Date: 2009-08-26
From: Culver Gap

To: High Point
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: scattered clouds

My gracious trail angels took me to the trailhead. RV even insisted that I walk the first .2 of a mile without anything but my poles and he gave me my pack at the parking lot. The first climb of the day took me to Culver Fire Tower which I climbed part way up to get pictures of the views. I had started about half an hour late and it was not quite as cool. Nice trail angels notwithstanding, I did not sleep very well last night and that, combined with the rapidly warming day, made for a sluggish me. The mosquitoes were more persistent today too so I stopped early to put on bug repellant. I trudged onward to the pavilion on Sunrise Mountain. A oung family had walked in from the nearby parking lot. I ate the rest of my bagel while resting and enjoying the view. The rest of the morning was spent trudging where the trail took me through underbrush of various kinds and over a brook or two. I did see some blackberries. And although not as big and tasty as mine in Washington, I am in New Jersey and not Washington so I sampled several. I met two young men out for an overnight shortly before Mashipacong Shelter where I stopped for lunch at a big rock across from the shelter in the shade. I called Mike to remind him I was coming in today and that was a good thing. He had forgotten that he had a dinner engagement with his mother and he begged me to get to the road by 4:30. It was 2:00 and I still had 5&1/2 miles to go - not easy for me but I said I would do my best. Fortuitiuosly, RV had been telling me about the "old" AT before a rerouting that was a woods road on which one could move more easily than the newer trail. I had been pondering whether to take it but upon hearing the need for haste, the decision was made. I took off as fast as I could go down what is now called the Iris Trail which used to be the AT. The woods road led down by a large lake which is a water supply. The trail was rerouted to keep hikers from campng there. Since I was not camping, no problem. The inlet to the lake had some bright red flowers with which I am not familiar. There was also something startled in the bushes by the stream but I could not tell if it was a bear, a deer or a beaver. Whatever it was, it was large enough to shake some bushes. Mainly, I just walked as fast as possible, although I did stop and eat a Cliff bar halfway there. I didn't see a lot, just concentrated on moving the feet. I don't like to push so hard but I made it with 12 minutes to spare. Mike gratefully picked me up and took me to his motel. It is a hiker motel, a bit seedy but clean and it has a shower which I quickly used and a nice bed I have been lounging on. I am really appreciating the luxury of a shower each night, especially since I end up covered with sweat, bug repellant and a bit of mud. My other problem is that my brace keeps raising blisters behind my knee at the top of my calf. They don't hurt but do require punture to let out the fluid - another reason to welcome the cleanliness possible with slackpacking. And now it is time for sleep as I listen to a few hundred crickets chirping outside my open window. (no air conditioning here) And life is good.