Date: 2009-07-02
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: High Point Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

What a crazy day on the A.T.. Woke up at 6 am....surprise! It rained last night so I knew no one would be going anywhere soon. So this was my chance to be alone on the Trail for a day and get out before the herd.Here's something I have found out about myself out here. I like balance in all aspects of my life. Back when I had the flu, I was hiking alone, had a bunch of shelters to myself, and even had an entire hostel to myself the first night ... Wendy (aka Shimmy, aka Morning Glory) came in on the 2nd night. Anyhow, I found that week to be very relaxing and a good change of pace from hiking with the group.Well, after catching up with The Group in Port Clinton, I really liked hiking with the group again. But now, after hiking in a herd of 20+ hikers for a week or so .... a day on the Trail alone felt like the right thing to do. Bottom line: I like hiking in a group, hiking with just a couple of people, and hiking alone...... I need a balance of all three!So I was up and on the Trail by 7:30. I got packed up in record time because the mosquitos were thick!! And they were attacking pretty good. There was a deli about 4 miles into today's hike and I hauled butt to get there and get out of the mosquitos. I got a ham sub, gatorade, and donut!OK. Back on the Trail and the mosquitos own New Jersey! The Trail is nice and fun to hike, but the trail goes right through marsh land with tons of ponds, lakes and stagnant pools of water ..... mosquito heaven.The next "sanctuary" I see is a pavilion on a hilltop about 6 miles away. I haul butt again and get there around noon. I take a 2-hour break there.....minimal/normal mosquito activity. Lorax, AT '04, shows up with a cooler full of Trail Magic. Pepsi for me, please! Thanks Lorax. Then HuckFinn, another thru-hiker, shows up with my camera. I had dropped it on the Trail a couple miles back after taking a photo. Wow! Hadn't even realized I dropped it! Talk about Trail Magic, and lucky! Thanks HuckFinn! I would have been so bummed..... 246 pictures lost. The camera could be replaced, but not the pictures.Minnesota IPA came into the pavilion and said he saw tons of hikers back at the Deli. He said he didn't even bother stopping in. He also said most were headed to Rutherford Shelter, which is where we were all headed. So....quick change of plans. I will go on to High Point Shelter to help alleviate some of the overcrowdedness (?) at Rutherford. I'll just start out later tomoroow and pick up The Group as they hike by High Point.As I get to Rutherford Shelter, which is located by a huge open rocky area, there is a medium bear standing right in the middle of the rocky area! Great view of it. It put its nose in the air .... man, I must stink pretty bad, because that bear took off running into the woods....fast!! 2 days in new Jersey, 2 bears!Hiked uneventfully into High Point Shelter. There is a monument there marking the high point in New Jersey. Pretty impressive, and looks kinda like the Washinton Monument in DC. It is permanently closed now so you can't go up inside to the top anymore. A local was telling me that you used to be able to do so.OK. I killed literally over 100 mosquitos today and got bit by as many, and more today than I have on the rest of the trip combined!Weird day!