Thursday, 26 May

Today Bob and I had the chance to sleep in a while at Joe’s house. Bob, Joe and I had coffee. We fiddled a bit with our gear before heading to breakfast at the Hibernia Diner. Something I had not seen before was my choice, Basque Breakfast. Focaccia bread topped with two eggs, prosciutto, red, yellow and green tomatoes, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Heaven.

Oh the way back Bob was looking for a deli for sandwiches for lunch and dinner. We picked up a pair of Italian subs.

Back at Joe’s we did our final packing. I have added a pound of weight to my pack with a foam sleeping pad. I repaired my inflatable pad but do not want to chance sleeping on the ground.

Bob and I said our farewells to Joe when he dropped us off at noon. The first three miles were pleasant. The last four miles had more rocks and some short steep sections but some rewards. There was one ten yard section of the trail with at least thirty Lady’s Slippers. Then we passed the highest point in New Jersey which has a 220 foot obelisk. Right before that was a large raised platform with nice views.

Bob and I arrived at High Point Shelter before four. There were already a couple tents set up. It looks like three hikers are staying in the shelter. Two streams meet near the shelter and we found nice tent tentsites nearby. Tonight we will fall asleep to the sounds of running water. The temperature today was high sixtys and is not supposed to drop much overnight.

Tomorrow we hope to get an early start. It will be warmer and it is twelve miles to the shelter we plan to camp near. We would like to get in early with the expected Memorial Day weekend crowds.