Date: 2003-08-02
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Stealth Campsite
Miles today: 15.0

I slept quite well last night...our campsite by the Trail was very nice, and my tent was really just the right temperature. Randy was supposed to wake us up at around 7:15, but he ws feeling comfortable in his tent, as well, and decided to wait another hour. It rained off and on throughout the night, so my rain fly was still wet this morning, but it seemed as though the day might turn out okay. Randy went to get the food bags and returned with cookies left by someone named "Desperado." I had one, as well as Raisin Bran and Froot Loops for breakfast. I never used to eat breakfast before the Trail, now I have at least two servings every morning. I sure hope I can stop eating when I'm finished hiking! We started hiking at 10:00...later than planned...oh, well. We had an easy 3.6 miles to our first road crossing where there is a much-celebrated deli and bakery! We had planned to take our first break there, and, because we had gotten a late start, it turned into our lunc!h stop. They have this really great tea...Old Joe's...and I had two of the super-charged extra caffeinated ones (Turbo Tea!), as well as a roast beef and provolone sandwich, a pickle and some Doritos. I tried to buy a crumb bun, to see if they made them like I remember some that my Grandpa used to get for us, but they only sold them by the dozen or half dozen. I bought a half dozen, figuring I could share. I can say they were good, but they didn't taste quite the same. These were more like a cinnamon bun with brown sugar topping, while the others from my childhood were buns with brown sugar topping. C'est la vie! Molasses was there when we arrived, and she was slackpacking Pushing Up Daisies and Flatlander. She asked if I wanted to join them, but I really didn't feel like hiking south today. They were going to hike back to the bakery, then get a motel room for the night. Now I'm definitely glad I didn't do it, as we didn't even run into them...don't know what they! ended up doing, but hiking wasn't involved. We continued on...had a pretty agressive ascent that wore us all out...it had grown really hot and humid. We stopped at the top, where there was a fire tower, to rest. I attempted to climb the tower. Those who know me know that this is not an easy thing for me...I'm afraid of heights, especially when there is dead space under me. I'd like to say that I made it to the top...I almost did. I was one flight away... maybe next time. We went on...not a very exciting day in NJ, folks. We have spent a good percentage of our time swatting away what seems like hundreds of mosquitos. We're sure that we're going to end up with both Lyme disease and West Nile virus by the end of the trip. I bet Randy that I'd get them first, seeing as I'd already gotten a bona fide deer tick bite. We had stopped briefly at a shelter that was supposed to have no privy (I had, therefore, dug the requisite cathole just minutes before). When we arrived, however, there was what Randy dubbed "the Taj Majal" of privie!s. I was sad...there is truly no justice in the world. I couldn't even go in for a visit...there was no point. We moved on, but not far. Just a few tenths of a mile away was a road...with a parking area...with people in it. The people were Trail Angels!!! It was Desperado, who was being aided by two past thru-hikers. They handed us Old Joe's Turbo Tea (eek! my third of the day...I won't ever get to sleep tonight!), candy bars, and Sunny D. Then they filled all our water bottles and sent us on our way. Many blessings to them! We were going to try for the next shelter, but they said it was a steep trip downhill, almost half a mile. We therefore searched out a place to stealth camp, along with Viking, who was receiving Trail Magic with us. We were getting a bit worried, but found a suitable spot at just about 8:30. Another dinner in the dark, but we are cozily in for the night. It's just amazing how many backpacking tents you can put in a teeny space (at least fo!ur)! There's a great breeze going through the trees overhead right now, I'm hoping it cools me off and airs out my tent. I stink! And on that note...goodnight!