Jaberg's Appalachian Trail Log

"All Good Things"

Final Total Accrued Miles: 735.5

Final Total Mountains "Overed": 49

Sometimes it's over before you realize it's over; this is okay. Settle in for a long one -- conclusion post incoming.

Before I begin, I want to thank everyone for their support over the past 4 or so months of this journey. Deciding to walk away from your regular life into the wilderness for months at a time isn't easy, and having the verbal, emotional, and tangible support of friends and family helped make this a doable feat. You are all very much appreciated.

As stated in my previous post, I did in fact return to the trail and hiked for 2 days and about 20 miles before hopping off again for a reunion with some long time friends. We call ourselves "The Kids Table" in a very lighthearted fashion and it's been a standing tradition to get together every year for a long weekend to catch up in person. Trail or no trail I wouldn't miss that for the world. We had an excellent weekend together, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with my friends.

When the weekend came to an end and it was time to head back to the trail, I found myself strangely reticent. An opportunity presented itself to stay off trail longer and I found myself taking it. What's more I didn't really feel any guilt for doing so. Yes the weather was good, the leaves changing making for ideal conditions out on the trail, however deep down I just didn't have the same drive to be out there that had propelled me earlier in the year. As I meditated on that over the coming days and week it became increasingly clear that while I could go back out there, it wasn't because I felt a call or drive to do so. I would certainly enjoy myself if I did, but the deeper things I wanted to experience weren't necessarily out there any more at this time for me (or so I believe). It took taking some time off, then trying to restart again for me to realize that.

So I've decided the hike is over. It's both strange and relieving. It cannot be overstated how important taking these steps and going on this fully layered physical, mental, and spiritual journey were for me. When I began this I didn't necessarily know how it would end and I think that's a lot of what made it special. I was free to walk and explore as long as I needed to. It turns out that was 735.5 miles from Virginia to Connecticut. There were incredible days, tough days, meeting all kinds of people from all different walks of life, deep introspection, and a certain focus on being present for all of it. Because of that leaving now feels like it would be the same as leaving a month from now, or even a month prior. I got and gave what I needed on the Trail.

Now I'll be the first to say that I don't have everything figured out. I didn't really go into this quest with that kind of expectation. Life continues to move for us all and while incredibly unique and formative, hiking was not the end-all-be-all. I will continue to "walk" even though it won't be on the Appalachian Trail.

I'm sure people will want to know where I will live and what I will do now that the trail is done. While I have some ideas (either discovered or reinforced from the trail), I don't have anything I'm ready to commit to yet. I think I want to explore this liminal state a bit more before fully re-entering the world I left. There are some wonderful people helping me do this. I am not deluding myself though, this state will end as all liminal states do. I can only hope to be ready for it when it does.

Like all good things, I guess that means the end of this blog too. To my surprise it's actually been fun keeping up with the posts. I'm not much of a natural journaler, but I've found it to be helpful in organizing my experience out here. Hopefully you've gotten some enjoyment and edification out of it as well; thank you for coming along on my journey. I look forward to seeing where my path leads from here. Drop me a line sometime, I'd love to chat about it -- the end is never really the end.

Happy Trails,

-SJ

Earworm(s):

Strangers -- City and Color: https://youtu.be/_lDPxeiXzvs?si=g9qGlyargJ_rzQ_c

I'm Gonna Be (500 miles) -- The Proclaimers: https://youtu.be/aJ9usrpAPao?si=SueBAFYiZoAFY6jL

State of Grace (acoustic) -- Taylor Swift: https://youtu.be/D3mJe28un4M?si=KuQ-RHog2BT1WZqv

The Other Side -- Geographer: https://youtu.be/8hqAH11cbrs?si=QrzeKjc1hEsO0nGt

Intermission Recap

Hey folks, stepping back in here. Sorry for the delay, my 2 week break turned into 3. My legs were feeling much better, but I ended up needing to run some more errands, plus I came down with a minor cold for a couple days. I'm back in the trail as of today, but I figured I'd give a brief rundown before we get back to trail business.

The following Sunday after the baseball game L.J. kindly dropped me off in Gettysburg where I was able to hang out with my mom and her friend Lindsay. We got to check out some of the Gettysburg sights, and I've got to say it's a really nice town in addition to all of the history there. We got to watch some Band of Brothers too which I hadn't seen before and really enjoyed.

Went back to Bedford with Mom and then jetted off to the beach. I usually have a yearly impulse to get to the ocean, and coming from the mountains it was a really nice contrast. Unfortunately the surf lessons I wanted to take got washed out because of high riptide, but I did get to do some swimming the day prior. I also got to cook up some tasty fish both nights which was a real treat. Got out of town just in time to avoid the tropical storm that spun up off the coast. A short and sweet trip.

A large portion of my time was spent visiting with people. I drove around to Northern Virginia, Maryland, Harrisonburg, Roanoke, and Central Virginia hanging out with friends and family. Some highlights include: a housewarming party, meeting newborn Adrian, fire pit at the parent's house, double-date Thai, hiking (yes, more!) Devil's Marble Yard, a nostalgic evening at Windsor Rd having dinner and playing Magic like the old days, and of course seeing people in person. Being a woods hermit is cool and all, but you definitely start to miss people.

It was great seeing everyone, and if I didn't get a chance to meet with you this time let's make sure to get together once I'm back from the second leg here! I'll begin my usual cadence here again with regular trail updates coming. It feels good to be back out here again, stayed tuned.

-SJ

Earworm(s):

Random Thoughts -- Nappy Roots: https://youtu.be/ulZb00fhlgM?si=v-30KDqIXDFugXyI

Dirty Cigarettes -- Beach Slang: https://youtu.be/r6zfAlzZOxI?si=t31WmqesO1SCz5le

Yours -- Now Now: https://youtu.be/ahs7l3irsG0?si=L9sEAtpnLqE9f1r9

Reflecting Light -- The Avalanches: https://youtu.be/GAPlnoeEcH0?si=whB80DSwj641gHkL

Break My Heart -- Living Legends: https://youtu.be/bZkLGAxDv2U?si=HDG4pysl-k9xIZXN

Saw You In a Dream -- Hidden States: https://youtu.be/wq3dXNmpcZg?si=ZhN94zPOeqTpRvPt

Intermission

Well folks, we've hit my intermission point for this journey. I've done about 1/3 of the trail so far and this felt like a good point to pause. I'm going to be taking a couple weeks off to rest up a bit. Overall I'm feeling good, but my knees have been showing some wear so I think it's prudent to let them recuperate some before heading back out.

It's also a good opportunity to visit with friends and family. I'll be driving around to various places so if you have some free time let me know and I'm happy to drop by for a bit and share some of my trail stories and findings. The plan is to resume the trail October 3rd or 4th and then press on as long as I can before weather or finances ultimately prevent me from going further. If I'm lucky, I can get the southern 3rd done by Christmas. We shall see!

Since this is a trail blog, I probably won't update much in the interum, but definitely expect a wrap up post before I begin hiking again in a couple weeks. Looking forward to cooler, bug-free Virginia fall with plenty of colors! See you then.

-SJ

Days 108-109 "Road Series"

NB 1472.1

Total Accrued Miles: 717.1

Total Mountains "Overed": 48

Hikers Met: Pika, Vincent, Spruce, Redwood, TwoRight, Rodrigo, Chaps, Knowledge, Gary

I hiked 700 miles to go to a baseball game. More on that in a minute though.

The past couple days have been immaculate -- really amazing weather and the hiking has been top notch. I couldn't ask for a better couple of days to finish off the Mid-Atlantic section of the trail here. I've hit my mile goal for this stretch too and on top of that it feels to good to knock out New York state. Since Bear Mountain was closed I'll have to come back at some point and get those 4.7 miles, but I figure I can do that in a few years when I start tackling New England.

Despite it being fairly quiet out on the trail here recently, I've gotten to meet and hang out with quite a few people in the past couple days. I met Pika at the Bull Bridge, a covered bridge where we chatted for a bit then decided to grab lunch at a convenience store. She was going Sobo and since I'm Nobo (for now) we shared some info about the respective sections we just crossed. The convenience store had frozen Indian meals which was a nice treat and a good way to shake up my diet some. We also chatted with a local Ridgerunner about trail things. All in all a good morning.

As stated the hiking and weather were great. Some moderately challenging hills and nice cruise-y secitons coupled with the cool temps made the hours fly by. I met another day hiker out there and ended up giving him a bunch of tips on backpacking. He's been strongly considering it for a while and I hope he gets the chance to do it. Shout out to Rodrigo if you're reading this!

Got to my last shelter here for a bit and sure enough there were more hikers there. One was a former thru-hiker and now runs a backpacking tour and coaching service. Another guy Chaps was former military and doing some sections here for a few weeks and working on a book. I think I've talked a bit before about the trail network out here, but it's really interesting and cool how people know people out here, and how almost none of us actually use our real names. Chaps knew Pika from earlier and as it turns out, she actually knows Scout! I met Scout back down in VA and it was cool to hear about someone I met so many miles and weeks ago. Scout, if you're reading this keep it up and Pika says hi!

At Knowledge's suggestion I put up my tarp before bed; not because of rain, but because of wind. Hurricane Lee offshore wasn't supposed to bring too much inland, but the winds were elevated and I'm glad he mentioned it. The nights are getting cooler too so having the rainfly up to block the wind helped keep the temperatures in the hammock more comfortable.

Took my time and enjoyed my coffee at camp the following morning while chatting with the guys from last night who were also taking it easy. Eventually we parted ways and I hiked the short distance down the road and another mile into town in Kent, CT for my scheduled pickup by L.J. Got some more coffee and a lox bagel from a cafe and swung by the bookstore in town to kill some time until he got there. Everything was really good and Kent seems like a neat little town. I'll have to explore more when I come back next time.

L.J. arrived and we proceeded to head back south. It's pretty wild watching the miles fly by that took you weeks to hike. Heading back to civilization, it was imperative I grab some non-trail (aka clean) clothes and most importantly, a shower. As we discovered, getting a shower on the road without renting a hotel room is kind of difficult. After a couple tries we found a truck stop without a ridiculous wait time, and I was mercifully able to clean up and change into my new wardrobe from a local Macy's.

Necessities taken care of, we headed on down to Baltimore. It just so happened that L.J. had tickets to an Orioles game that night and being fans, we headed on down to Camden Yards. I've mostly given up watching sports over the years, but I've always been drawn back to the timelessness of baseball. The experience at the park is really nice too and a great way to spend an evening. Camden Yards in Baltimore is beautiful and the O's put on a heck of a show going 8-0 on the day with some spectactular pitching. An excellent day out at the park.

Going from being out in the woods into a major city was also quite an experience. The sheer contrast was a bit mind-blowing, and not something I experienced before. Definitely something I'll be remembering for a while.

Major kudos to L.J. for coming to pick me up and for going to the baseball game. It's been great seeing friends and family out on the trail and you definitely "went the extra mile".

Check out the next post for the updated plan for the next few weeks and trail ahead.

-SJ

Earworm(s):

Running Red Lights -- The Avalanches: https://youtu.be/nsjQ3Gblzys?si=x5QX6Ur_wKdLteWe

Days 106-107 "Escape From New York"

NB 1463.0

Total Accrued Miles: 708.0

Total Mountains "Overed": 48

Hikers Met: Mayqueen, Lemonhope, Dan, JustRose

Snake Plisskin here again, hiking my butt out of another crappy state. Like the John Carpenter movies I'm riffing the Escape from New York is better than the Escape from L.A. (or in my case P.A.). The closer I get to the Connecticut border things start to improve. Still lots of trash, road walking, and poorly maintained trails though and I am very happy to be moving on. Some days I'm literally walking on broken glass.

It's not all bad though. Stayed at the Telephone Pioneers Shelter one night and was able to see a pretty spectacular sunrise right from my hammock. Another deli sandwich or two have helped things along as well. The weather is drying up here too, and taking the heat along with it, leaving some beautiful cool weather. I also got to see the Dover Oak -- the oldest oak tree on the AT. Over 20 feet in diameter around the trunk, and at over 300 years old, it was definitely something to see. Click on today's picture for a better look. A lovely old tree and I spent a bit of time visiting with it and checking it out.

The last 10 miles or so have been mostly forgiving. Coming down from the Telephone shelter I crossed another boardwalk over some pretty swampland. At the the end the trail actually crossed a region rail line, which I'd consider using if L.J. wasn't coming up in a couple days to retrieve me from New England. There was also a lawn and garden center at a crossroads that had some useful supplies I needed to get through the next few days. I've been stretching my rations to avoid having to go into town and the cliff bars, dehydrated meal, soda, and fresh water were all needed.

The last 1.5 miles into Connecticut were what you'd expect from this state. The bridge over the brook was out (and apparently has been for some time), yet NY state doesn't care enough to replace it. The alternative is a fairly dangerous road walk around the area, and was definitely not pleasant. I made it thought, and was very pleased to cross the border. It's very evident immediately as the trail on the CT is very manicured and even had some nice gravel walkways as I entered the state. The forests seemed to be in a better state too and reminded me some of Virginia, making me a bit homesick. Looking forward to seeing it soon and hiking the bigger mountains again.

Got to camp and met this very nice elderly duo named Dan and JustRose. They're a brother and sister from Vermont section hiking the 40 miles of Connecticut. They're well into their 70's, but doing the same or more miles than me on any given day. They've hiked a bunch of New England already, and it was cool to hear their experiences. I was very impressed by their fitness and it just goes to show you that if you take care of yourself you can accomplish things at any age. We chatted for a couple hours after dinner, and I finally turned in for the night. A couple more days here and I'll be going on break!

-SJ

Earworm(s):

Walking on Broken Glass -- Annie Lenox: https://youtu.be/y25stK5ymlA?si=aNTu-gHTd0Ry18le

Drive That Fast -- Kitchens of Distinction: https://youtu.be/D5xOXZxC0jY?si=U33FxH3Jckm52GQa

Days 102-105 "Deli Blazing (With a Heavy Side of Rain)"

NB 1442.4

Total Accrued Miles: 687.4

Total Mountains "Overed": 47

Hikers Met: Max, Hendrix, Mr. Freeze, Cardinal

Yep, the rains are here. I do think I prefer it to the reckless heat that's been so oppressive. I don't mind hiking in rain, at least for a few days. Mornings have been dry too, which helps with getting camp packed up. Night are wet, but my rain fly keeps the hammock nice and dry, even in a downpour.

Said goodbye to Chris, left Bear Mtn Motel, and proceeded to hike across the Hudson River. One of the bigger crossings I've done, and this one was pretty far up! Made it across safely and hiked on up the mountain. New York still isn't great, but things are improving the further away I get from the city.

One nice thing about the state however is the amount of delis located at or near road crossings. Packing out a fresh Italian sub and chips for dinner later in the evening really lifts the spirits. Not to mention cold drinks to cool off and a place to rest before moving on.

One not nice thing about the stretch is the mosquitos. For the vast majority of my travels these past 3 months, bugs haven't been bad at all. Queue NY though, where they are downright aggressive here. Probably a combo of the summer heat and rain, but they really have been a problem. Long sleeves and pants help, but for the past few nights I've been running to the safety of my hammock (w/ bug net) to escape the onslaught.

Speaking of road crossings, towards the end of the day I crossed a no name road in the middle of nowhere and a guy asked if I had seen a group behind me. Turns out he was looking for Chris and his wife (Chris's sister) who were hiking behind me. He gave me some water and snacks while we waited, and sure enough they showed up about a half hour later. It was nice bumping into them again.

One last thing to report for this stretch -- shelter pizza delivery. You read that right. A couple nights later I was staying at the RPH shelter with a hiker named Cardinal a retired SoBo heading the other way through NY. Reading the shelter log it appeared the local pizza joint would deliver to the shelter. Sure enough and hour later we were chowing down on cheese pizza and wings. A lot of days out here are "roughing it", but it was a nice treat to have hot food sent out on the trail.

Only a couple more days in New York here, then a little stretch of Connecticut before ending my northern section of the trail here and going on hiatus for a couple weeks. Looking forward to it.

-SJ

Earworm(s):

Third Eye -- Florence and the Machine: https://youtu.be/e67laA_11NM?si=0ydkr0dEahigaRC3

Ramble On -- Led Zeppelin: https://youtu.be/EAmIuTI4wRg?si=pmpK94L10tsVPlOX

Days 98-101 "Breaking Points"

NB 1408.0

Total Accrued Miles: 653.0

Total Mountains "Overed": 45

Hikers Met: House, Chris

Oh my, the heat is here. I knew I was getting off too easy without some summer wrath. It's been in the upper 80's this week with the heat index into the 90's and man it takes its toll. I make sure to stay stocked up on water and it means taking more breaks and doing less miles. One day I only did 1 mile of hiking before stopping for the day.

Morale has been low too, to the point where I considered quitting the northern leg early on a day going through the "Lemon Squeezer". Talked with a friend though and that helped a lot to reframe it for me. It would really be nice to knock out New York and finish up the Mid-Atlantic here on this part of my journey. A few more days and it would cool off anyway.

So I kept going, and I'm glad I did! That very day I met House again. I had met him for the first time all the way back in VA near The Priest, and sure enough that day he was hiking Sobo after flipping up to Maine a couple months ago. It was nice seeing a familiar face from earlier in my journey and it brought back some memories.

It's sad to say, but the trail here in NY feels very.... neglected. Like they ran it through the garbage parts of the state and didn't bother with the trail maintenance. There's hardly any wildlife here, no deer to speak of and I don't even think I've seen squirrels. A lot of the trees are dead too. I guess it's the proximity to the city, but I came out here for communion with nature so it's been somewhat jarring. It's part of the AT though and it won't always be beautiful out here. As I get away from the city it seems to be improving somewhat at least.

Arrived in Bear Mountian, NY after skipping the aforementioned mountain itself. I heard from other hikers that it was closed, and sure enough there was orange netting blocking off the AT with "Extremely Dangerous" signs posted. I hate having to miss sections of trail, but it's not worth risking my life on washed out sections that are patently unsafe. Since I'm coming back up north somewhere in the future, I'll swing though and grab those 4.7 miles I missed. Hopefully they can repair that section of trail in the next year or two.

Stayed at the Bear Mountain Motel where I met "Grandpa", the surly but nice caretaker. He told me about the rainstorm in July that washed everything out, and based off what he told me I'm really glad I decided to skip that section! Got some good rest that night and the next day I met another hiker named Chris who offered to split his room with me. Faced with another hot day, I decided to take him up on the offer of a half price room and enjoy the 0 day in AC.

He's from Philly and recently quit his job to hike up to New Hampshire where he bought a house recently. We chatted about gear and he picked my brain a bit about my trail experience so far. It was a nice chill day (literally) and a nice break from the heat.

Thankfully the heat will leaving in a couple days, but at the cost of rain and thunderstorms. At this point I think I may prefer it. Onward and outward!

-SJ

Earworm(s):

Mary -- Big Thief: https://youtu.be/G5OV1JPqlNQ?si=WFlloaYUiOmrIhKY

Heaven Knows What -- Holy Ghost! : https://youtu.be/YjR6OLQqhTU?si=yWXp8kb-kuqxr53Z

Idiot Heart -- Sunset Rubdown: https://youtu.be/xnnuGZ3QKgM?si=p0yJRZFhxtAhlSRS

Day 95-97 "New York New Challenges"

NB 1388.2

Total Accrued Miles: 637.9

Total Mountains "Overed": 42

Hikers Met: B Minus

Trail Magic from: Greg

Hiked the last 6 miles out of New Jersey, and sure enough it really was a nice hike through this state. Near the border some bigger rocks started to appear with the actual state line crossing being over one big boulder. This would be a taste of what was to come.

So far there's been a lot of up and down over boulders in New York. They've thankfully been mostly manageable, but they're certainly stretching and taxing me. Here in NY they're much more frequent, where in Pennsylvania the scrambles were less frequent, but much more intense. The NY trail is mostly dirt though and that is definitely an improvement from PA. I miss NJ though.

Water has also been a challenge here. Sources are common enough, but many are stagnant or if they are moving have a dirty brown color to them. I run it through my gravity filter as always, but I'm finding myself tossing a chemical tab in as well to be safe. No issues so far, but I miss those clear springs from other states.

That does bring me to some trail magic. A kind man name Greg stocks ice water 2-3 times a day on one of the road crossings in a bucket. I happened to catch him on one of his refills and I tell ya, I appreciate his dedication. That cold water is amazing now that it's heating up out here. He even let me pack out an ice bottle that kept me cool through the afternoon, it was quite a treat.

Speaking of treats, one of the road crossings had a hot dog stand and a creamery with local ice cream. Both were excellent. "Top" who runs the dog stand is former military and it was nice chatting with him a bit while he made my hot dogs. The creamery had a water spigot and charging station for hikers which was also a boon.

Mosquitos have been more aggressive here so I'm wearing my shirt sleeves down and using my buff at times as a mask to fight them off. It's not all the time thankfully, but it's definitely a more intense bug situation than at the beginning of my journey.

Descended "Agony Grind", a particularly steep rock scramble down into town. I'm glad I got to go down rather than up it; not sure I would have made it otherwise. The cold water from Greg was also helpful in keeping me from overheating and my morale up. Got down and caught a Lyft ride into Tuxedo, NY. The driver and I chatted about manual cars on the way. Hers was a Subaru and I was shocked they still manufactured them in stick shift. Lodging for the night was at the Tuxedo Motel, a real throwback. I think time forgot it, but AC, shower, laundry, and phone charge (4 of the 5 town requirements) were met so I won't get down on it. Rates were reasonable too. Had a calzone for dinner from a local joint and rested up for the night to get ready for the heat wave coming in the next few days.

-SJ

Earworm(s):

Chances -- Cloquet: https://youtu.be/r-t2FumLLJY?si=DeFXPQlQjrmb9SMw

Don't Take the Money -- Bleachers: https://youtu.be/XEeJM6Rewz8?si=pADoDFYcQHWou6Gb

Days 93-94 "New Jersey I Hardly Knew Ya"

NB 1363.8

Total Accrued Miles: 613.5

Total Mountains "Overed": 40

Hikers Met: Larry Bird, Papa Ski, Nina (the dog), U.B.

Last two full days here in New Jersey, and I can't believe I'm saying it, but it's been and downright pleasant experience. The stuff near the city may get a bad rap, but the more rural section the trail runs through is quite nice.

Flew through miles to get to Unionville, NY (you dip over the border briefly) for my resupply package. Grabbed pizza and ice cream in town and let my phone charge a while before heading out back into NJ and crossing through the Wallkill Wildlife refuge. There were a ton of cool birds and scenery there! If you're ever in the area I'd highly recommend, not to mention it's free. Climbed up Pochuck Mountain and made it just before dark. Got to catch a pretty rad sunset before getting in the hammock for the night.

Next day I was a little tired, but I cruised along alright. Covered a few miles with some boardwalk over swampy ground. I've seen a few before, but never this long or sophisticated -- there was even a suspension bridge. The swampland was actually nice too with some pretty views and plants.

Swung through Vernon, NJ and grabbed some ice cream and cider donuts at Heaven Hill Creamery (I'm sure you can see a trend here). I met a family from Williamsburg up visiting for a wedding and it was nice to chat about VA things for a bit. Full of ice cream I climbed the "Stairway to Heaven" as the locals call it which is about a 1000 ft gain of rocks to a decent view of the valley. A bit challenging, but I felt pretty competent after 600 miles. Met a climber named U.B. who I hiked with for a while. He's a retired Aviation Engineer for GE and we got along well for the couple hours we hiked together. He was finishing up his section that day and heading home so we parted ways before I set up camp for the night. A shame we couldn't hang out longer, but that's how it goes.

Tomorrow it's on to New York!

-SJ

Time -- Pink Floyd: https://youtu.be/yl-Ms_ek-kE?si=77tR_8jmuYkVSMBs

Under the Boardwalk -- The Drifters: https://youtu.be/EPEqRMVnZNU?si=TJZxPeWLX91YKqBI

Stairway to Heaven -- Led Zeppelin: https://youtu.be/xbhCPt6PZIU?si=kRZ1neIKd5-MXmKd

Days 90-92 "Variety is the Spice (of the trail)"

NB 1342.2

Total Accrued Miles: 591.9

Total Mountains "Overed": 39

Hikers Met: Whittler, Loki, Olaf (the dog), No Joke, Reset

Trail Magic from: Anonymous Roadside Cooler

Really sliding through New Jersey here. There's a lot of variation on any given day, and that's been a welcome change. Sure there's some rocky sections, but they're interspersed with dirt trail and nice cruisey sections that make for a really pleasant experience most of the time. Lots of healthy flora and fauna too. Even the bigger rocks are mostly flat and pretty easy to traverse. The weather has been downright nice for August as well with minimal rain and highs in the high 70's. If I were to nitpick one thing there's been some PUDS (Pointless Ups and Downs), but they haven't been too bad. You make your peace with not always getting views out here and appreciating the more humble aspects of the trail. Bugs haven't been bad aside from one section with some aggressive mosquitos. I was able to make a decent mask with my buff and by rolling my sleeves down I was able to soldier through.

Due to a post office delay on my resupply package I had to spend an unaccounted for zero. There was a park near the shelter I was camping at so I hiked the mile back and layed out near the High Point lake beach and was able to grab a shower which felt great. It's at the highest point in NJ here, hence the name. Not much else to report aside from a thunderstorm one night and on a different night I thought I heard animal at camp, but I didn't see anything and nothing was amiss in the morning so no harm no foul there.

Also, plans are solidifying for the end of this section of my journey. I'll be doing my best to get through New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut in the next 2 weeks before being escorted back down south. I'll probably take a week or two off to rest up, then God willing head south from Bedford and try to tackle as much as I can of the southern part of the trail the remainder of the year. Will keep you guys posted.

-SJ

As It Was -- Harry Styles: https://youtu.be/H5v3kku4y6Q?si=Vc_2eedYqXkICrPp

Summer Didn't Change a Thing -- White Lies: https://youtu.be/Q1uDtq4XtR0?si=tIJB5hFwUFj3DwsL

Everybody Lost Somebody -- Bleachers: https://youtu.be/vq_eOM8h4TM?si=Tj6inOfd1rV_JFse