Day 117
Start: Shelter on Brink Road
End: High Point Shelter
Miles hiked: 19.7
Miles on AT: 1342.0
Today started like any other day. I woke up, packed my things, and ate breakfast while chatting with the hikers from last night. Around 8am I set out to tackle more of New Jersey’s flat ridges.
On the map, it looked like today would be very similar to yesterday. But as a bonus, at the end of my day I found myself at a state park with a lake, showers, and electrical outlets. Nice!
On my first ridge, like yesterday, I had a grassy view of the valley below me and also encountered more wild turkeys. NJ is definitely the state with the most wild turkeys.
The day was mild, still a bit cloudy which kept the heat off. There was a BBQ place at my next intersection that was highly recommended by hikers, but since it was still breakfast time it wasn’t open yet. Guess I wouldn’t experience the NJ BBQ.
I didn’t have to stay disappointed for long because I stumbled upon Trail Magic! Michael, known to hikers as Big Van Mike, had set up his big van full of fruit, snacks and drinks, as well as chairs for hikers to sit in and enjoy the magic. He had hiked the AT in the 70’s and had been doing trail magic and water supplies for hikers for years.
A few minutes after I sat down, Miles and Skittles came over and joined us. It was the start of the day and I still had miles to go so I didn’t want to stay too long, but I ended up sitting there for 30 minutes eating snacks and listening to stories from the trail. It was great.
After setting off, I climbed up the next ridge and covered miles there. I passed another fire lookout tower and eventually came to a really nice gazebo at the top of the mountain. It was the perfect place to have lunch and enjoy the view, so I did just that. I laid down on the benches and enjoyed the breeze blowing through the open space.
As I left, the trail continued as before. I climbed up a ridge and stayed there for a while before descending and climbing up another ridge. I whiled away the hours listening to an audio book and looking forward to arriving at the state park for a swim and shower.
And I must say, High Point State Park did not disappoint. The lake had a sandy beach, clear water, and plenty of fish. Today, swimming was prohibited as there were no lifeguards on duty, but since it was already about 5:30 p.m. on a weekday, a few families were swimming in the cordoned off waters.
My sore feet were in desperate need of relief and I was too tired to change for a swim, so I decided to get in the water instead and let my hot feet cool off. After a while, I found a less sandy spot on the sidewalk and lay down. I was glad to not put any weight on my feet for a few minutes.
It was still early in the day and the shelter was less than a mile away; I could spend the whole evening here! After I had recovered and regained some strength, I gathered some clothes and headed for the showers. What hiker can do without a free shower? I also did a little laundry and hung my somewhat clean clothes out in the sun to dry.
This was life! Families had barbecues, children played in the water, the skies didn’t threaten rain. Life was simple and beautiful and I loved it. I was grateful to be here, to experience a small but powerful moment of joy, peace and love.
While I prepared and ate dinner, I video chatted with the caretaker so we could eat together. The setting sun, still relatively high in the sky, warmed my back. I felt carefree and relaxed.
After saying goodbye to the caretaker, I packed up my things and headed for the shelter. It was almost sunset and there was a viewing platform about 300m away, so I climbed up there to catch a last glimpse of the setting sun.
When I arrived at the shelter, there were a few tents set up and Miles and Skittles had settled in. With little time for small talk, I set up my tent and crawled inside, satisfied with my fulfilling, relaxing day.
And this is day 117.
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