DWG to the Secret Shelter

7/17/15 - I woke again the last morning of a town visit not wanting to get out and hike. But, I forced myself out at 9:30 and made the AMC Mohican Outdoor Center a bit before 3pm.  At the road crossing, I ran across a thruhiker I had met before, Doppleganger!  She hasn't been feeling well the last week or better and is on doxycycline just in case.  Javier was up at the center, they will stay tonight as a precaution.

There are two other hikers here also, Tiger Mike (who I mistook for a second to be Seven ), and Scientist (another one, not the German I hiked with earlier).
This place is very nice.  They have a camp store with a grill, canoe rentals, a lodge area with limited WiFi and the bunkhouses are carpeted with couches a kitchen and a full bathroom.  Worth the $34.

7/18/15 Leaving Mohican

I headed out of the Mohican into a misty morning, and sure enough, it started to drizzle.  It was too warm already to put on my jacket, so I trusted that it would only drizzle and kept going.  Wet feet of course, from the grass, but hiking.

It's sorta funny in a not so funny way, how you can get up in the morning, eat breakfast, do all the morning chores, but your gut doesn't need maintenance until you've been hiking for thirty minutes and there's not a privy facility in sight. And it's drizzling.   How to keep the TP dry?

I got to Culvers Gap, and the deli was closed for the day, but Iron Cheeks and Eagle Eye had left Trail Magic of ice cold  root beer and chocolate donuts!

Up on top of the ridge after Culvers Gap, I spotted a bear running away from me.  Half an hour later, two hen turkeys and about seven poults crossed the trail twenty yards in front of me.

Tiger Mike was stopped for lunch when I caught up above Crater Lake and warned me of a rattlesnake on the rocks I was crossing.  I looked but it had fortunately moved on.

I wanted to spend the night at Brinks Road shelter, a new shelter a bit off the trail.  But when I got there, the mosquitoes were swarming and I decided to push for the next shelter.  That turned today into a 21 mile trip.  I was beat up getting to Gren Anderson shelter.

Cakes and Hummingbird got in, Pigpen is here, a section hiker named Larry and also Prayer.  Tomorrow will be an eighteen to the 'secret' shelter, a cabin privately owned by a former thruhiker Jim "Shooter" Murray (1989).

7/19/15 - The Secret shelter

Today we suffered in the heat and humidity.  The temp hit 93, and the heat index topped 100.  And very little breeze in the trees.  Which meant the mosquitoes were out in force all day.  And NJ seems to be imitating PA when it comes to rocky trail.  It was a very tough day.

At High Point State Park, I broke out of the trees and found Paisley and her mom had brought Trail Magic, so nice. I ended up staying for a couple hours resting.

The rocks continued past High Point, but eased a bit dropping past the shelter. As I got to the shelter trail intersection, I saw a bear.  It was a yearling and unafraid. I yelled and threw rocks and it finally ambled off. The ridge runner, Grasshopper, was at the shelter with Lunar Worm and Galactic Ape.

The shelter here is a small cabin with electricity but no bunks or chairs and sleeps maybe six on the linoleum floor.  There's lots of tent space but there're thunderstorms due before midnight so I'm on the floor.  There's a shed nearby with a propane heated shower on the outside visible for a couple hundred yards. Didn't stop any of us from washing off the sweat today.

The Ape and Worm stopped by but went to Unionville to tent as they have a package there.  Cakes and Hollywood, Prayer and his lady, Sweeper (a southbounder, the second one I've seen) and me are the only ones here tonight.