Date: 2007-07-18
From: Jim Murray Property

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 13.6

Last night brought an enchanting host of fairy-like fireflies to sparkle around the Murray property. For a while, the donkeys and hikers fell silent, and it was a peaceful summer evening. Late night storms brought and end to the bliss; however, and I woke to the sound of thunder chasing its own grumbling tail around the ridgeline.We woke early and Butch drove us over to the mayor's house where a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast awaited us, and it was all cooked by the mayor's own hands. This part of the trail, like so many others, has been made great through the generosity of people like the Mayor, Butch and Jim Murray. Thank you to all of you!!The storms brought an incredible amount of humidity to the valley, and I felt as though I needed a snorkel to breathe. The dampness, though, teased out all of the pungent floral and fungal smells of the forest, creating a delightful olefactory sensation that had proustian effects on me. I found myself stopping often and breathing in deeply, greedily inhaling the warm damp smells of the earth.New Jersey provides some visual change of pace to this trip. The Walkill area was low and damp and populated with large numbers of prehistoric looking Great Blue Herons and an elegant (though oddly out-of-place) flock of swans. The herons sized me up as I picked my way through the damp grass, looking at me with tilted heads and outstetched necks.Jersey is infamous for it's puncheons (the plank walkways that raise the trail above the marshy ground). Right after Pochuck Mountain is a long strip of wooden walkway known as the "Jersey Boardwalk".Surrounded by cattails and grasses, it extends to the horizon. On the puncheons before Route 94, a snake sprung out from underneath me, giving me a creepy feeling similar to the fear of the boogey man under my childhood bed.After gorging ourselves on ice cream at Heaven Hill Farm, Splendora, Snack Break, Iceman, Buffalo Bobby, and I caught a ride into town with ATC members, "the dayhikers". We're staying at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church hostel in Vernon and are readying ourselves for our grand entrance into New York state tomorrow afternoon.Dr. Susan Bratton of Baylor University is conducting a survey on the significance of spiritual or religious experience to long distance walkers. Though I'm not affiliated with any religious group, the mountains have made my heart whirl like a dervish and sing like a cantor. Many people ask why I'm doing this hike. And, it's a difficult question to answer.The survey asked, "Briefly describe in your own words, your major motivations for taking this trip." I responded as follows:1. To live ideally -- to walk in harmony with nature, other hikers, and the communities along the trail.2. To live simply -- to carry only the minimal amount of gear needed to safely hike; to put aside worldly possessions in favor of things with more substance.3. To live happily -- to find joy in each day, every mile, and all the friendships forged along the way.Do I feel as though this has been a spiritual experience? Yes, of course. I have had experiences in the mountains that defy human rationality. So often, a smell, sound, sight, or feeling has left me standing with my jaw agape; my heart beating like a small bird's inside my chest.