day 64 - 05/13

another awesome day with sunshine and almost no giardia symptoms! nj is totally unexpected as one typically thinks of east new jersey. definitely one of the prettiest parts of the trail. saw my second rattler today. this time was a little more precarious as his head was in the trail coiled and ready to strike. i just had to wait for him to turn away and i quickly scooted by. made it to this cabin on the murray property. basically this guy keeps mules on some farm land and built an enclosed cabin for thru hikers to use. it has electricity and even a hot outdoor shower. i love gettin' naked in a shower under the sun. one of the best things ever. oh, i also thought i would give a running tick count. with the three i pulled off today, i am officially at 10 total. they gave me the heebeegeebees at first, but now its just a daily thing. i also met this awesomely enthusiastic family at a pavilion at sunrise mountain. the dad even offered me some cash for my hike. people are so generous and amazing. so thanx to the ianni family (hope i spelled that correctly) for putting a smile on my face for the rest of the day. 25mi from brink road shelter to murray cabin. 1337.4 total.