Day 109, Wednesday June 16, 2021

  

Mark

Gren Anderson Shelter campsite to Secret Shelter campsite - 18.3 miles hiked today - 1346.0 total AT miles hiked to date.

What a beautiful day.  Sunny, breezy, high around 72, mostly moderate terrain (although still rocky in parts), and great scenery.  We started out around 7:30, and soon reached the Sunrise mountain pavilion, a cool event pavilion on the top of the mountain.  The trail then took us up and over a couple of rocky overlooks over the next few hours, and we stopped for lunch at one of the overlooks.

After lunch, the trail got less rocky as we headed down the mountain toward the High Point State Park.  We stopped at the visitor center for some sodas and snacks, enjoying the serene lakeside visitor center.  Leaving there, we soon came to a wooden tower that provided a great view of the obelisk that marked the highest point in New Jersey.  From that point on, the trail was smooth, with relatively few rocks and only a couple of steep climbs.

By late afternoon, we’d hiked past several fields, ponds, and pastures before we reached our planned destination, the “Secret Shelter”, which wasn’t a shelter at all, but a cabin in the woods that the homeowner allowed thru hikers to camp nearby.  We set up our tents, under the watchful eye of Jake, the owner’s pet donkey.  Definitely one of the more unusual places we’ve camped.  Tomorrow we head into Unionville (which is actually across the state line in NY), where we will resupply.

Until next time…