Really
hard time getting motivated in the morning -- despite the chilly,
misty, perfect hiking weather. Miles were coming awfully slow. Took a
break at seven miles, then lunch after 14.
Terrain was still awfully rocky. My body felt like it was in slow motion. At the 14-mile shelter, there were magazines, citronella candles, toilet paper, and bug spray, courtesy of “Desperado”. Also, Stray Cat opened the bear box, only to find Cokes and Sprites and a bag of cookies. Yum. I guess someone, this Desperado, regularly drops off goodies on the trail in New Jersey.
Oh, we saw a bear in the morning (from a distance) and a mama and her cub (in the far distance) later on. Pretty cool. Million dollar question of the day -- will Worthington’s Bakery be open on the Fourth of July? It’s right on the trail and is a “thru-hiker tradition,” according to Wingfoot.
Well, it was open, but had a pretty disappointing selection. I didn’t even buy anything. Decided to keep going, on to Sunrise Mountain pavilion to try to see some fireworks. Long day -- ended up being 22 or 23 miles, I think, and I was pooped at the end.
The pavilion was huge, with wood columns and a stone floor. Much nicer than I had anticipated. You’re not supposed to camp here, but we’re going to try our luck. We were alone, at first, then a bunch of families started arriving with folding chairs, etc. We had all our clothes spread out, tents hanging out to dry. Then a huge dark cloud rolled in, and within minutes rain was blowing sideways into the pavilion. Luckily, it didn’t last long.
There were some firework displays scattered throughout the valley below, but they were much farther away than I expected. Just little bursts of colored light. Everyone pretty much packed up when the rain came. We all set up sleeping bags on the dry part of the stone floor. It was pretty cold, with wind whipping through the open pavilion.
At around 11, a group of kids who had come up to party started running around like lunatics saying a park ranger was coming. The ranger could have kicked us out, but instead told us about all the bakeries and fast food restaurants coming up. Not a bad night all in all. Couldn’t see the sunrise, though -- too misty. Plus I was busy looking at the backs of my eyelids.
Terrain was still awfully rocky. My body felt like it was in slow motion. At the 14-mile shelter, there were magazines, citronella candles, toilet paper, and bug spray, courtesy of “Desperado”. Also, Stray Cat opened the bear box, only to find Cokes and Sprites and a bag of cookies. Yum. I guess someone, this Desperado, regularly drops off goodies on the trail in New Jersey.
Oh, we saw a bear in the morning (from a distance) and a mama and her cub (in the far distance) later on. Pretty cool. Million dollar question of the day -- will Worthington’s Bakery be open on the Fourth of July? It’s right on the trail and is a “thru-hiker tradition,” according to Wingfoot.
Well, it was open, but had a pretty disappointing selection. I didn’t even buy anything. Decided to keep going, on to Sunrise Mountain pavilion to try to see some fireworks. Long day -- ended up being 22 or 23 miles, I think, and I was pooped at the end.
The pavilion was huge, with wood columns and a stone floor. Much nicer than I had anticipated. You’re not supposed to camp here, but we’re going to try our luck. We were alone, at first, then a bunch of families started arriving with folding chairs, etc. We had all our clothes spread out, tents hanging out to dry. Then a huge dark cloud rolled in, and within minutes rain was blowing sideways into the pavilion. Luckily, it didn’t last long.
There were some firework displays scattered throughout the valley below, but they were much farther away than I expected. Just little bursts of colored light. Everyone pretty much packed up when the rain came. We all set up sleeping bags on the dry part of the stone floor. It was pretty cold, with wind whipping through the open pavilion.
 |
| Cooking at the Pavilion |
At around 11, a group of kids who had come up to party started running around like lunatics saying a park ranger was coming. The ranger could have kicked us out, but instead told us about all the bakeries and fast food restaurants coming up. Not a bad night all in all. Couldn’t see the sunrise, though -- too misty. Plus I was busy looking at the backs of my eyelids.
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