Date: 2016-05-14
From: High Point, NJ 23

To: Liberty Corners Road
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We had some good luck again today dodging the rain (and we made it past Friday the 13th without incident). There were still some puddles when we woke up, but by the time we ate and Ron drove us to the trail (about 6:30) the roads were mostly dry. There was fog in lower areas that burned off quickly as the sun climbed higher. The rain prediction shifted overnight to later in the day, so we were quite comfy in the 50¢s and 60¢s for the hike.We got a shuttle ride today so that we could hike together and we left our car enroute at the AT lot near the High Point State Park HQ, then Ron drove us on to our end-point at the Liberty Corners Road crossing. We hiked SoBo today, but I¢ve decided for consistency to list the starting and destination points in this blog as if we always head NoBo. I¢ll describe how we actually do it (NoBo, SoBo or sub-section) in the daily description. If I can find time, I¢ll go back and update the previous entries. Our hike today started on a very long boardwalk through a wooded area. The boards were still wet and very slick from yesterday¢s rain, making it a very slow and treacherous, but we made it through without incident. We emerged from the woods onto the Wallkill Reserve. (I¢m not sure if the woods is part of the reserve.) It appears to be a large, rectangular, marshy wildlife reserve and we hiked around part of the perimeter. I think it¢s a big attraction for birders and we saw and heard birds that we haven¢t seen before as well as deer. The mist had condensed on every spider web, making them dramatically highlighting them and showing hundreds and hundreds in every direction. The trail is actually a roadbed around the marsh and the grass is sill low, so we didn¢t get as soaked as we have in past years.   From there, we wound around through a maze of meadows, fields, fence lines, ponds, woods and more marsh for several hours. I think we crossed between two ridges The sun warmed us up nicely and dried out most of the trail. Eventually we reached the ridge where High Point Park is located and started a more aggressive climb with switchbacks and a few boulder sections. The AT passes an observation platform that provides a nearly 360 deg view of the surroundings, including a good look at the High Point tower that is about 0.3 miles on a side trail. The tower marks the highest point in NJ. We¢ve never actually taken the side trail to the monument, but I¢ve included a photo from the platform. Apparently this is a popular area and there were quite a few park visitors. The AWOL Guide indicates that there are concessions and a beach (?) located close by, although the concessions don¢t open until Memorial Day. About a mile later we reached the park HQ and our car. The High Point Country Inn where we¢re staying is about 1 1/2 miles from the HQ. The High Point Inn is another of our regular stops and we enjoy coming back to see Ron, who manages the motel and does the shuttling, and his dog Murph. They have been working on upgrading the rooms, repainting, and we see improvements every year. It has the features we look for - clean, refrigerator, microwave, wifi, laundry, shuttle, tub, etc. No walkable restaurants, but several that will deliver. And the landscaping is impressive. After cleaning up, we headed back to the Waterwheel Care in Milford again for lunch. We were earlier today than yesterday and the cafe was packed with patrons. We also picked up some dinners from Fretta¢s for later and a few supplies.The forecast suggests a cold front moving through, possibly more rain tonight and temp dipping down to near 40 tonight and into the 30¢s tomorrow night. That should be good hiking weather and after tonight, no rain until midweek. More key swapping tomorrow, so we¢ll both be hiking solo.