May 14
End: NJ 23
Miles: 28.8
Total: 3192.7
We had anticipated heavy rain, but instead the rain looked like it was going to be light. Knowing that heavy rain would probably hit the next day, we decided that we needed to do another full hiking day.
The hotel was so comfortable that it was difficult to leave. My mom and I dropped Spiral and Swivel off first, then headed back to my starting point. I started hiking, and within a hundred yards my legs, shoes, and socks were wet from the long grass along the trail.
It was not a fun day. The rain never got heavy, but it was continuous and my feet never got dry. I trudged along none too quickly along rocks and through wet grass. I passed an observation deck, from which I could see nothing but the dense fog surrounding the ridge. Later on I was surprised to come upon a little pavilion with a few wet benches. There were other people there hanging out. I took a short break and then trudged onward.
I kept in touch with Spiral and Swivel as well as my mom. I met up with my mom at one point and took a nice break in a dry car before heading back out into the damp forest. Finally I arrived at a visitor’s center and a road just as my mom showed up with Spiral and Swivel from Domino’s. It felt good to have finished a miserable day. We ate, headed to a hotel in Port Jervis, and enjoyed drying off our feet and relaxing out of the rain.