6/18/06 Sunday: Brink Rd Shelter to High Point Shelter (19.6mi)

PICTURES:
1. 0930: Fresh breakfast with Sven and Tailwind... a time to catch up...
2. 1055: Enjoying the view on our way up from the gap.
3. 1259: Lunch at a shelter after a moderate climb on an extremely hot and humid day.
4. 1925: Its not fall, but those are pieces of leaves on the ground and falling off the trees. Parts not eaten by the gypsy moths.

Well, I had a bagel sandwitch on my mind at Culvers Gap, the same place I had dropped the three hikers off the day before... I met up with Sven and Tailwind again and we all made it to the Gap together and headed a short distance to a bagel/coffee shop.. A nice older gentleman makes a mean bagel sandwitch... The three of us were finishing up our meals when I asked the owner to get some water for our bottles from his tap... He said use my office... which I soon found out was a very clean restroom.. I was able to fill up both bottles and use his commode but when another female hiker went for the room, he stopped her and told her to ask before using his office... The three of us continued our trek north... The 95 degree temps were the highest yet... There was tree cover for most of the day but we experienced the devastation from the Gypsy Moth at its worst in New Jersey... As I walk the trail is full of leaves, half eaten and the canopy above is rather thin... At night you can hear the munching and crunching of a million catapillars feasting on the vegitation.... By 1645, I arrived at High Point State Park near complete exhaustion, with the continuous gains and losses in elevation, many short gains of 150-250 feet but very steep... On this day the heat, humidity, terrain, shortage of water, all teamed up to do me in... This was the most exhausting day of my trip so far!!!! Thank God for the Trail Majic that met me as I entered the park... Cold sodas and water... I chatted with the gentleman for 20 min and regained my strenth enough to continue another half mile to the beach area of the park for a couple of burgers and a swim... I couldnt believe how steep the 1/2mi trail to the beach was but made it in about 25min and walked on a road for another .5 miles to the concession, arriving at 1750, ten minutes before the entire operation closed for the day. I ordered my 2 quarter pound cheeseburgers and 2 cokes, sat at a picnic table and chowed down...:) I spent about an hour there relaxing and recovering from my ordeal of this overwhelmingly hot and humid day, and prayed for kinder weather tomorrow... I started moving again to the shelter, about 1 mile away. I arrived arrived at 1930 to find a PopPop (section hiker) and a Ridge Runner there relaxing... I had met PopPop at the concession earlier, but no sign of the Army guys...they had decided to camp behind the parks HQ building near the water faucet.. I soon set up my tent, the mosquitoes were quite bad, and retired for the night...