Date: 2014-07-27
From: Mashipacong Shelter

To: St. Thomas Episcopal Church Hostel
Miles today: 26.1

Up again at 5:30, I wanted to hike all the way to Vernon, New Jersey. I had to resupply and it might be good to be in out of the weather tonight. A southbound through hiker stopped for water before we left and we talked briefly before we both moved on. We have been seeing a few south bound hikers each day now. Stopped at High Point State Park for water and through hikers get a free soda just for signing in. The people there were very nice and friendly. We took a lunchbreak and it started sprinkling. Just as I got back in the woods it started pouring and I hung out under a large tree. It looked like it was going to be a long, wet afternoon. We had twenty more miles to go today and just as I was starting to get upset about the weather the rain stopped. The rest of the day became one of the better days to hike. The rocks were less frequent and the trail went through woods, bogs, nature preserves, and pastures for lots of variety. I saw 12 orange salamanders today, I hadn't seen any in awhile. I stopped at the Murray Property, it has a cabin for hikers to use and water and showers. It was a nice place for a break. I saw a small milk snake on the road heading back to the trail. There were lots of swampy areas with boards built up to keep you out of the mud. I had to do a long road walk to the Walkill Nature Preserve where the trail took you around the area. There were lots of large birds like Blue Herons, Egrets, Cranes, and Geese in the marsh. Some more swampy areas complete with mosquitoes and then it was some more climbing for the next few miles. On one climb I was struggling up the rocks and my arm nearly brushed against a large black Rat Snake climbing up a tree. Later with the snake encounter in mind my hiking pole flicked forward catching a small limb on the trail, when it flipped back it hit my leg and I was sure that I had just been bitten by a snake. I was quite relieved when I looked back and saw the limb instead of a snake. After crossing another road near Glenwood N.J. there was a nice board walk that lasted .8 of a mile and also had a suspension bridge going over a river. I talked with a nice gentleman and his dog as we walked the length of the swamp. He gave me some nice info about Vernon where I was headed for the night. When I got out to the road a nice couple gave me a ride into town. They had actually turned around and came back to give me a ride. When they found out that I was hiking the Appalachian Trail they had lots of questions to ask about my hike. The ride was much appreciated! In the Hostel was Blueberry Bear, Helen, Gazelle, Sassafras, and later it was No Rush, Karate Kid and myself. It is run by the Episcopal Church in Vernon and has showers, laundry, electricity, and a place to sleep on the floor. There is a large store in town to resupply and plenty of places to eat. I went to Burger King for dinner and then back to the hostel to work on journals. Storms are on the way tonight so in the morning I will get enough food to go 50 plus miles before the next resupply. There is no reason to carry too much food now, there are even places close to the trail to get a meal if you are running low on food between towns.