| July 30, 2005 |
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7:40am and I'm leaving the shelter.
It is a bit of a cool morning. The sun trying to peep out and
I think it'll be pretty nice day. Back on the AT and guess
what? A huge pile of rocks, a steep hill at the beginning.
A lot of light planes and helicopters in the area. |
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Hiking just below the rocky ridge line in a
less rocky area. I just spotted one of those little star like
flowers. They look like the stars of Bethlehem. I just
came across a real narrow rocky ridge line. The path was dust
and needle covered with scattered rocks. Then you get into
areas where it is rocks all together. The hills are short, but
steep. |
|
Coming out into a grassy hot bald
area. I can look over and see a huge lake that he Delaware
River has been dammed up on one end. It looks like I'm lost
again! I came to this little communications tower building on
the AT and all of a sudden I don't see any white blazes. All I
can see is this little brown, yellow, black and white marker.
I followed it on top of the ridge line, but it doesn't really come
off. I come back into the road, but I still don't see any
white markers. I went back to the top and maybe it will show
me where to come off. If not, this road has to take me out
somewhere I see a dear down in the woods looking at me.
The first dear since I left VA. I missed the turn around the
communications building some way, so I just kept following the road
and I'll be doggoned if I didn't come back into the AT trail. |
|
This certainly a large lake reservoir.
It looks fairly deep. I'm still hiking in the woods, but I can
still see through the trees and see the water and houses below.
The name of the lake is Culver Lake. Simon and I got off at
the roadway and was going to go up to the Deli and get something to
drink and maybe a sandwich. I took my back pack off and took
Simons back pack off and put them in the shade and tied Simon up.
Went to go and get something at the deli and it was closed. So
I wound up walking on up to the little tavern and grill and had my
self a coke, hamburger, fires and brought Simon back a hamburger and
the rest of my fries that I didn't eat. He's a happy doggy
now! |
|
It's 11am and I finally got across that
busy road and I'm now in tall pines going to Sunrise Mountain and
Culvert fire tower. It's really pretty in these mature pines,
the sun is dappled through here, it's really rocky though, but it is
pretty. Hiking through the pines is like hiking through a park
like stetting. Undergrowth is consisting of ferns mostly,
blueberries and some other little small shrubs. Some big shag
rock hickories in this area. Looks like I'm going to be
starting the mountain before to long. |
|
That was quite a climb! It was a
steep rocky switch backs. On top of the ridge is solid rock
that I can walk on top of and see into the valleys, see some houses
and see the mountains on the horizon line. Up close I'm
probable looking into Kittatinny Lake. Back into the cooler
woods still going up hill. Looks like fit to eat blueberries
again today. |
|
I'm at the Culvert Tower and I'm able to
look over to the left and see the Delaware River winding up through
the valley. A large majority of this is woods. A few
fluffy clouds....there goes a hawk. |
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Since I left the fire tower the trail has been
very close, the brushes are growing right up along side the trail.
Very hot and very humid. The whole woods has a lot of
undergrowth in this area. This area is so dry that the wild
life ponds are just about dried up, nothing but tiny little mud
holes, and the two streams that I crossed are dried up. |
|
I'm on top of Sunrise Mountain looking over
the small communities, farmlands, a lot of woods. Golden rods
are blooming this this area, beautiful! I just came through
the parking lot at Critter Road. The flowers are blooming, a
sunny area with mile weed in bloom, goldenrods blooming, and white
asters. From the pavilion on top of the hill on the west side,
I did not have a clear view. On the right side eastside I
could see Vernon where my next mail drop will be. Lot of
mountains in the background, pretty area. While I was there I
met this guy and another fellow and their dog had come up the
pavilion and we got to talking about my through hike and it turned
out that he lives in Vernon NJ. He told me whenever I get into
that area to give him a call if I needed anything, and the would
pick me up and take me wherever I needed to go. |
|
This is the first rock wall I've seen since
coming through PA. The trail went right over the rock fence.
For the last 3 miles I've been going through a real weedy area.
I just met Alleghany a north bound section hiker. He's making
up a section. He was a through hiker in 2004 and made it to
Connecticut and got bit by a rattlesnake, said he was lucky, he blew
three times on his whistle and there happened to be a freelance
photographer that was behind him and they tied his leg off the best
they could and got him into local town where he was in the hospital
for 3 days. He said if I would follow him out to the next
shelter, he would give me some water and some cokes. So he did
a little trail angel work on his own. |
|
Crossing large diagonal boulders. I
met Alleghany and his wife at the Dexter trail head parking and had
a half of a sandwich that his wife had given to me and Gatorade and
several bottles of water. Simon drank a bottle of water and I
poured the rest of it back into his container. We're pretty
well set for this evening. |
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I would like to have gotten on to the camp
ground this evening, but that is still 4 miles away, so I'll
probably make it to Rutherford Shelter and stop at the camp ground
into the morning and get a shower and clean up. |
|
I camp down a big set of boulders and just
went up a big set of boulders. This has been a very rough hike
today. I started to the turn off for the shelter and I'll be
daggone if I didn't have to go straight down the flat boulders
making it very slick and tricky. I had to take my time and
then to beat that it was off the AT about a half mile. But I
do have water and I'm thankful for that. It looks like I'm
going to here by myself tonight, they got it posted that it is a
very high bear activity area. I should be Ok with Simon.
I'll talk to you tomorrow. |
|
Swing'n Jane and
Simon |
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