Date: 2022-08-26
From: Stoney Brook

To: Gifford Woods State Park
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: few clouds

We woke to rain this morning. It had been spitting on and off all night and rained steadily for about an hour before sunrise. Joni and I packed up everything inside our tent. I donned a poncho to get breakwater started as the rain began to abate. By the time the water had boiled, the rain had all but stopped.We had a hot breakfast by Stoney Brook as we packed up camp slowly. We planned on doing only another 10 miles today with a stop at the state park to take showers. We got rolling about 7:45 and had gotten within a mile of the park when we got cell service again. Thunderstorms at 11:30 was the report. We could see them coming on the radar. We had about a half hour to get to the park before the rain came again. We hoofed it across a boardwalk laden with day hikers, past Thundering Falls, around the south edge of Kent Pond (where we stopped to admire a beautiful blue dory afloat on the water), and under the park pavilion just before deluge. We got covered up by some red dots on the radar. Heavy rain lasted only 10 minutes while less serious stuff continues for another half hour. We were glad to have made it to a roof! We snacked and rehydrated at the water spigot and I decided I¢d walk to the nearby deli for lunch. I removed my dry socks, donned a poncho, and opened an umbrella. The deli was seven-tenths of a mile away and I covered the distance in 20 minutes. I bagged some sandwiches, salsa, chips, and a broccoli salad, ate a banana, and headed back to the park. Joni was in e shower when I arrived so the boys and I laid into the sandwiches and set her portion aside. As the rain continued we started to think we might rather just stay at the state park and walk the 3 miles to Route 4 in the morning. Hudson, our shuttle driver to New Jersey, would meet us there at 9:00 in the morning. ¢We¢ve got a lean-to that¢s still not raked,¢ the park ranger told me. ¢A lean-to?¢, I asked, thinking it was too good to be true. ¢Yeah.¢ He chuckled. ¢Three sides. A roof.¢ He mimed it all with his hands. ¢Yes! I think we¢d like to sleep in that tonight!¢ So we rented the lean to for the evening. We moved in about 2:30 and took full advantage of the nearby coin operated showers.The boys lounged at the lean to and played Polytopia, Join sat at the pavilion and charged her phone, uploaded video, studied New Jersey Trail. I decided to walk back to ¢town¢ and check out the gear store.On my way to Killington, still only 0.7 miles away, I called a friend and caught up on news from home. The gear store was mainly ski and bike. The camping section wasn¢t aimed at the Thru hiker. I crossed the street and found a pair of Darn Tough socks to replace the pair that ripped yesterday as I was walking (the stick I kicked with my right foot left a gash on my left ankle and a hole in the sock). Then I walked back to the deli and bought a half gallon of chocolate milk to take back. I ate another banana.Back at the park nothing had changed. We heated water for dinner and let everyone do their own thing: freeze dried, clif bars, leftover sandwiches, grits and bacon bits.Hikers started ¢sneaking¢ into the park after dark and claiming the empty camping spaces. I¢m fairly sure I heard some approach out lean to after 9:00 only to stealthily slip away when they discovers it was occupied. I imagine the park knows about this shenaniganary and chooses to overlook it. The trail goes right through the campground at the park. The rain returned softly after 8:30 to ¢shush¢ us to sleep. It¢s good to be dry in the rain.