2014-07-12: U.S. 206, Culvers Gap / Branchville, NJ

Started: 1/2 mile south of Blue Man Lakes Road
Stop: U.S. 206, Culvers Gap / Branchville, NJ
Daily Mileage: 11.1
Total Mileage: 258.5

The Trail as it follows an old road through the forest.

A weather monitoring station.

Bogey consulting the Thru-Hikers Companion after we discovered that this water pump was indeed turned off or broken. It was our third consecutive water source (two the day before and now this one) that we either didn't find/see or was otherwise unavailable. The one liter of water I have left on me at this point, I gathered from a creek which drained from a marsh. Between me and Bogey, we have almost two liters to last the rest of the day -- not enough water.

A seemingly Dr. Seuss -inspired mushroom in front of wildflowers. The mushroom was about as large as a dinner plate and was near the broken/inoperable water pump.

Lichen and moss on a rock next to the Trail. When you move at 2 MPH all day, you get plenty of opportunities to see and enjoy little things like this.

The view from a ridge where we stopped for a water & snack break. We knew there were other mountains to be seen but for several days we've been socked in by clouds, fog, and mist. We were very frustrated that the cameras always showed a clearer picture than what we saw with the naked eye. It's on my list of "To Do's" to research this phenomenon next time we're in town with Internet access. It also dawned on my that the clarity the digital cameras had might be useful when our own eyes limited us.