Date: 2022-08-28
From: High Point State Park

To: Woods at SOBO Mile 875.2
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: clear sky

Mosey drove us to High Point SP Headquarters in 2 loads starting at 7:00. The headquarters building sits on the south side of a large field. The field is bisected by the east-west road with a small pond between the road and the building. The Appalachian Trail runs across the road headed north away from the building and south to its rear. I¢ve had an image of this large field many times in our trip. I¢ve seen it like a room with 4 doors. We¢ve entered this ¢room¢ through the western door - by car - both times we¢ve been here. In May, we waved goodbye to Joni¢s parents and stepped through the northern door. The last 90 days have been an exploration of what lies behind it- rock, tree, stream for starters. But also places that will live in our memories: the Warwick Drive In, Harriman State Park, the terrible road crossing at Bear Mountain Bridge, the Stairway to Heaven rainstorm, friends in Milford, Sages Ravine, friends in Great Barrington, injury, Williamston, Clarendon Gorge, Spineless Cougar¢s trail magic, Grandie & Grandpa, the White Mountains, the Notch Hostel, Gorham Bar-B-Que, southern Maine mountains, The Cabin, The Flagstaff General Store, The Kennebec, Shaw¢s, the 100-mile wilderness, Herd Brook Shelter at 4:30am, Baxter State Park, summit day. There are also people we¢ve met that have made being out here new everyday: Lightyear & Margaritaville, The Nomads, Around the Corner & Grasshopper, shuttle driver Joe, Tom Lavardi, Great Dane, Tin Man, Bennington Steve, Trash, Professor, Gumby, Neo, Leg, Honey, Stretch & Lotus, Coastie, Jay & Tina, Poet & Hippie Chick, Hodding, Hudson, Mosey. If the lists seem long know that they are far from exhaustive. As we shouldered our packs I pointed out the southern ¢door¢ to Joni & the Boys. ¢More adventure and people than we met that way,¢ I said pointing north, ¢awaits us that way.¢ Southbound. Homeward Bound.¢ We stepped into the woods with strong legs and light spirits. Somewhere in Connecticut mid-June we met Poison, Ivy, and Firecracker on the trail. They were finishing their 7-year section hike this summer. They offered to help us when we got to their piece of the trail near Wind Gap, PA. Poison and Joni traded numbers. Just this week we made plans with them to stay at their house on Tuesday. Wind Gap is 60 miles south of High Point. Tuesday is 3 days away. Pickup time is to be 3:30 on Tuesday. So we¢ve got our work cut out for us! As we stepped into the woods we had a 20+ mile day on our minds. Now that we¢re back in New Jersey we¢re back to the delis and restaurants! We¢ve got plans to eat 4 meals at places close to the trail. We¢re able to light our pack significantly when 4 meals get left out! We planned to pass The Mountain House Inn and Tavern about 3:00 and eat an early dinner today. We ate lunch at Sunrise Mountain pavilion. It¢s trail-side pillar was full of yellow jackets. Thankfully ,Grayson¢s sharp eye picked them out before anyone walked into the cloud.  The Mountain House Tavern was excellent. Burgers all around except Baxter, who had seafood cakes. We ordered a piece of peanut butter pie for an appetizer. We drank all the lemonade they had. Water on this long section of trail is dangerously scarce. We filled bottles at High Point and had our first on-trail water at the restaurant 15-miles away. The trail through the next 200 miles is like this, crossing a high, dry ridge with more wind gaps than water gaps. Keeping an ye on the next water is crucial. Late in the day, about mile 20, we got a view north back to High Point State Park. The high point itself is marked by an 80-foot tall obelisk, easily visible on the high hill behind us. Twenty miles is a long way!We found a camping spot in the woods that we made our home for the night. Someone had lost their car key there. I employed the PCT hang tonight for the first time in months. We¢re back in active bear country. D we lay in our tent the night insects are booming in the forest around us. It sounds like home in the summer. The northern states have none of these sounds. The woods there are stunningly quiet at night, far from the sounds of a Georgia forest. It¢s good to hear their raucous serenade. We are headed towards home, indeed.