We walk to the nearby diner for breakfast, then spend the remainder of the morning planning our hike across the rest of New Jersey and into New York, until X’s twin sisters and brother-in-law swing by to bring us to our motel home for the weekend, just off the interstate at Kingston, NY.

X’s oldest nephew, Lucas, will be getting married Saturday at the Onteora Mountain House, a bed and breakfast located in nearby Boiceville, New York. The house was once owned by the mayonnaise mogul, Richard Hellman. While the setting is quite spectacular for a wedding, like being at an AT shelter, accommodations for a large group are not available, so most of the guests will be staying down in the valley and riding a shuttle bus to the ceremony.

As most of the wedding activities will occur well past hiker midnight, we opt for an afternoon nap. Then, after their rehearsal dinner, we join the wedding party at a bar in historic downtown Kingston, the site of one of only three stockaded Dutch settlements in old New Amsterdam.

Getting to see her brother Bob and his wife Candace, and all three of their sons in the same place at the same time is a rare treat for X, and greatly enjoyed. It’s a noisy, festive night punctuated by fireworks from a street carnival just blocks away. Although we spend much time answering questions about our hike, tonight the AT seems like a long way away…