Date: 2019-06-18
From: Brink Shelter

To: US206 Culvers Gap Branchville NJ
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: clear sky

When I covered up completely in my sleeping bag last night , I woke up soaked in sweat.  If I unzipped the bag and uncovered my arms, I got bit by mosquitos.  Either way, I lost. It made for a long night.I woke up just after 5:00am and headed to the privy.  It was sprinkling. By the time I got back to the shelter it was raining a bit heavier.  The 6 of us discussed the upcoming miles and the weather forecast. Buckshot, Meep, and Fumble began packing up first. The rest of us waited until they were gone to start moving around.  We ate breakfast and began packing up.  Our original plan was to hike 15 miles to Rutherford Shelter. Plan B was to hike 6.4 miles to the Gren Anderson  shelter.  Plan C was to hike 3.6 miles to the nearest road crossing and find a ride to Unionville where we were planning to spend the night with an aunt of a friend of Susan.  That friend had left a gift certificate at Annabel¢s, a local Italian place, so we could have lunch whenever we got there.After a couple miles in the pouring rain, it was pointless to try to avoid puddles.  We were already drenched and our shoes were already oozing water with every step, so we just marched right through the puddles.  It was very tedious to be careful of every step so as not to slip on a wet slab of rock.  My glasses were wet and foggy and almost useless.  At the grassy exposed top of one particular hill, I followed a path across the top and into the woods only to have the path end. I was not on the AT. I turned around and Susan was not behind me.  I had to backtrack, calling out for her.  She was at the crest of the hill where there was a right angle turn I had totally missed.  Thankfully, we got back together.We made the decision to act on Plan C and stop at the next road crossing.  There was a sign business there that was closed for the day.  We sat under their roof overhang and arranged an Uber ride to Unionville.  By 11:15 we had arrived at Annabel¢s in Unionville.  We changed into our dry sleep clothes and crocs in their bathroom, and they graciously gave us a large trash bag to hold our soaked clothes and shoes.   Once dry, we were able to think about other things.  Sue called her friend Terry¢s Aunt Patti to let her know we were in town.   We looked at the menu and ordered hot tasty food.  Sue had a salad and tuna steak and broccoli.  I had a slice of Hawaiian pizza, a bowl of chicken tortellini, and an order of garlic bread knots.  mmmm!Aunt Patti arrived and drove us to her home in nearby Greenville, NY.  I called John to let him know we were done hiking. We both had warm showers and started our load of laundry.  Aunt Patti had to attend her church¢s VBS meeting so Susan and I are both took naps while she was gone.It was a delight talking with Terry¢s Aunt Patti.  She shared with us her photo album of a Coast to Coast hike in Britain with her sister-in-law from 2003. A few years ago I had read a couple¢s account on trail journals of this hike and have been talking to John about us doing it so it was nice to get another firsthand account.  We went to Bottoms Up Restaurant and Pub for a wonderful dinner.  I had prime rib, a baked potato, seasonal veggies, rolls and butter. It was incredible.  There was so much food, I brought home half of it to eat for breakfast.