Kathy Manning, left, and Appalachian Trail hiker Valrie Sinchak, of Suwanee, Ga., right, exit Manning’s West Hartford, Vt., garden after Sinchak picked vegetables to add to her dinner on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. Manning and Stephen Arkwright have allowed thru-hikers to camp on their land for 40 years and she was helping Sinchak, who goes by the trail name Starburp, settle in. The property was inundated during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 by a brook that runs through the property and the White River across the road. “Everybody’s a little hyper aware,” said Manning of the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby which had been forecast to pass over the state on Friday. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Valley News — James M. Patterson