Pochuck Mountain Shelter to West Mombasha Road---June 3rd

Another picture perfect day weather-wise with the sun high in the sky and hardly a cloud in sight.  After coming down off Pochuck Mountain and crossing county road 517 I encountered one of the unique features on the Appalachian Trail, a boardwalk over marshland that covered a considerable distance above the wet and soggy ground.  On a day as gorgeous as this I took some time for second breakfast on the boards and did a bit of birdwatching.  A large variety of avian creatures were flitting around among the reeds.  Continuing along the wooden path, I startled a couple of deer feeding on marsh grasses directly next to the boardwalk on my left.  Due to the height of the raised platform, I was actually looking down on them before they leapt off, splashing water with each jump.  The path eventually winds its way to the large footbridge which spans Pochuck Creek and runs a bit further on the other side.  These were some of the most pleasant miles I'd had on the trail. Superb!
It wasn't too long before I had crossed into New York, the point marked by white paint and a line in the middle of a rocky ridge.  Not much of a fan of scrambling up and over rocks with full pack, but the fact of the matter is I'm not much of a rock climber anyway.  Sometimes it's best to have your hands free, the trekking pole just getting in the way of having four points of contact.  The terrain at times brought my progress to a crawl and on a few occasions I spent a few moments picking out the white blazes.  Through the trees I could see that the ridgeline trail is surrounded by rural villages in the valleys below.
I slowly began to become concerned over my supply of agua because water seemed to be getting a little spotty in this section.  Fortunately, I came across three water caches on or next to the trail, the first of which held some additional trail magic in the form of Nature Valley Trail Bars, a tasty addition to today's snacking.  The spring at Wildcat Shelter was also most welcome.  Love that life-giving water coming straight out of the ground!
Hiking quickly along another ridge in the late evening, trying to get in a 30-mile day, I bumped into two local boys Miles and Vinnie.  Miles asked for a couple of minutes of my time to share his testimony of Jesus.  I appreciated his zeal, but not particularly the timing.  However, how could a hiker refuse, especially coming from a guy named Miles?!  After telling me about his reasons for his conviction in Christ, the subject turned to other topics of mutual interest and before we knew it more than half an hour had passed and daylight was becoming precious.  Realizing this, we parted and headed in opposite directions. 
I was looking for some place to camp, no shelters being within reasonable distance of my location.  Finally found a place off of the trail in the trees on the far side of West Mombasha Road and pitched my little tent on the soft ground, the sun having already set.  I ate dinner and am currently writing in my journal under the steady blaze of my headlamp.  A couple of gun nuts have just started firing all kinds of weapons somewhere nearby.  Sounds like WW III and is making me rather uncomfortable.  Please, Go Away! 

The Boardwalk
New Jersey/New York State Line