7/21/99: Vernon, NJ/Episcopalian Hostel   Miles Today : 20.4 Miles to Katahdin : 825.7

This morning was amazing, and yes I am still in New Jersey. Peach Buzz woke us all up at the unruly hour of 5 AM to catch the sunrise. While none of us were too pleased with her at the time, we were all glad to be awake as the sun started to poke its head up from behind the distant mountain range. Just before the sun came up over the range, the sky came alive with color as all the wispy white clouds in the sky became painted with different shades of pink. This effect lasted for just a moment, as the fiery entrance of the sun erased the reds and pinks from the sky

This camping experience has been the third best on the trail, falling behind only Max Patch and Cheoah Bald, and by far it was the best sunrise of the trip thus far. The joke all day was that I have to find at least one more great camping spot, so that I don't have to put NEW JERSEY in the list of my top three days!

Well, due to our early awakening, we all got a very early start to our day. Since there were no good outlooks, firetowers, lakes or random 220 foot monuments on our trip today, we hiked quickly and with a focus that we had lacked yesterday. Our pace was quick and by 11:30 we had covered over 12 miles.

One of the few highlights of the day was a walk through a wildlife refuge. At one point we passed a swamp that was covered with wildflowers, mostly lilac in color. Behind this field rose up a small but distinguished ridge that we would soon be climbing over. This is the AT's way of showing us what is ahead before we duck back into the woods. The trail often does this, gives hikers a sneak peek at the challenges ahead just before hiding them with dense tree cover.

The only other highlight of the day was the famous New Jersey bogs. Most of the low lands are just marshy, soupy and smelly. To make these areas of the trail hikable without damaging the environment or losing the occasional hiker in the mud, the ATC has built numerous Bog Bridges over the mud. Basically, they are just long planks of wood mounted on tree logs. Today we walked over 484 such bridges, almost 3/4 of a mile! ( and yes, we counted ).

At 2:30, Peach Buzz, Colorado, DB and I stepped over bog bridge #484 and onto NJ route 94, the road that leads to Vernon. But first, we had to make a trip to Heaven Hill Farm, right next to the AT. They have fresh fruit, homemade baked goods and ice cream! The four of us chowed down on all sorts of goodies here; this place is great.

Finally, we managed to get a ride into Vernon and to the hostel. The story with this place, as told by minister Steve, is that the church was looking to do something new in the community. Since the AT is close by, they chose to allow their recreations center to be used as a hostel at night. There are no beds here, but there is a frig, shower, washer, dryer and TV with VCR.

For now, we are just hanging around watching TV and eating pizza. The Amish dude from the other night is here, going by the name Chestnut. While a little off base, he is a very nice guy and I have enjoyed camping with him the last few days. Tonight, he needed help using the microwave since he had never touched on before. I don't yet have the full story here, but I will get it eventually. My public must know!

Well, that's all for now from the trail. Tomorrow looks to be another easy day with moderate climbs over only 17 miles. Until the next entry, I am your...

-Chomp

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