There is not much report today. Today's journey was 20 miles from Apple Creek to Massillon. The first ten miles were on roads and the second ten miles were on the Sippo Valley Trail.
I awoke early at my campsite under the picnic shelter in the local park in Apple Creek. I wanted to get up and out of there before sunrise to avoid detection. I walked uptown to find the central business district and a cafe for breakfast. Before I knew it I was heading out of town. I had passed the business district and not known it. There was no cafe. I got a bad tasting breakfast sandwich at the local grocery store.
The temperature warmed up rapidly today. By the time I arrived in Dalton it was 80 degrees, sunny and quite windy. I took a lunch break at the Mint Brook Cafe in Dalton. I learned that the name of the town is pronounced DOW•ton.
The Mint Brook Cafe was very interesting. Everybody working there was Amish or Mennonite and dressed accordingly. The food and coffee was good and everything was reasonably priced. At the cafe they produce granola with locally grown oats. I bought four, one pound, bags of granola, two loaves of homemade bread and two boxes of locally produced spearmint tea. This added five pounds of weight to my pack.
In Dalton I picked up the Sippo Valley Trail. It is a rail to trail path and goes to Massillon and ends. By now I have left the hilly part of Ohio behind so the trail was flat and straight. Most of it was paved but there were a couple miles of gravel trail. I welcomed the gravel path as it was easier on my feet. I was a little disappointed with the Stark County part of the Sippo Valley Trail. Signage wasn't very good and the path seemed a bit weathered. It was a nice path but Stark County is behind their Ohio counterparts in having trail that shows their pride.
The hike to Massillon was hard on me. I needed to pound out the days's 20 miles in nine hours and it was hot, dry and sunny. Plus I picked up an extra five pounds of food weight in Dalton but it felt like a bowling ball.
In Massillon I was met by Maria Dimengo. She picked me up and we went to Riffels Tavern where we met Mike "Scallion" Fanelli. Scallion is hiking 175 miles on the Buckeye Trail from the BTA Barn on Tappan Lake to Kirtland for Buckeye TrailFest. Mike is an avid long distance hiker and a friend of mine from Dayton. Mike hiked with me on the Buckeye Trail for two weeks in 2011 on my BT thru hike. I shared the granola, homemade bread and tea with Scallion and Maria. I wanted to surprise them with goodies from Amish country.
All three of us ate a hearty dinner at Riffels Tavern. The tavern is right on the Buckeye Trail and Ohio Erie Canal Towpath Trail. After dinner we went to the Nimisilla Reservoir Campground at Portage Lakes State Park. Today is free camping day at all Ohio State Parks so we camped for free. Nobody else was in the whole campground. We selected a site that had a huge Indian style teepee erected. Scallion slept in the teepee. Maria and decided to sleep in our tents.
If you see Scallion at Buckeye TrailFest ask him about the body he found on the Buckeye Trail in Massillon. The guy was alive but injured. Ask him about the 911 call and action that ensued.
I guess I had more to write about than I thought. I feel a zero coming on.
