Date: 2013-07-20
From: Stealth camp on ridgeline 

To: Stealth camp on wooden tower at High Point St Park
Miles today: 17.0

I slept like crap last night. I was so tired, but I just couldn't seem to fall asleep. It seemed that I finally started to rest right before it was time to get up. I got up and I packed up anyway. I had planned to sit out on the rocks and have breakfast. I'd hoped the view would help to lift my spirits. But even that didn't offer much inspiration. I unloaded my food bag and just as I was about to unload a baggie of granola into my bowl a few rain drops started to fall. Grrrrr.... Not now. I quickly pulled out a couple of Cliff bars and a bag of trail mix. That would have to do for breakfast. I knew there was a little caf© called "Joe to Go" at the bottom of the hill. I was absolutely sure they had a joe-to-go with my name on it. I also had a sneaking suspicion that they might also have something of a hot breakfast. I spent the hike down the hill thinking of what I could do to take better care of my mental health out here. Waaaaaaaaayyy back near Wayah Bald, Dreamer and I had stayed at a hostel (Aquone), and the owner, Wiggy, had told us then that all the gear in the world wouldn't get us to Katahdin. It was taking care of "your head" that was really the key. Keeping yourself positive and in a healthy frame of mind. I understood what he meant then, but now I was truly understanding the importance of it. There is physical, yes, without a doubt. But the physical is so tied to the mental, that it often hard to separate them. All my little physical woes very likely are stemming from or being significantly affected by the head games I'm working through. So, what could I do to swing my head back towards the positive? This is what I came up: 1) Designate at least 30 minutes a day to picking and eating berries. 2) Swim/soak as often as possible. 3) Eat more town food when it presents myself (I suspect that I need to consume more calories). None of it is rocket science, but I truly think it will help. So that's what I've got. I made it down to "Joe to Go". It was little more than a walk-up counter. I got a egg, sausage & cheese sandwich, a coffee and some orange juice. I sat outside (there was no where to sit inside) and ate my sandwich. It was mediocre, but I was surprised by my energy boost. I'd more than doubled my usual morning calories. It was already getting hot, so I needed to get moving. I headed across the busy street into a evergreen forest. The trees were big and the morning rays shone through the trunks. I saw a hammock hung between two trees and a hiker fast asleep. The trees were so big, it made the hammock and the hiker look tiny. It made me smile. The ground was covered in a soft pine straw and the air smelled sweet. I made good time up to Carlver Fire Tower. I started to climb up, but the air was hazy and knew there wouldn't be much of a view, so I changed my mind. I stopped at Stony Brook to collect some water, but even after it was filtered it held on to the coppery tannins. It tasted fine, so I just tried not to look at it. It was nice and hot by the time I got up to Sunrise Mountain. There was a large open pavilion a the top. A day hiker, Eric, and his dog, Duke, were up there admiring the view. I stopped to talk to him, and he gave me almost a liter of water to put in my reservoir. Woohoo! Two other day hikers came up, Gary & Mary. They'd befriended a thru-hiker a few years back, and they were eager to help me as well. Mary pulled out a cold Cherry Coke from their cooler. I happily accepted it. We talked for a bit, and I headed on. It was close to lunch time, but I decided to eat a melted Snickers to try to get in a few more miles before stopping for lunch. I was glad that I had the extra water, because all the "reliable" water sources were either dry or so murky that I couldn't imagine being thirsty enough to dare trying to filter that sludge. I made it Mashipacong Shelter. Two other thru-hikers and the NJ Ridge-runner, Dutch, was there. He'd just humped in several jugs of fresh water (the shelter had no water source of its own, and instead you'd have to hike an extra .6 to the closest source). I had lunch and talked a long time with Dutch. He'd hiked the AT in '09, the PCT in '11, and he was saving money to hike the CDT in '14. I was impressed and picked his brain for knowledge.We hiked out together, he went to his car, and I headed on. There were a lot more rocks, a couple of steep rock-scrambling climbs. I coated myself in another layer of Deet because I had sweated the last layer off. I tromped through the rocks, not entirely happy, but at least I was feeling pretty good. I passed a group of kids on an Outward Bound-type of trip. They were polite, and I was thrilled to see them in the woods. I could feel a spot on the outside of my right toe starting to go raw (I've been dealing with a pretty hearty case of athlete's foot since monsoon season down in Virginia. Since my feet are in boots 10 hrs a day and my socks are rarely "clean and dry", it's been hard (impossible) to fully shake). I needed to get that cleaned up. So I stopped at the visitor's center bathroom at the High Point State Park. The center was closed for the day, but the bathrooms were still open. I took a whore's bath in the sink. The cold water felt, so so good. I did my best to clean up my feet, but there's only so much you can do. I filled up my water containers and I said hello to another group of hiking teenagers. They oooowww and awwwwwed at my Platypus reservoir. They'd never seen one before. One girl told me they had run out of water earlier in the day as well as iodine tablets to treat the water, so they spent much of the day dehydrated. That seriously alarmed me. I scanned the group to try to figure out which one was in charge, but it wasn't obvious. It was already 6:30 p.m. by this point, and they were still at least two miles up and over a hill from the place they'd planned to camp, the High Point shelter. I was also planning to camp there, but I thought that I might have to amend my plans, especially when one of the girls said that there were going to be a lot of people there. Hmmmm....It was a steep rocky climb, and again I thought about the group. I wasn't responsible for them, but a part of me felt responsible. They were obviously ill-prepared for their expedition, and I could easily recognize it. As I hiked along, I could hear music playing, and I swear I could smell food cooking. But I needed to get somewhere, get my tent set up. I didn't want to be stuck at sunset trying to get organized. I came upon a wooden observation tower. I know its cheeky, but there were no signs saying "no camping". I thought started to formulate in my mind. I climbed up onto the deck. There was an awesome 360 degree view. I could see New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. I could easily see the big obelisk atop High Point, the highest point in New Jersey. I could see the sun sliding down into the sky. I could see the ridges and the towns. There was an awesome breeze. Maybe I could cowboy camp? Or MAYBE I could set my tent up and wedge my tent poles down between the boards. Oh yes, this could work. I decided I would shed my shoes to air out my feet and wait to set my camp until it got a little later. I heard some voices coming from the blueberry bushes. They started to come up the steps. It was a trio I had met back at the visitor's center. They introduced themselves as Mike, Mike and Tatiana. They were students from Rutger's, and they were out for a camping trip for the night. Tatiana gave me a bag of dried cantaloupe and candied pecans. Omigoodness, I'd never had dried cantaloupe before, but it was sooooooo delicious. I ate the entire bag. The sun was starting to set, so they headed towards the shelter area where they had planned to camp. I decided it was late enough to set up my tent. I had gotten it set up, when I heard more foot steps. A couple came up to watch the sunset. They were surprised to see me, but they said nothing, not to me, not to each other. I started to cook dinner. From afar, I heard a loud group of voices. I knew exactly who it would be. The large group from the visitor's center. The sky was on fire with a brilliant sunset, but it was hard to focus on it with 12 girls talking and yapping away. Some were already tired and didn't want to go a step farther. One girl said she was going to sleep up top with me. The group seemed to seriously consider setting up their tents. I did my best to subtly discourage it. That would be disastrous. I asked if they had water, not much. I almost pointed out that there was no privy. Something else they hadn't thought of. It was starting to get dark, and the shelter was still almost a mile away. I asked if they had headlamps, a few of them did, but not all. The trail is really, really rocky and uneven in this area, and there were side trails that you could easily get lost one. I could hardly believe how unprepared that they were. Finally, enough of them got concerned about the lack of light and started down the steps, and the rest of the group followed begrudgingly. I could hear them hollering and screaming, their voices getting farther away, and then nearer. I wondered if they were coming back. But eventually, the sound faded away. (I talked to others later and found out that the girls made it in late and loud and woke everyone up. At least they made it safely.)The obelisk stands alit and phallic on the hillside across from me. The moon is bright and soon to be full as it slides across the night sky. There is some lightning in the clouds and more fireworks in the far, far distance. The frogs are crocking happily. I just hope for some sleep and that my fungus eaten toe will wake up with a miraculous new layer of skin. Is that too much to ask?