Date: 2023-06-05
From: Glen Anderson Shelter

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 25.4

It was another unusually cool day. The ups and downs were more difficult than I expected in NJ.I got started around 8:15. I passed a pavilion at the top of Sunrise Mountain about an hour later. I was not impressed with the view.I hiked for another 90 minutes before I ran into Chance going southbound. He says he hikes southbound, but rides his bike north to do another section, so I could see him again. Some people just can't get enough exercise. He informed me that there was a trail magic stand near the entrance to High Point State Park, about 4 miles away, and that they would be there until noon. Given that it was 10:45, I wasn't feeling optimistic about catching them. Still, I hiked for another hour. I didn't want to out off a break anymore, so I took a break at a small overlook.I got to High Point State Park around 1:30. The trail magic people were still there! Jim and Robin, from the Port Jervis, NY area, had cold beverages, fruit, donuts, and some trail snack resupply items. I took a watermelon slice and a clementine, plus two donuts. I also grabbed a few trail snacks. I met Woot, a past AT thru hiker who is now a ridge runner in NJ. They help keep the trail clean. She said they are a bit like phone service between thru hikers too. I also met a few thru hikers who started in February - including Mr. Friendly, who lives up to his name.  We chatted about various experiences.Between the rocks in PA continuing into NJ and what were becoming unremarkable overlooks, I had questioned whether I was still having fun hiking. Certainly trail magic and friendly chatter with good company is fun. Some of them suggested taking a day off, or a shorter day. I considered it for later, since I also wanted to get to Unionville to have another town meal, plus resupply items for a day or two.I pressed on around 2. I followed the trail passed a viewing point of the NJ high point monument. A little while later, I ran into multiple blazes on one tree: blue, plus a laminated marker with red and green on a white background. At first I though this was four blazes, including a white blaze for the AT. I quickly found out I was wrong, and found my way back to the AT. I continued on the AT and went downhill. It was then that I realized that multiple blazed path would have taken me up to NJ's high point. But I didn't want to return, and continued downhill.The next 8-9 miles or so to Unionville were uneventful. A thru hiker zipped by me as I was starting up after a break near a stream. I saw her again, along with Mr. Friendly and company, sitting in chairs on a patio charging their phones at Horler's General Store in Unionville, around 5:30. I did the same, got another day or two of resupply items, and ate a Snickers ice cream bar. They had a short order grill too, but I decided to check out Wit's End Tavern down the street for potentially healthier options.I was glad I did. One of their specials was sesame grilled ahi tuna on a bed of spring greens. The wasabi served with it was the strogest I've ever tasted - complete nasal cavity clearance with tears. I got that with spinach artichoke dip and tortilla chips. I got the main course first and the appetizer second, making my dinner go dessert first, then main course, then appetizer. I could continue recharging there, plus they had Wi-Fi. It took a while for them to get my food out though, so I didn't end up returning to the AT until just before 8.I had 4.2 miles to hike. I figured I would be done in a couple hours, but I was wrong. While much of it was flat walking along a river and went by quickly, there was a long walk along several wooden platforms that slowed me down in the dark. At one point, I hit my shin against one of the platforms. I decided to supplement my headlamp, whose battery was apparently a little low, with the flashlight from my phone. That made things a lot faster, until the last steep climb up to the shelter area: 440 feet in a half mile, and rocky. I finally got to camp a little before 10:30. I set up my tent, ate some snacks, coughed a bit for some reason, and went to bed.