Blackhead

Blackhead

Bagging another peak with @pathswithpadilla We did not have the usual pre-hike IPA and that was a mistake. Deborah might be learning firsthand that IPAs do, indeed, prevent bonking.

We did a straight up and back via Lockwood Gap. The trail was dry with a couple of damp spots. The black flies and mosquitoes were out in full force. It’s manageable as long as you keep moving, but the instant you stop, they swarm.

I used to think being on a mountain top at night was spooky, but it’s really grown on me. I can’t believe I went from sleeping with the lights on to hanging out on summits until it’s dark enough to see the stars pop.

We got back home around midnight and I was eager to try the beer Deborah bought. Some background, I have this admittedly (somewhat) irrational bias against NJ. Maybe because I’m an old school NYer. Maybe it’s because I remember them trying to claim the Statue of Liberty as their own. I don’t know. But Deb lives in NJ and cleverly attempted to start shifting my perception of the Garden State by finding the best IPA NJ has to offer. She told the clerk at the store the beers I like and he made two recommendations: Wavelength (brewed in NY) and Kane’s Party Wave (a Jersey brew).

If I were to create a beer that embodied my negative perception of NJ, it would be Kane’s Party Wave. First off, the smell is legitimately like sewer water. The taste is just as gross. My standards aren’t that high. It basically had to be better than 603 IPA, and it failed. We had some laughs, though, and it was an incredibly thoughtful and sweet gesture.