On the Trail: Familiar Names and a New Face
Trail Updates, New Faces, and a Few Welcome Changes on the Indiana Route
A growing roster of hikers is making their way across the country. Plus, a handful of meaningful updates came through this week — route changes, resupply news, and one enormous quesadilla!
Rhiis & Sara
Westbound - Northern & Southern Route
Began: February 21, 2025 - Cape Henlopen, DE
Paused: November 5, 2025 - Julesburg, CO
Restarted: March 10, 2026 - Illinois/Indiana Line - Southern Route
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Rhiis and Sara are back. After pausing their 2025 thru-hike near the end of the ADT Northern Route and wintering in Southern California and Arizona, they've returned to the trail and are picking up the Southern Route at the Illinois/Indiana border. Their first night back? Spent in an abandoned church (above) — which feels like exactly the right kind of welcome back to the ADT. They've already been keeping an eye on the terrain too, scouting a potential stealth-camping spot near the Wabash River while working through the area, and sending along updates from Meinrad, Indiana (more below).
Their goal is to complete the full ADT, and they're well on their way. If you followed their journey last year, it's good to have them back out here.
Renae Gupta
Westbound
Began February 26, 2026 - Cape Henlopen, DE
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Renae Gupta has reached the Chesapeake and Ohio Towpath — a stretch that tends to get into hikers' heads in a good way. But before she got there, Washington DC left its own impression. Apparently, Papa Adam's Hotspot Fried Chicken food truck (above) serves quesadillas the size of your head, and Renae handled hers in about five minutes. No shame in that — when the trail gives you a meal worth talking about, you eat it. And we mark it down! 🌮
She's now settling into the C&O with the hospitality of Trail Angels JJ and Dave, which is one of those quiet ADT moments that doesn't show up on any map but tends to stay with you long after the miles are done.
Michael Leland
Westbound - Southern Route
Began February 21, 2026, Cape Henlopen, DE
Michael Leland is new to the ADT Class of 2026. He stepped off at Cape Henlopen, Delaware, on February 21st — and this week passed through Trail Angel Charlie's place in West Virginia. There's something about that early stretch that sets the tone for everything that follows, and it sounds like Michael is finding his stride. We'll be keeping an eye on his progress as the season gets rolling. ⛰️
Indiana Routes: Two Detours Down
If you've been working on Indiana routing, it's worth revisiting a couple of sections.
On the Northern Route, the Cardinal Greenway detour north of Richmond is gone. The trail closure that went into effect during Interstate 70 construction has been lifted, and that section is back open.
On the Southern Route, the bridge just west of Meinrad that's been under construction is now complete, and segments 3 and 4 are back on their original alignment. That detour is also cleared.
While you're updating your Southern Route planning, one more thing worth noting in Meinrad: the Shell convenience store in town has reopened. 🥳 It's a small town with limited services, and that Shell is the only resupply option there, so it's good to know it's back in business.
These are the kinds of incremental changes that don't make headlines but really do matter when you're planning a multi-month route. A closed trail or an unexpected resupply gap can throw off a whole day's logistics — and knowing the current state of things ahead of time is exactly why keeping navigation data fresh matters. 🥾
That's the update for this week. Route changes have been reflected in the navigation data, and hiker progress will continue to be tracked here as the season builds.