Popeye, Highland Cows, and an 80-to-15 Degree Weather Whiplash
This week's dispatch covers five states and two coast-to-coast trails. Renae survives a 65-degree temperature swing at Dolly Sods, Rhiis and Sara discover Popeye's hometown, Bernie adds 23 waypoints on the C&O Canal, and Greg James becomes a Trail Angel in Kansas.
One of the things I enjoy most about this work is that every week brings something I didn't see coming. This week's updates span five states and two coast-to-coast trails — from a crumbling bridge on the C&O Canal to the hometown of Popeye the Sailor Man to a Scottish Highland cow named Lou.
Here's what's happening on the ground right now.
Renae Gupta
Westbound
Began February 26, 2026 - Cape Henlopen, DE
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Renae Gupta — West Virginia, Parkersburg, and Dolly Sods
Renae made it to Parkersburg, West Virginia, this week and shared some lodging intel worth passing along. At one of the national chain hotels there, if you mention you're an ADT hiker, they'll likely offer a discount. The owner is a hiker himself, and ADT thru-hiker Brianna DeSanctis stayed there a couple of years ago with good results. It's worth asking.
She also made a new friend along the way — a Scottish Highland cow named Lou. (above) Sometimes the trail delivers exactly the kind of moment you didn't know you needed.
But the bigger story from Renae's week was a lesson in weather awareness that every ADT planner should take to heart. She was making a push toward Dolly Sods after an 80-plus degree day, and as anyone who's hiked West Virginia's high country knows, conditions up there can change fast. Sure enough, the next night, temperatures dropped to 15 degrees! Renae wisely delayed her summit by a day rather than pushing into that kind of swing.
That's a 65-degree temperature drop in roughly 24 hours, and it's exactly why we emphasize current conditions and flexible planning. If you're heading through West Virginia this spring, pack for both extremes and watch the forecast closely, especially at elevation.
Rhiis & Sara
Westbound - Eastern, Northern & Southern Routes
Began: February 21, 2025 - Cape Henlopen, DE
Paused: November 5, 2025 - Julesburg, CO
Restarted: March 10, 2026 - Illinois/Indiana Line - Southern Route
Support Links: ImHikingAmerica, TrailJournals, YouTube, Venmo
Rhiis and Sara — Illinois South, Segment 1 & 2
Rhiis and Sara continue working through Southern Illinois on the American Discovery Trail, now in Segments 1&2. They've been sending back steady field reports that sharpen our waypoint data across every section they walk. If you're following their journey, they've been in the River to River Trail corridor for a couple of weeks now, and their intel from Ferne Clyffe State Park, Panther Den Wilderness, and the surrounding area has already generated dozens of new waypoints for the collective database.
Chester, Illinois — Home of Popeye 🥾
Speaking of Southern Illinois — Rhiis and Sara spent a zero day in Chester, and what they found is one of those trail town stories that makes long-distance hiking so much more than just miles walked.
Chester is the hometown of Elzie C. Segar, the creator of Popeye the Sailor Man, and the town embraces that heritage fully. At the Elzie C. Segar Memorial Park, a 6-foot, 900-pound bronze statue of Popeye (above) marks the start of the Chester Character Trail — a walking route through town featuring statues of Popeye characters.
But here's what makes this more than a tourist stop: Segar based his characters on real Chester residents. The woman who inspired Olive Oyl is buried in the town cemetery, and the real-life inspiration for Popeye bears a striking resemblance to the cartoon character. The Welcome Center volunteer can show you photographs of the actual people behind the characters — it's the kind of detail you'd never discover on your own.
For hikers, Segar Memorial Park offers water fountains, restrooms with running water, and bike racks. The Welcome Center also houses exhibits covering the Lewis and Clark history of the area alongside the Popeye story.
If you can time it right, the annual Popeye Picnic and Parade is held the weekend after Labor Day — worth building into your itinerary if your schedule allows.
And one more from the Chester area: Rhiis and Sara have added the Mayor of nearby Rockwood, Illinois, as a Trail Angel contact. Details are in our GPS data.
Bernie Krausse
Great American Rail-Trail - Westbound
Started: March 28, 2026
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Bernie Krausse — Great American Rail-Trail, Maryland
As we previously reported, Bernie Krausse is in his first week on the Great American Rail-Trail, making his way up the C&O Canal towpath in Maryland — a stretch that also serves as a shared corridor with the American Discovery Trail.
Even though this is a section we've already mapped extensively, Bernie's boots-on-ground verification turned up 23 new waypoints. That includes a detour around a crumbling bridge on the C&O, updated services in trail towns along the canal, and new bench and toilet locations that weren't in our data before.
Twenty-three new data points in a section we thought was complete is a good reminder that our GPS data is never really "done." It just keeps getting more accurate.
Greg James — New Trail Angel in Kansas
Greg James, who hiked the ADT last year, is now paying it forward as a Trail Angel in Kansas. His contact information has been added to our Kansas Segment 7 data. This is how trail communities grow — someone walks the miles, understands what hikers need, and then shows up for the next person coming through. We're grateful to have him out there.
The Data Keeps Getting Better
This is what field-verified navigation looks like in practice. Five states, two cross-country trails, a mix of new waypoints, updated services, lodging intel, weather lessons, trail angel contacts, and trail town discoveries — all coming from hikers who are walking these miles right now.
If you're planning your own cross-country journey, know that the data keeps getting sharper every week. And if you're already a Hiking America member, your Gaia GPS data reflects these updates as they come in.
Hike Your Hike - John. 🥾
Hiking America provides independent GPS navigation and trail intelligence for the American Discovery Trail and Great American Rail-Trail.
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