Date: 2003-07-04
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Secret Shelter (Murray's)
Miles today: 24.9

I started hiking at 6:13 and was kind of half asleep from all the heat and bugs. Then a little before 7 AM I was huffing and puffing up a hill when a commotion to my right got my attention. Something was rustling in an old snag. Crash, a huge black bear came falling to the ground in front of me followed by another crashing big bear. They were up in the dead tree eating something. The first bear took off fast and went across the trail in front of me and down the hill to my left. The second bear crossed the trail slowly and meandered off about 20 yards and acted as if he didn't want to leave. He stayed 20 yards from me as I proceeded up the trail and seemed to want me to leave so he could go back to his tree. I took a few photos and continued on up the hill. I made it to Worthington's Bakery by 7:45 and had to wait until 8 for it to open. I bought a half dozen cinnamon rolls and a pint of ice cream. Two other thru-hikers came in around 8:30. I gave half my rolls to them and arrived at the pavillion on Sunrise Mtn around 10:25. I met Finch's wife at the Deckertown Turnpike parking area. She gave me a coke and we talked for awhile. I also drank a quart of water left there for thru-hikers. Then I passed Amble just before I got to High Point State Park's ranger station around 2 PM. I walked the mile and a quarter to the concession stand at the lake for a Philly steak and cheese sandwich and fries and blueberry ice. I had been eating delicious wild blueberries all day and had a craving for them. I met Kiwi and Dreamwalker at the concession stand and they told me the trail came within 0.4 miles of the concession stand. So I walked back the 1.25 miles to where I left off and continued back to the observation tower on the trail. From the wooden tower I could see the road, lake, and here the kids playing in the water in front of the concession stand. It was a lot closer than the ranger station. Besides the phone was out at the ranger station and I had to use a phone at the concession stand anyway.After I left the park which was full by 8 AM on Forth of July, I met two guys about 30 minutes north of the park on the AT. They asked me if the blue blazed trail led to the beach area. I thought if all the blue blazed trails I passed since Georgia led to beaches and bikinis, I've passed several hundred beaches so far. "No, the blue blazed trails normally lead you to springs or other water sources, not the beach and bikinis", I told them. "Follow the white blazes back the way you came until you get to the wooden observation tower. From there you will see the trail, the road, and the lake. You will hear the people playing in the water. Follow the noise to the beach." They said they didn't realize how far they had come.When I started hiking again I met Amble and talked to him about growing up near Fusen, Germany. He said he missed some of the nice things about the Alps like the freah air in the morning and spatzeriengehen on Sundays where they close secondary roads to autos and people go walking instead. However, he considers America his home and says there's too many people in Germany. It's too crowded, he complains. He's been in America since 1958, but still has his German accent. He recently retired and lives in Alexandria, VA.I went right by the High Point Shelter and dropped off the ridge to the rock walls and pastureland where I found my way to the Secret Shelter on the Murray farm. Jim Murray, a former thru-hiker has set up several buildings on his farm near Goldsmith Road for thru-hikers. The shelter has hot and cold running water, a fan, a dryer, and hot showers. I took a shower and washed my clothes in a huge stainless steel sink. The mowed grass hillside has few mosquitoes. But don't venture out into the tall grass! We saw 4 wild turkeys and were awakened by the braying of one of the donkeys. Actually I was already up, but he definitely was loud. A very nice place to end a hot and sweaty day at 5:55 PM and 24.9 miles later! I shared the shelter facilities with Kiwi, Dreamwalker, and New Zealander and slept in my tent.