Date: 2003-06-12
To: NJ94, Vernon, NJ 
Miles today: 13.6

Aloha! Save me! I have seen the face of humidity and she ain't pretty! As a matter of fact she's down right ugly. Rather pasty looking actually. Kind of like navy bean soup. Ugly! Ugh!   That's what today was all about - humidity. It's literally hanging in the air. Could cut it with a butter knife. I know I took a shower last night but within ten minutes of being on the trail you wouldn't have known it. Drenched to the bone in sweat.   Where is the rain when you need it? Oh, here tonight... it just thundered again.   Okay, today started off with a bit more of a bang than most days. That's because within 10 feet of starting the trail my tush hit the trail - literally. One of the biggest concerns for me is the slick footbridges we often cross. Three feet from the end of the bridge I did the whole banana peel routine - feet up, butt down.   Luckily I ended sitting on the bridge with my feet on the ground. A little mud and injured pride was the worst of it. I could have been in the stream so I'm happy. Sort of.   From there it was the normal UP and down all day. Somewhat differently today though. I got to cross the newly opened boardwalk through the marshes. I wish I could remember more of what I read of the walk over the past couple of years in the Appalachian Trail News publication but I can't. Anyway, it was neat. It wandered all over the marsh through the cattails. I saw my first red-winged black birds there. I wonder if the folks whose backyard it practically begins in have any idea what a treat they have behind their house?   I'd love it behind mine. Anyway, it's also attached to a $30,000 suspension bridge. Pretty cool. I liked it and wouldn't mind returning one day.   Besides slogging through the mud, muck, humidity, and UP a hefty hill the hike was relatively benign. My kind of hiking. That kind of hiking ends up at places like the Heaven Hill Farm where ice cream, baked goods, fresh fruits and produce, yogurt, honey, jams, ample syrup, sodas, etc are awaiting the hot and hungry hiker.   In my case there was a brownie ice cream sandwich with my name on it. Boy was it tasty! Hit the spot perfectly. Calories to the max! Yum!   My kind of hiking is also a history maker - I hitched a ride to town! As I explained earlier, I'm poor at standing on roads and sticking my thumb out. Still makes me uneasy. Anyway, 15 minutes after my first attempt, ChuckLuck and I were on our way to Vernon, NJ.   Pretty cool! My mahalos go out to the gentleman that was kind enough to pick up dirty smelly hikers. Trail angel to a max!   My kind of hiking also ends with places like the St. Thomas Episcopal Church.   That's where I am now. Wonderful place. Hikers are allowed the full use of the basement, which includes two large rooms (sometimes shared with other groups such as the AA group this evening), a kitchen with a stocked refrigerator, microwave, a laundry room, and a bathroom with a hot water shower and towel.   All for a $5 donation! It's a little slice of heaven! Especially right now since the rain I've been wishing for all day has finally arrived and it's pouring. This place really is heaven.   Even with all the good stuff today there is still a highlight. My highlight for the day was a call from Monya! Monya was the third person in the "3 generations hiking together" (Lady Hawk, Monya and me) in 2001. Surprisingly Monya is also in the Bear Mountain area!   Awesome! With me scheduled to meet Lady Hawk in Bear Mountain this weekend also, this is going to be a reunion! I'm so excited! To top it off it looks like I'm going to also get to hike with Monya for a week or so. She wants to go for a walk and I'm going with her.   Wuhuuuu! Hummm... maybe if we work on Lady Hawk..... Wouldn't that be cool! The only down point in this whole thing is that they are both expecting me on Saturday and after looking at the mileage I don't see that happening. Bear Mountain is 45 miles away from here and I don't see me doing that in two days. I'm certainly going to do my best but I'm betting on Sunday morning at the earliest.   Maybe though¢¦ Good weather, little UPs, minimal slippage and gods willing I'll be there Saturday. Want to place a bet? Here's a tip - bet against me!   Alrighty, it's late and I still need to get to the store. I came into town with nothing more than one emergency backup dinner. Need food. Time to go shop and then to bed. I have clean clothes, a clean body and hair, and a full tummy - now's the time to shop.   Or sleep. Or maybe even eat again. Yeah... that sounds good. Eat. It's been an hour or so since dinner.... yeah, eating is good. See ya!BSandTs: lots and lots and lots and lots and..... sweat. Humidity is ugly!AandPs: slight pain to the right (inner) side of my left knee. Squats with a pack... good thing or bad?MandGs: humidity! mud! muck! bug bites!.... waah!Critter count: 2x chipmunks, 2x baby rabbits, 1x ground hog, 2x squirrels, 6x red-wing black birds, 1x doe