Date: 2003-06-21
From: High Point State Park(High Point Country Inn) 

To: NJ94 St Thomas Episcopal Hostel (Vernon NJ)
Miles today: 20.6

Day 100 Avg Mls/Day 13.4Weather: Overcast, cloudy in morning. Rain showers afternoon and evening. High temp in 60's.Today's Nature: Black bear cub plus the usual deer, cottontails, squirrels and chipmunks.Last night it rained well into the night. I wasn't sorry I quit early. It took almost the entire evening for my boots and socks to dry in front of the heater. I got a great night's sleep and got up around 6. After a nice continental breakfast the motel manager ran me back to the TrailI was hiking NOBO just after 8. Met a young couple that got on the Trail at High Point and were out for a week. Basically hiked alone all day. There were viewpoints again today, but there wasn't much to see in the haze. The Trail today went through a lot of swampy low lying areas. At around 11 I came to the side road to the "secret shelter" on the Murray property. This was where I originally planned to stay last night. It is a beautiful place. Tom Murray, who hiked the AT in '90 I believe, bought 80 acres and put up several "barnlike" buildings on a mowed meadow surrounded by forrest. They are really quite nice. Since he has water and electricity, he offers thru-hikers a place to shower, do their laundry and cook. Goldberry, Magnolia, Miss Kitty and Orb made it here last night. While I was there having a snack, a small black bear cub ambled across the meadow about 70 yards in front of me.Since it was less than 14 miles from the Murray property to Vernon, and it wasn't raining yet, I decided to go for it. The mosquitoes got really bad at the Walkill Natl Wildlife Preserve. They were the only "wildlife" I saw there. The Trail was a "U" around what used to be a sod farm. They were so bad you couldn't stop walking or they would swarm you. Talking to Snail, he thought it was some sort of "rare mosquitoe refuge." It wasn't until I got out of the woods and to a road crossing before I could stop and put on some deet. I have a feeling this is just the start of the pests. I did stop briefly at Pochuck Mtn Shelter around 2:30. There I met No Na Me and 3 other section hikers. The mosquitoes were still bad and we all moved on. It started raining at 3 and never quit. By 5 my boots were soaked. It was going to happen anyway because the Trail went through a cow pasture later where the water was over the tops of my boots. They were soaked! You could poor water out of them at the end of the day.Before I forget, I want to mention the boardwalk through the Pochuck swamplands. It was quite a project and so nice...3 feet wide level hardwood winding about a mile or so through cattails and swamp. Here there were birds and areas for viewing. The AT must have gone around the swamp before this was built.A little past this area the Trail made a right turn and I got turned around...hiking back 10 minutes or so. I said I'd never do that again but I didn't see the blaze down the Trail and thought it did a U-turn. Luckily it was just after the boardwalk and when I got there I knew I had screwed up.When I got to the road it was a hard steady rain. In about 10 minutes I hitched a ride with the nicest young man, Dan. He not only drove me to town, but he drove me around until we found the hiker hostel at the St Thomas Episcopal Church. Thanks again Dan for the ride on a cool rainy miserable evening.This hostel is wonderful; we all ordered food out but there is a kitchen with food for hikers. I took a shower and did my laundry too. We sleep in a big carpeted room. Apparently, one of the church members is a past thru-hiker and really likes helping hikers out. They only ask for a suggested donation of $5. Belive me it is one of the nicest hostels so far.Here tonight are Goldberry, Miss Kitty, Orb, No Na Me, Snail and Sally. Oh yeah, also a nice sectioner, Uuuum.Thought for the Day: Day 100...sounds like a lot of days on the AT.