. Add in the 97 degree temperature, we decided to splurge for an air conditioned room for our last night in civilization.
After Raj and Nisha left, we went out for supper before turning in for the night. We even showered for the second time in the same day, just because we could. AC, showers, and restaurants—is there a single American out there that appreciates these luxuries more than Bunny and I do?
EFG