Today, just like yesterday started out very foggy. Seeing a pattern here? With all of the standing water from all of the rain the mosquitoes have really stepped it up a notch for the last few days and this morning was no different. So far New Jersey has been pretty much all rain and biting insects. I guess the trail is getting a little less rocky, so that is good...
Slim Jim and I headed out of camp at the same time this morning and I hiked with him all day. Our first pause was at the top of Sunrise Mountain. There was obviously no sunrise there, but we did run into a few day hikers. These kids were clearly on some form of mind altering substance but they did give us a bunch of fresh fruit and water. I really wish I could have gone back and counted the number of times that one of the kids used the word existential or existence in his interaction with us though, I think he thought he was being really deep. Oh did I mention that he had paint all over him because he had been finger-painting on the floor of the pavilion? After the two of us decided we had had enough hearing about their views on the Man, ya-da ya-da, we departed, but not before we got a hug from them. As Slim Jim aptly put it, "How drunk or high do you have to be at 8AM to want to give a hug to a thru hiker?". I don't know the answer but I wouldn't recommend it, we don't exactly smell like rainbows and unicorns.
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| Pavilion on top of Sunshine Mountain |
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| 9 AM photo |
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| View just after the trail to Rutherford shelter |
At Mashipacong shelter we ran into Shrek who was just packing up. We chilled with him for a bit and then all headed out together. I didn't need to hike fast today as I had only 11 miles to walk, but the bugs were so bad that there was no way I was slowing down and so I stayed with the other two all day. We had a brief view just after Rutherford shelter, but overall there wasn't much to see. We reached High Point State Park Visitors Center around noon and went straight inside. If you sign their register there you get a free soda, an easy trade to make. I saw Ledge and Bogie hanging out outside and said hello. After hanging around for a while the others continued on, but I had reached my destination for the day and waved goodbye and headed to the main road to hitch into town. The state park is in the top left corner of the state. From here we turn east and follow the northern border of New Jersey for another 30 miles before turning north into New York.
Shortly after sticking my thumb out a guy in an SUV rolled up and I hopped in. He was a animal rescue worker and was on his way to Port Jervis, NY to pick up a dog. He moved here 9 years ago from Transylvania. I jokingly asked him if he was a vampire and he assured me that he was not. He dropped me off on the road to the Days Inn in Port Jervis. I had hoped to see if they would let me use their shower for a reduced price, but no such luck. Sorry Kevin, you'll have to deal with a smelly hiker in your car, I tried though. On the way out of the Days Inn I ran into a guy as I was leaving the parking lot and he started talking to me. After a few minutes the conversation got weird when he basically started trying to offer me a prostitute. Well I'm not one hundred percent on that but he started talking about how the trail must be lonely and how I should get a massage from one of his girls and that they were really good. So far New York, you are 0 for 2.
I headed down the road to a diner and had a good lunch. Since I still had 9 hours to kill before getting picked up I asked a local if there was a library in town and he pointed me to it. Non-hikers aren't great with distances apparently as the local told me it was about .5 miles away and it was at least 2. It was a long walk in the sun. After the library I headed over to a local pub called The Erie and hung out there for the remainder of the evening. It was a cool place with good food and beer. I chatted up the locals and got a few free beers. Kevin and his girlfriend Amanda showed up and we had a happy little reunion and a fun ride back to Connecticut.
Shortly after sticking my thumb out a guy in an SUV rolled up and I hopped in. He was a animal rescue worker and was on his way to Port Jervis, NY to pick up a dog. He moved here 9 years ago from Transylvania. I jokingly asked him if he was a vampire and he assured me that he was not. He dropped me off on the road to the Days Inn in Port Jervis. I had hoped to see if they would let me use their shower for a reduced price, but no such luck. Sorry Kevin, you'll have to deal with a smelly hiker in your car, I tried though. On the way out of the Days Inn I ran into a guy as I was leaving the parking lot and he started talking to me. After a few minutes the conversation got weird when he basically started trying to offer me a prostitute. Well I'm not one hundred percent on that but he started talking about how the trail must be lonely and how I should get a massage from one of his girls and that they were really good. So far New York, you are 0 for 2.
I headed down the road to a diner and had a good lunch. Since I still had 9 hours to kill before getting picked up I asked a local if there was a library in town and he pointed me to it. Non-hikers aren't great with distances apparently as the local told me it was about .5 miles away and it was at least 2. It was a long walk in the sun. After the library I headed over to a local pub called The Erie and hung out there for the remainder of the evening. It was a cool place with good food and beer. I chatted up the locals and got a few free beers. Kevin and his girlfriend Amanda showed up and we had a happy little reunion and a fun ride back to Connecticut.
Fun adventure! It's hard to believe you are all ready in NJ, it doesn't seem that far away. When do you expect to get to Maine?
ReplyDeleteI will be in Connecticut tonight and Massachusetts a few days after that. My guess for Maine is another 4 weeks maybe?
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