We had a great day and it was made possible partly by the opportunities the day brought and partly because I parked my get-it-done-before-you-relax mode 😀.
The morning started with a few steep ups and downs. I am quite happy with it as we got a bit unfit over the last few weeks which didn’t present a lot in terms of long and steep climbs, we need to tone our climbing muscles so a few hills will be good for us.
At our 6km break we realised that we would walk by the High Point State Park’s Office. And you can buy cold drinks there….At 8h30 we got to this well maintained office where we got (sponsored by the Lions for each thru-hiker) an ice cold free Pepsi. Trevor bought an extra one and we each had a packet of Doritos, sitting outside drinking in the tranquility of the setting. I managed to not look at my watch while we were sitting there.
While there we met Vike (short for Viking), a 22year old Canadian dancer doing this all by herself. She got her name from the outfitter in Franklin who helped her down scale her pack weight from 52 pounds….I don’t think she weighs much more than 110 pounds!!!!
Just as we left we got to this nice AT sign:
The next surprise was a lookout from where you could see a world war I memorial at the highest point in New Jersey.
Trevor allowed me to take this photo of crazy mountain man:
The trail passes Unionville (within half a mile of the trail) so we dropped down into town. It was soooo hot. Trevor wanted a beer and I wanted an ice cream. We found the tavern – they had beer but no ice cream (surprise). I got a lift with one of the patrons to the general dealer 400m away where I bought a pint of ice cream and ran back to the tavern as fast as possible to not have the ice cream melted. Luckily I brought 2 spoons so when Trevor asked where his ice cream was I could pretend that I meant for us to share…
The tavern owner knew a lot about South Africa so we spent a pleasant hour there. We then went via the general dealer for more ice cream. Sitting outside with other hikers ploughing through pints of ice cream:
Just as we were leaving the history teacher arrived and also had some questions about things in South Africa and asked me how to say “enjoy the hike” in Afrikaans.
The last 8km were only tough because of the heat. We got a trail magic cooler box with ice cold water after 2km, that was very welcome. We walked next to farms, down a road, round a bird sanctuary and eventually uphill to the shelter.
The only bad thing about today (and it is pretty bad) is that we left our one battery bank at either the tavern or the general dealer. Now we will have to cope with one and I am unsure if that will last till we can charge again….
Appalachian Adventure 
We’re back from what was a freezing cold Lesotho on Monday, but we had a glorious snow storm to go with the cold, so can’t complain. The skiing was fun.
I’ve so enjoyed catching up on all your news. A summary of my comments over the last 4 days:
– Sorry about having to relearn your relationship with food!
– Those pies look amazing!
– I love those US lakes. We just don’t have them like they do.
– The wasted day from being in a bad mood: I’ve just started reading “The Book of Joy” by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu (Andrew gave it to me as he thought I could use more joy in my life :)). I’m only on pg 30, but it’s beautifully written. I’ve already picked up “While happiness is often seen as being dependent on external circumstances, joy is not.” Joy is a state of mind and heart. “The ultimate source of happiness is within us.” “Sadly, many of the things that undermine our joy and happiness we create ourselves.” And finally from the Dalai Lama “Something is lacking. As one of the seven billion human beings, I believe everyone has the responsibility to develop a happier world. We need, ultimately, to have a greater concern for other’s well-being.”
– Which brings me to the SA version of trail magic. It’s a lovely concept, but as ronni14 said, the context here is very different. But then there’s the story of the little child saving starfish, making a big difference to each one he saved, even though he’d never get to all of them. Random acts of kindness? Make an extra sandwich in the morning and give it someone on the side of the road? Pay for the groceries of the person in the queue behind you? Let someone in the queue in front of you? I don’t have the answers, but making a positive difference in one person’s life is going in the right direction.
– Trevor is reminding me more and more of Papa Smurf, although half his width, and not quite as blue.
I hope with your limited battery life you’ve been able to get through all of this without missing out in all the other good stuff!
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Ah how nice to have you Back! I agree that random acts of kindness is great, but I failed to communicate the essence of trail magic, that’s why I have not YET convince you 😀
I so need to get that book you spoke about, in paper (not digitally) – my first EB task when I get back!
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