Date: 2006-06-24
From: Appalachian Motel, Vernon, NJ

To: Wawayanda Shelter, NJ
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: 0

Today was rather different than any other I've had on the trail. My friends Dean, Brenda, Wanda, Jeff, and Tim surprised me last night by coming down to meet me. I wanted to maximize my time with them, so I chose to only hike a short distance and spend the rest of the time with them.The weather today wasn't the greatest, as it rained early this morning while I was hiking, but it then improved and mostly stopped the rest of the day. Dean set up his grill at the roadside and we had a picnic trail magic there. It did sprinkle lightly for a short while, but we didn't get wet, and we had a good time. After a few hours at the roadside, we went down to the shelter and settled into there. We set up a dining fly over the picnic table, got our tents set up, and made ourselves at home. This shelter is about 1/2 mile on a flat trail from the car, so having all those luxuries wasn't that difficult. Other hikers came in to the shelter and we had a good time talking and meeting the others. We also continued the magic by giving out homemade fudge made by our friend, Kim. (Thanks Kim!)I will remember today as a very special day, a day I spent with good friends. Tomorrow I will push on and resume the mile machine. I'll be heading towards Bear Mountain State Park, where I'll meet my son, Chris, and my Dad on Tuesday. We'll have a visit together, and then I will once again press on.I have one more diversion after that when I go home for a few days. Once that is complete, I turn my attention towards Mass, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. I am looking forward to completing this journey and getting home to my family. I won't rush to finish, nor will I drag it out either, I'll keep doing what I've been doing - hiking and enjoying.One final thought for today. My friends brought me my new boots last night. I wore them today hiking and in camp all day. My feet felt great in them and I've decided to not hold the old ones in case my feet hurt. I'm using the standard inserts over my orthotics, and they feel comfortable that way. I chose LLBean Cresta because the last pair were comfortable right out of the box. I think this was a good choice, as this pair seems to be, too. I also feel confident that I have a company that will stand behind their product, should I have a problem. I see many hikers using light weight shoes while hiking. That is fine for them, I'll stick to the traditional leather hiking boot. Thank you Dean, Brenda, Wanda, Jeff, Tim, and Kim! You are all such great friends, and I'm lucky to have you as my friends.Old Goat - Click picture to see full sizeDean Cooking - Click picture to see full size - Click picture to see full size - Click picture to see full size - Click picture to see full size Sue's Note: Old Goat loved being with the Pease's today. When he called tonight I could hear the happiness in his voice. The first time I talked with him yesterday, he sounded so down....he had arrived at the hotel soaking wet, and was dreading putting on wet clothes this morning. After the Pease's arrived last night, they took him to a laundromat where he dried his clothes. When he called me after they arrived, he sounded so much more upbeat. Between putting on dry clothes today, not getting drenched again, and having so many hours with wonderful friends, Old Goat was feeling great this evening. He was tired though - he may not have hiked much today (only 6.7 miles), but it was a busy day, and he loved every minute of it!!When I saw the Pease's Thursday evening (to give them Old Goat's new boots), I laughed with them about how Old Goat's AT pictures have been so far....Old Goat takes many beautiful pictures of the scenery he's seeing (some fabulous shots!). When I visited him, I took lots of people (and tried to get trail names and the stories behind how the people got their trail names). Then back to the scenery (still beautiful!). When our son visited, there were lots of pictures of our son and Old Goat (people again). He did do scenery, but it was nice to see so many of the two of them, too! Tim Pease takes lots of digital pics (many are incredibly beautiful!), so he said he'll take pictures of the people they meet and get trail names and the stories behind the trail names. I'm looking forward to hearing how the visit was, and seeing the pictures!