I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.
~Alice Walker
August 28, 2022
AT miles: 14.1
Ascent: 1196’
Descent: 1819’
Weather: hot, muggy, and mostly sunny (mid-80’s)
Sightings: a donkey, a fawn, and lots of chipmunks
High points: the beautiful views from the farm fields and the flowers in the swamps
Breakfast at Mosey’s Place was memorable. Not only was there great conversation with the lovely family from Georgia but I think that meal is the only time in my life when I have genuinely eaten my fill of bacon! Additionally there were eggs and hash browns. It was a wonderfully filling breakfast to send me on my way down the trail.
Mosey gave me a lift to High Point State Park & I headed north on the AT. The trail was scrubby.
Usually when I come to a fire tower it is locked, or the weather is cloudy, or the fire tower looks flimsy. I finally found a fire tower that looks solidly built and was not locked, but unfortunately just then the clouds came in.
The trail descended for the next eleven miles! As I descended into the valley I saw more and more stone walls, a reminder that at some point in the not-too-distant past this land was mostly farmland.
Since I started hiking in New Jersey 45 miles ago almost every single stream that I have crossed has been dry. (This is a stream bed, not the trail.)
And the few ponds I have passed have been murky, muddy, algae-filled messes.
Today the trail was amazingly easy. It was reasonably level and mostly smooth — you could push a baby carriage on most of it!
For miles I hiked through farm fields. The scenery was breathtaking — not exactly what I usually associate with New Jersey!
Today was quite warm, and I was delighted to come across some trail magic. I still had most of my 7 pounds of water from Mosey’s Place, but a cold energy drink is always appreciated!
I headed towards “The Secret Shelter,” a privately-owned cabin which the owner lets hikers use. His donkey Jake came over and said hello!
The owner showed up and showered me with tomatoes both large and small — even some dried ones!
The secret shelter has electricity and a water pump, so I was tempted to stay there, but since it was only 11:00 I made the hard decision to keep on going.
The trail descended even further, ending up at the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge. In wetter times this would be a huge flat area filled mostly with water. Today I saw mostly white egrets, but I suspect that at another time of year this would be a major stopover for migratory birds. The path followed the rectangular perimeter of the refuge exactly. Since the path was mostly dirt or paved, I was able to make good time through this section.
The trail finally left the wildlife refuge and I walked on bog boards for another mile or so.
I love walking through the miles of flat flower-filled swamp!
Then finally the trail went up and up and up Pochuk Mtn. Pochuk Mtn Shelter, my home for the night, is most of the way up the mountain.
Since Pochuk Mountain Shelter is only 7 miles from The Secret Shelter with all its amenities, most southbound thruhikers hurry on past Pochuk Mtn Shelter and spend the night at The Secret Shelter. In addition to being unpopular because of its location, Pochuk Mtn Shelter has a reputation for coyotes howling at night! (A ridge runner assured me that the noise is just local farm dogs, but that turned out to be only partially true.) Given those concerns, I really didn’t want to stay here alone. Thankfully a couple has come and rescued me from that fate. We have only said a few words, but I really appreciate their presence.
Interestingly enough, much of today’s section lies within a few hundred feet of the New York/New Jersey boundary, and for one brief section I actually crossed over into New York!
Today is a great day for a long walk in the woods!