Date: 2016-07-03
To: Gemmer Road
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: few clouds

Yesterday I had my first experience with being a Trail Angel and it was fantastic. I had chips, brownies, scones, granola bars and a cooler full of sodas. Later on I ordered Pizza. The hikers were so happy to stop and partake. Many of them stayed quite a while and shared their stories on why they were on the trail and where they got their trail names from. Very interesting.My plan was to come to New Jersey to meet Oscar and REALLY hike the Appalachian Trail this time. His plan was for me to come and hike a mile here or a mile there! I understand, he did not want me to slow him down and more importantly, he did not want my bum knee to hurt me more than it already does. I guess since I have been nursing a bad knee for 10 years I really haven't pushed myself often but since setting my knee replacement surgery date, I am more willing to push myself a little more than normal. I have to admit that running and walking are not my favorite things to do but, since I cannot participate in the sport that I really love, (Netball) I have had to resort to doing a lot of walking over the last 10 years.So this morning, we set out for me to join El Tejano for a hike then when I was done, he would hike on. In my mind I was thinking 5-6 miles. In his mind I could hike a mile and a half and then turn around and walk back by myself. He obviously was not thinking right. Me, walk through the woods by myself! No Sirree!! I am the person who flinches at every little sound I hear in the bushes next to me. I think not. On our hike this morning knowing how I am, and being the person that he is, he walked behind me and kept throwing stones in the bushes while he watched my head swing from one side to the other. Yes, it was funny when I found out what was really happening. I guess I have been looking at all of his photos and thinking about the snakes that he almost stepped on or the bears that he has seen at a not so far distance. I was on my toes for sure. In fact, when we started out, one of the first questions I asked is, "Is there a possibility of seeing snakes in this area?" Of course his answer was very hesitant and he kind of sort of said possibly. I knew what that meant. Feeling brave, I decided I was going to lead the hike but at times I had to let him lead. Those were generally the times where if I slipped on a decline, I wanted to fall on him. My hike today totaled 6.4 miles when you include the hike to the High Point shelter and also to the High Point Monument, the highest point in New Jersey. It looks like a miniature Washington Monument. When you include the 291 steps that we walked to the top and back you may as well say I walked 6 1/2 miles. That is not shabby! You have to remember that this is not just a walk in the park, this is a walk on the trail under canopies of trees and over logs and rocks and ups and downs in meadows and wheat fields and bridges and gaps and roads and streams. It was definitely a walk in the woods.I would say that I am relatively fit as I exercise with some regularity. The walk to the High Point Monument got me winded though. Very winded! It was .3 mile on a steep uphill climb to get there. Then we climbed all 291 steps to get up to the top. I was having second thoughts by the time I got to step 150 as the heat was most definitely at the top and we could feel the temperature rise as we went up. By the time we got back to the bottom, my legs were wobbly. I think I am going to be in trouble tomorrow.The shelter is what I expected it to look like but seeing it in real life made it so clear how the shelters serve the basic amenity of providing cover. There were no bells and whistles just a broom and a hardwood triple king sized bed that could hold maybe 8 hikers comfortably.We didn't meet many hikers along the way. There were a few going southbound but we didn't catch up to anybody and nobody passed us going northbound. I kind of expected to see more people on the trail.On one hand I can see how somebody would like to be out here. It is great walking in the countryside with the flowers and trees, the fresh air and the fields. The liberation of moving as fast or slow as you feel and stopping when you want to are all attractive. I mentioned in a previous post that there is no daily stress from work etc and there is no need to wear a watch. On the other hand walking in the woods even with company is very scary to the likes of me. The possibility of bears or snakes, to name two of the fearless creatures, sneaking up on me is nerve wracking. When we walked the rocky section we truly had to keep looking down to make sure we did not trip or stub our toes. Even though I was looking down I stubbed my toes many times. Thank goodness I had real hiking boots so I didn't feel anything. Oscar and many other seasoned hikers still do that a few times a day so I didn't feel bad. Why would somebody want to hike the trail when you have to look down so much, you have to walk alone so often, you get rained on sometimes, you end up smelling something awful after not showering for a few days, you get blisters and sore feet, you are carrying around 30+ lbs on your back and you have to set up house and break down house almost every day to name a few cons. I can't wrap my head around that but then again, people can't wrap there head around the fact that I look into peoples mouths daily (well, I used to).I was rewarded on the rest of the trail as it was relatively level in most places after the shelter. One of the things that I had the pleasure of doing is using the open aired bathroom in the wild complete with fresh air, lots of light, a beautiful view, and toilet paper from Oscar's backpack! My body only had to do #1. Whew! Fortunately there weren't many hikers on the trail. I was lucky that my need occurred after my legs had recovered from the hike to the tower. Officially I walked 5.6 miles of the Appalachian trail today. The side trips don't count as part of the trail. We reached Gemmer Road and called a shuttle to take me back to where we started. I felt really good but I didn't want to go further then regret it tomorrow. I went to do some Trail magic after that at an area that El Tejano and I both agreed on. That was about 7 more miles on the trail for him. It was a quiet day in terms of trail magic possibly because it was after lunch. A few hikers came by but they had just eaten. I helped out 5 hikers and they all signed my book with messages about the magic they received. This is really such a neat thing to do. They are all so appreciative to receive something as little as a cold soda. I had lots of snacks too.Oscar got there a few hours later and we went off to enjoy the rest of the day. Dinner, a movie and a good nights sleep at the hotel sounds good. I have a few more days left. I will let you know how they go.Yvonne