New Jersey High Point: The Hike

Some days it’s nice to sleep in a little and start a little later. Since Turkenna started walking with us again, there has been less pressure to get up early and start walking first thing in the morning. We’ve made an intentional effort to decrease the number of miles we walk each day, giving us more time in the mornings and to take longer breaks throughout the day. We spent the morning chatting with two thru-hikers and two section hikers over breakfast at Gren Anderson Shelter. These lodges are good places to camp because of their amenities like a bear box, an outhouse, and a water source. But they also create a space to build community on the trail.

Planning to miss the rain

Part of the downside to slowing down our walk is that most of the people we’ve been walking with since we started are moving forward slowly and leaving us behind. But it also gives us the opportunity to meet new people. It makes mornings like this even more special as we build a new community. We also took the time that morning to anticipate the weather for the rest of the week. A lot of rain is forecast. We didn’t have the option of taking a zero since we had already planned to take a trip to New York City at the end of the week. But we went ahead and booked a room at a hiker-friendly hotel so we could do laundry and shower after the next few days of rain.

Considerations with Turkish

We set off around 9:00 with the plan to cover about 13 miles. Turkenna is still regaining her skills, but she has been doing very well. He received praise for his good behavior at the shelter and for walking so well on the trail. He has been doing a lot more leash walking than when we started the trail. One reason for this is to make sure you don’t overexert yourself going up and down the trail or running into the woods. But the most important thing is to keep it safe from snakes. We have seen 4 venomous snakes since we started and heard other hikers saw many others. So Turkenna is quickly getting used to walking among us, whether on or off a leash. Warmer weather brings more dangers: snakes, ticks, bears, heat exhaustion, dehydration… just to name a few. That’s why we are vigilant to keep our girl happy and healthy.

Get out of the heat

When we arrived at the Mashipacong shelter, we were all ready for a break from the heat. Fortunately, there was a water tank left in the hiker’s shelter. With the heat and very few water sources along this stretch of trail, we are very grateful to the trail angels who keep the water reservoirs full. After a long lunch break, we headed to the High Point State Park headquarters.

The headquarters gave us everything we needed. We filled our water bottles and took some time to write some blogs and prepare dinner. But most importantly, we were able to relax in the air-conditioned building with a cold drink we bought at the concessions. It’s the little things along the way that bring us so much joy. An air-conditioned, dog-friendly space is exactly what we needed!

Highest point in New Jersey

But our walk was not over yet. We packed up after dinner and waited for the sun to set a little. With the heat behind us, the walk to the High Point fire tower was lovely. And the views were incredible! We could see the 220-foot-tall obelisk from the tower on an adjacent peak, which marks the highest point in New Jersey. Cody had been trying to convince me to make the hike there, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to hike the extra half mile to get a slightly higher view. So he decided to leave his backpack with Turk and me at the fire tower and run to the obelisk. When he arrived, he called out to me as we waved at each other from our respective peaks. His enthusiasm and willingness to do all the fun side quests finally convinced me to join him at the obelisk. And I’m so glad I did! The views from the highest point in New Jersey did not disappoint! We took a good number of pictures before finishing the final half-mile hike to High Point Shelter to camp for the night.

Unionville New York for pizza

The next day was hot. We were worried about how much exposure we might face through the swamps and grasses. passes the path. Fortunately, the trail bordered pastures, so we walked mostly in the shade of trees. Turkenna especially appreciated the coverage because her black coat makes walking in the exhibit extremely hot. But he did very well all morning as we headed to Unionville, New York.

The city is just a small blue flare towards the center of the city. We decided to stop there to resupply. Two resupply packages were waiting for us at the post office. Unfortunately, although we walked around town on a Sunday, our stop in Unionville was not in vain. We were able to do a full restock at Horler’s General Store for myself and Cody. And luckily, we packed a few more days of food for Turk when we realized we might not get dog food here. Horler had a beautiful shady porch that the three of us took advantage of throughout the afternoon. While Cody and I enjoyed pizza for lunch, Turkenna took advantage of her break to take a nap.

Happy naked walk day

After the hottest part of the day passed, we walked to the Pochuck shelter. That afternoon’s walk was eventful. It turned out to be a day that many hikers have celebrated over the years: Naked Hiking Day. Many of our tram members had posted their own celebratory photos in our group chat. Let’s just say I saw more of those guys’ butts than I ever planned on. The captain may have taken advantage of a secluded pasture on the trail to take a quick photo before continuing his hike fully clothed. Turkenna was not impressed.

Get water and shelter

We walked past cows stuck in the pastures and saw many different birds near the marshy areas. We even saw a wide-eyed turtle walking along the trail. With few water sources along the trail and no water at Pochuck Shelter, we stopped at a unique spot to get water. A barn just down the road, at the last crossing of the day, had a water dispensing machine. For 50 cents a gallon, we were able to fill all of our water bottles.

The shelter was empty when we arrived that night. With possible rain predicted for that night, we decided to camp in the shelter. Some hikers set up their tents. And just when we thought we had the shelter to ourselves, we ran into a hiker who showed up about an hour after midnight. That night we fell asleep anticipating lots of rain in the next few days. Luckily, we had a room booked in a few days, so we had that to look forward to.

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