Date: 2004-08-10
From: High Point State Park Observation Platform

To: NJ94 (Vernon ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ St. Thomas Episcopal Church)
Miles today: 19.6

Start: HPSP Observation Deck @0722 Finish: NJ94 (Vernon ¢ St. Thomas Episcopal Church)Weather: Hot, humid, breezy.Breakfast: Strawberry pop tarts.Lunch: Snickers, trailmix, banana chips. Dinner: Burger King combo # 6, fudge rounds.Trail Conditions: Mostly flat with some PUD¢s. Tough climb up Pochuck Mtn.Animals: Rabbit, frog, deer, birds, squirrel, chipmunk, donkeys, The hounds of hell.People: Bunch of SOBO¢s, Swedish & Shannon, Otie, Butterfinger & Wideload, Blackfoot, Atlas, Mickey & Mallory, Tex, Fred, Terrapin.Woke up to a beautiful sunrise at 0615 and set about the morning chores. The High Point Monument, a tall obelisk, was cool to look at in the distance. I walked out of camp with Swedish and Odie and we made good time hiking the first several miles. I was quite hungry so I stopped at a road crossing and ate while the others pushed on.We were walking through a lot of farmland. As I neared Courtwright Road and passed a farm three angry Rotweilers charged me glaring their teeth and the hair on the back of their necks straight up. I immediately backed off and got out of their sight around some bushes. The dogs went back to their house about 75 yards away. After several minutes I began trying to go by once again and the hellhounds came running at full charge and this time actually chased me nearly a quarter mile. Finally I climbed over several barbed wire fences and bushwhacked thru someone¢s farm property until I got to the road and re-found the trail. I met up with the Storm Troopers (3 hikers) who were able to keep the dogs at bay. All in all the incident set me back about 30 minutes. It was by far the most scared and threatened I have felt all trip. It was the only time I wished I¢d had a gun, as a 45 caliber hollow point would have done the dogs well.Several miles down the trail I stopped at the ¢Secret Shelter¢ (only known by word of mouth ¢ not in guide books and no trail signage). It was truly a wonderful place on a large farm pasture. All of us from the deck met there for lunch and I enjoyed an hour-long nap under the shade of a Catalpa tree. There were also donkeys on the farm so I snapped some pictures and laughed as they loudly brayed. There were quite a few up and downs. The climb up Pochuck Mountain was by far the most severe climb since Tennessee. I realized how much I¢d taken the switchbacks of Virginia and flats of Pennsylvania for granted. The rest of the day was flat though.At PA565, 2.5 miles from the road into Vernon, I ran into Atlas, Odie, Swedish and his girlfriend. Shannon offered to slack pack Atlas and I, and brought our packs to the hostel in Vernon. The last section of trail was an awesome boardwalk and was a great change of hiking terrain. Atlas and I decided to run the final two and a half miles along the boardwalk. It was the first time I have run since my injury to my Achilles. I covered the last section in 24 minutes, which wasn¢t bad considering I was wearing heavy hiking boots and had walked 17 miles already. Atlas and I got to NJ94 and the first car we thumbed pulled over for us. Fred drove us to the grocery store in town and we walked to the hostel from there. Thanks Fred.The hostel I am in is awesome! I will be zeroing tomorrow.