Date: 2004-07-10
From: Secret Shelter, Goldsmith Road

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 13.9

Today was not so far and much more interesting.It began with foothills, winding through forests with old stone walls and open fields with raspberries. The trail was mostly smooth and for a stretch ran along an old rail grade where it was nice and level.Then came the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. Here the trail went around three sides of a vast marshland. The national wildlife seemed to have gobbled up all the berries, but the trail was flat, well cushioned and there were big wide benches perfect for sitting on with a backpack. The marsh itself looked almost artificial, crisscrossed by canals at right angles that made it look like ricepaddies in the Mekong Delta.Next came a 700 foot ascent up Pochuck Mountain, mostly on those steep rivers of boulders that are SO entertaining to hike upon. Bleah! I guess that after all that flatness they wanted to remind us that this is the APPALACHIAN Trail, not some wimpy nature walk.The reward was that the top had vegetation like Kittatinny Ridge including: blueberries! Mmmmm... The highlands wandered along until it reached what the map said was a recent reroute from what had been a long road-walk. Now the Trail runs along one of the most impressive examples of trail work I have seen. There is over a mile of elevated boardwalk running through a large cattail swamp. It is on sturdy foundations, elevated four to six feet above the surface of the water, firmly anchored to huge steel stakes with steel cables, and has widened sections with benches for resting or just admiring the view. Instead of going straight like something urban, it meanders in irregular curves that fit more naturally. Then there is an incredibly impressive wooden suspension footbridge over Wawayanda Creek.Then a bit of woods with a new surprise. For weeks I had seen these plants festooned with thistley pods next to the raspberry bushes. Now I passed some in a clearing and the pods had opened to reveal: BERRIES! They looked just like black raspberries only red and tasted, well, like berries. What I had thought was a mildly pesky shrub now looks like the next course on the Appalachian Trail Berry Bash! They must be red raspberries. That would solve a mystery I had pondered since childhood: how do you tell a ripe red raspberry from an unripe black raspberry, since both are red? I seem to have my answer. Unless they are something else. Maybe there is a plant called Hiker's Bane, a highly toxic false raspberry. Or maybe they are alien space invaders like the Pod People! I've eaten some, so time will tell.Then came another field with marshboards. These were in need of maintenance. Some tipped toward me like seesaws when I stepped on them then tipped the other way when I reached the midpoint. Others were rotted and broken or twisted wildly. That made it a bit like an obstacle course to avoid getting dumped in the swamp.On the far side was the road to Vernon NJ. A short distance the opposite direction is the Heavenly Hills Farm Store, a good spot for a snack and for getting a ride into town.I spent the night at the Saint Thomas church hostel. The church has made a mission of seeing to thruhiker needs. There is a hot shower, laundry, kitchen, phone, sleeping space and even a box of equipment on sale at cost like socks fuel etc. There were four of us there, me, Palm Tree, Treefrog and Boonie. After cleaning up, we went to the the Saturday evening church service before going to supper. Then I went to the A&P for food and a drugstore for Goldbond body powder to try to keep the chafing at bay. Finally I settled down with a good book and a quart of milk before bed.