Date: 2014-07-26
From: Rattlesnake Spring

To: Mashipacong Shelter
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up at 5:30 this morning. I didn't sleep all that well, it got down in the low 50's and all I have is a flannel sheet to sleep with. I'm beginning to think that sending my sleeping bag home was a mistake but I really just need something a liitle heavier than a sheet. Left at 6:30, wanting to get in some miles today to make up for yesterdays short day. Met a Ridge Runner named Grasshopper, he welcomed me to New Jersey and congratulated me on passing the 1300 mile mark yesterday. I hiked past another small pond, there seems to be plenty of ponds and small lakes in this state. That also explains the abundance of mosquitoes. There has been a mixture of rocky sections and some old fire roads to walk on so things are getting better. I was told that the first 40 miles of New Jersey has rocks like Pennsylvania but not the sharp pointy ones and it seems easier to walk between the rocks. There seems to be plenty of day hikers on the weekends and I met Freckles and Dragonfly again going south. We talked for awhile and they said that they would probably see me again in New York. I came across two adult hen turkeys and their large group of chicks. They appear to be half grown already. I saw two small deer by themselves on the side of the trail, just as I took their picture they took off and all I got was a blurred picture. I got to Brinks Shelter just before noon for a lunch break and water stop. This is a new shelter built last year from salvaged trees destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. It still smelled like new wood. There have been lots of trees uprooted along the trail that probably got destroyed during one of New Jersey's worst storms. No Rush showed up at the shelter and a couple of day hikers that were telling us how workers brought in a sawmill and used the trees in the park for the shelter. We had 11.3 miles done by noon and hoped to get that many more before the day is over. I feel that if you don't challenge yourself physically, mentally, or even moralely from time to time than you will always be weak in those areas. I hiked out to a road crossing and there was a gas station not too far away so I walked down and bought 2 Pepsis. I wrapped them up to keep them cold and headed back into the woods. No Rush and I both missed the next shelter where we planned to get water. I stopped at Sunrise Mountain where there is a large pavillion for day use. From the top you can see Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York and can see the sunrise or sunset from the sides of the mountain. I was crossing a large rocky area and a large black snake was in the rocks. I waited to make sure it wasn't a rattlesnake before I stepped over it and moved on. I finally got to Mashipacong Shelter which has poor water but luckily there were 5 gallon jugs of water in the bear box for hikers. I had been telling southbound hikers if they met No Rush to tell him that there is a Pepsi waiting for him at the shelter. He said they all told him about it and it kept him motivated to push on. They were still pretty cold and tasted great at the end of a long day. They had nice grassy areas for tents and pretty level for the mountains. Hustle, Flo, Karate Kid, Sunji, and three other hikers were there for the night. A long day but another nice weather day for hiking.