FALLING FOR NJ

AT Day 078: Saturday June 24, 2023

Mile 1312 + 22.5 miles/36 km

Total Distance Hiked: 1334.5 miles/2147 km

Campsite – Mashipacong Shelter 

A:  2910 ft /887 m  D:2965 ft / 904 m 

I was awake in the early hours listening to rain falling on the tent. Big Agnes was doing a fine job keeping us dry. With rainy weather now part of our landscape the first thing we do is check the weather app.  The prediction was for rain to ease by 6:30 and then a couple of dry hours and then rain returning at about 10:00. 

Hammer thought most of the rain we were getting was mainly water dripping from the trees. Even the birds were beginning to chirp. So we broke camp and left our campsite about 6:30.  From the moment we left our camp it started to drizzle and the drizzle turned to rain and the rain intensified.  It rained pretty much all morning. Hiking through the woods in the rain was not unpleasant. It was warm and very humid.  The forest had a lovely fresh scent at times smelling of herbs and other times smelling or freshly cut cucumber.  Quite pleasant and the sound of rain drops on the umbrellas also very soothing. 

It rained most of the morning and we hiked head down trying not to step on the hundreds of red efts that were out on the trail today. There were a few rocky sections which were very slippery. Despite stepping very carefully we both fell on the loose and slippery rocks. Hammer fell twice loosing a bit of skin off his hand and braking a hiking pole.  I tumbled after hitting a rock with my left foot. I have a nasty bruise on my big toe. A few curse words were directed at the trail this morning. 

The rain eased and then stopped as we started to descend to Culver Gap. It looked like the sun was going to break through the clouds. 

We got to the Gap about 1:00 and stopped for lunch at the Mountain House Bar and Grill which was close to trail. 

 It’s one of the features  of this trail that at times there are places with food or lodging so close. Today it really helped to boost our morale, to sit down in a restaurant and have a meal. Although for me the pull of town comfort is strong, especially when having a bad patch. By the time we left the diner, the sun was fully out. We got back to the trailhead carpark and spread our wet gear to dry in the sun. It felt like a real bonus to have this unexpected sunny period. 

From Culver Gap we had a couple of gentle ascents before reaching the Sunrise Mountain Rd  overlook which had a huge undercover pavilion. It would make a great campsite in the rain. We watched hawks riding the thermals and saw our first copperhead snake.  We are surprised by the amount of green space in New Jersey so far.  And we are really loving it.

We were now on a mission to make it to the next shelter and set up camp before a thunderstorm  arrives around 6.45. We barely left the overlook before someone from the carpark above us called  out ‘trail magic’. Wow, what a surprise and so late in the day. We sat down and of course we managed to consume a burger and a couple of Gatorades. The trail magic was provided by Tim and friends, who hiked most of the trail last year. They’ll come back mid-July this year and finish the last 350 miles.  

Time was getting away and we had 3 miles to go to the nearest shelter. We could hear rolling thunder in the distance and it was getting closer. We made it to the shelter just in time. We were under cover and zipped in when an almighty thunderstorm hit. Big Agnes Hilton was our shelter from the storm. We got lucky again.