Day 31: And I will walk 300 miles, and I will walk 300 more…

Seems this bit never got properly published; my bad!!

Summary
May 26th

Brinks Road to Gren Anderson Shelter 

NOBO mile# 1325.0

Tolmann’s daily mileage 6.6

Tolmann’s total mileage 301.3*

*gotta recalibrate. Starting mile was 1023.7, so 1325 is 301.3. I’ll have to go back and recalculate past totals, having lost track somewhere. 

Slept in a little today, until it was clear that it had cleared. We saw some sun, so started forward with renewed energy for the day. 

We went to bed listening to a thunderstorm moving in, which increased in ferocity until the heavens opened in a torrential downpour. The lightning and thunder were impressive, but not frightening. Each of us were imagining what it would be like to be in our tent/hammock during the downpour and were extremely grateful for the shelter roof and walls. 

It takes a certain resolve to change out of warm, dry clothes into cold, wet ones. This included wet socks and sopping shoes, as well. But fortified with hot oatmeal and coffee, and knowing it was the only way to move forward, one does what one needs to do. 

It helped that the plan was a 3-ish mile hike to Culver Gap, where a short road walk earned entree to Gyp’s Tavern, a hiker-friendly establishment with a patio on scenic Kittatinny Lake. 

Walking 3 miles takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on terrain. Along this section was an expansive viewpoint eastward. I sat for a little while munching GORP, and hydrating (fancy way of saying “drinking water”, but we tend to think about the purpose of drinking water an inordinate amount, bordering on obsessiveness. Hence the practice of “cameling up”: drinking as much as possible when water is readily available).

It wasn’t far beyond the view that the path started down towards the gap, so soon I popped out on the road. 

And there was Gyp’s, easily visible a short walk away. I showed up around 11:30, and there was Meeko out on the patio, lunch laid out in front of her. I joined her and ordered the burger and sweet potato fries.

Some time later, although not long enough for me to finish my burger, Tilly and Hops rolled in, so the trail family was together again, if but for a short while. We knew that Meeko had business up trail this weekend, so she will need to make miles, putting her out beyond us, at least for while. 

So we enjoyed our lunch together, just feeling easy being together. 

Then it was time to pack up, and be on our way; three of us looking for the shelter just 3 more miles in, and one for a long stretch more. 

Our lunch break was a slightly premature celebration of reaching our 300 mile milestone, just 2 miles beyond the gap.  Yay! 300 miles!!

Hiking up to the fire tower, I met Pancakes, a 2016 SOBO thru-hiker on a long weekend trek with some friends. 

I got to the shelter pretty quickly to find Tilly and Hops already here and setting up camp. It’s been quiet up until about an hour ago when a few others showed up. There’s a loud group over on the other side of the shelter, and they’ve just started playing music. So much for hiker-midnight. 

But then we knew that this weekend (Memorial Day) might find the shelters and camps crowded and noisy…