What a fantastic campsite this was! The strong wind gusts died down and it was all peaceful. Then the wind gusts picked up along with the sunlight. I guess the wind went to bed too. It started cold again. The weather app said 46 degrees F. My Tempe thermometer said 51 F but that’s in my tent where it’s always a bit warmer. The wind made it feel colder. It’s tough to get out of my tent in the morning. Usually hunger and the urge to pee is what wins in the end.

While the rocks are continuing, they are manageable. I then got to a gravel road and hesitated if I wanted to walk .3 miles up to the Mohican Outdoor Center. SO glad I did! I got an amazing trail lunch (for 2nd breakfast), hit a porto-potty and charge my battery a bit. The people there are super hiker friendly and the prices are great too. I was shocked to run into Moose Boy there. I hadn’t seen him since Tennessee and I figured they would be in Maine by now. (He and his wife were fast, got up really early and did big miles.) I asked where his wife was, crafty girl, and found out she had slipped and broke her wrist before Dragon’s tooth. She had to go home. That’s so sad! She was a nice lady and I wish her a speedy recovery. It can be very dangerous out here.

Just before mile 1,310 is a parking lot where I bumped into two guys I met yesterday on trail. We had a nice chat and he gave me a little trail magic: a Lagunitas Daytime IPA. AH, trail beer! Lawd, I love hikers! This is why I talk to everyone. You never know when you’ll get some magic from someone when they find out you’re thru-hiking. Almost everyone out here wants to help thru hikers.

The rest of the day went well. There’s still plenty of rocks but they’re all pretty stable and not wobbly like in PA. I should be out of them soon. Actually, I should be out of NJ on the 24th. The views here in NJ have been really nice and I also got to see a porcupine He wasn’t happy to see me so he puffed up all his spikes. I expected to see a beaver at the beaver dam earlier but didn’t. There was a good rock climb today I didn’t expect. It was very short so it was fun. I’m planning a big day tomorrow, almost 20 miles.