A historic train drew a huge crowd in Pennsylvania on Thursday, but the extreme heat came with it. Officials in Berks County declared a mass-casualty incident after more than 100 people waiting to see “Big Boy,” billed as the world’s largest steam-powered locomotive, suffered heat-related problems at the Reading & Blue Mountain Railroad Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township, reports UPI, citing local media. Temperatures hit about 106 degrees Fahrenheit as the train’s arrival was delayed for more than an hour.

Emergency calls began around 1:30pm local time. Forty-five people were taken to local hospitals, with one person who went into cardiac arrest revived before transport, authorities said. Children and older adults made up most of the patients. Big Boy ultimately passed through the station around 2:30pm en route to Philadelphia.

With Independence Day festivities looming, Muhlenberg Police Chief Randall Hoover cautioned that revelers should prep for continued heat, per NBC Philadelphia, which notes that some attendees at the Big Boy event had started showing up as early as 9am. “Heat is going to be an issue, stay hydrated,” Hoover advises. The CDC notes that heat-related illnesses can run the gamut from heat rash and cramps to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, per ABC27.

Warwick police officers and firefighters responded to the Masonic Youth Center shortly before 4 p.m “following a report of a male on the beach who was found unresponsive in the water,” the police department said in a media release.

Life saving measures immediately began,” the release said. “The male, 84, was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.”

The trek north continues. After New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts seemed to pass in a blur. I had the pleasure of having a friend come out to hike with me from Lee, MA to Williamstown/North Adams, MA. Passing the 1600 mile marker felt like such an achievement but I was excited for what came next:

Vermont.

I could feel the excitement growing the closer I got to the Vermont border. Even the rock scramble out of Massachusetts and the rain couldn’t dampen my spirits. I was finally returning to a section of trail that was familiar.  

Back in October 2025, I had completed sections 2 and 3 of the Vermont Long Trail in preparation for my At thru hike. This 84.4 mile stretch overlaps with the AT and crosses through some of the Green Mountains like Stratton Mountain, Bromley Mountain, and Killington Peak.

It took me 8 days to complete that practice hike as someone who had never backpacked before. I felt pretty good about that, but I was ready to learn if the past 4 months of thru-hiking had made me any better or stronger this time around.

Similarities and Differences

The good news is that I did do better. It took me about 6 days to complete the same sections I had done in October. The time it took to complete it, though, was less satisfying to me than the way I felt while doing it. 

For example, I remember really struggling up Stratton Mountain and Bromley Mountain when I did it the first time around. This time? I could scale both without stopping for a breath break. Granted, I didn’t have trail legs and my pack weighed a good 10-15 lbs more back then than it does now. It just showed me how far I’ve actually come. It proved that I was getting stronger and more apt at this thru-hiking thing. 

It was definitely a confidence booster at a time when I needed encouragement that I wasn’t doing too bad. 

Round 2 of doing this section did have some differences I wasn’t thinking about, though. The cooler weather of October brought with it fall colored trees, dry terrain, and vacant shelters. What a difference coming back in the summer can make. For starters, the first five days of my time in Vermont on this go can be described in one word: wet.

I was constantly wet from rain, sweat, mud, water puddles, or a combination of all of that. I remember drying out my shoes and socks in the rare sunny moments only to get caught in an unexpected afternoon thunderstorm an hour later. Because of all that rain, the terrain was extremely muddle and slick.

Oh, and who can forget about the bugs. There were no bugs in October. In June? All the bugs. I caught the tail end of black fly season in Vermont in addition to the mosquitoes. 

Navigating that was tiring to say the least. And yet, none of that bothered me because I was having a good time remembering what the trek was like back in October. More than once I found myself saying, “Oh yeah, I remember this part!”

Unexpected Fun Parts 

When I did my section hike in October, I didn’t pull off for any resupply nor did I pay much attention to hiker services that may have been available. My thru-hike was different in the best ways.

Some of the fun unexpected aspects of my thru-hike in Vermont were the farm stands! These are stalls or small barns that have all sorts of goodies for hikers including veggies, baked goods, cold drinks, and resupply items. They also had charging stations and water bottle refill places. It was such a mood booster to get to a farm stand and relax for a bit. And who can be upset with all the maple based goodies? 

I stopped at more farm stands than I did towns in Vermont. Part of that is because there aren’t many hostel options or places where the trail goes near a town like it does in other states/sections. One exception is the Rutland/Killington area. There’s a free bus that runs between these two towns. It was a great spot to resupply and recalibrate before attempting Killington Peak. Plus, the people were super friendly! 

Finishing Vermont

I completed my time in the Vermont sections of the AT (total of 150.8 miles) in about 9 days. I don’t think October me could have conceived that I would go through the whole state that fast. My time in Vermont was certainly over sooner than I expected. 

I hit Norwich and crossed the bridge into New Hampshire with a feeling of bittersweetness. I said goodbye to Vermont’s Green Mountains once more as I turned to face New Hampshire’s White Mountains. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about the White Mountains. I’ve heard how tough they can be. But my time in Vermont encouraged me to believe that maybe, just maybe, I can make it through the Whites all the way to Katahdin. 

Lord willing. 

And so we adventure on….

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