It was a cool morning. New Jersey is the first state we are seeing lots of natural lakes. This is Sunfish Pond just mile out of camp. At 6:30 AM the sun has been up for well over an hour.

This is the view from the far side of the pond (seems big enough to be called a lake if you ask me).

Passed mile 1300 !

The temps warmed up to the low 70’s and it was perfect day for hiking.

Mountain laurel is blooming everywhere.

It was a long day and I’m glad to be in my tent.

I hadn’t planned to go as far as I did since my leg was in a miserable state from the shin splints for 3/4 of the day, yet tolerable for the other 1/4… It would go from one to the other out of nowhere! I had ordered some compression sleeves from Amazon for overnight delivery and pushed the extra miles to intercept those today.

Between the compression sleeve on my leg and some ice from the tavern, miles 23-26 went much better than expected. The best way to describe the pain is it’s very similar to a high ankle sprain without the instability. The downhills are the worst part, the flats aren’t much fun either. Surprisingly, the uphills are the least problematic. Hopefully, things improve tomorrow.