Day 54
Thursday, 8/10/00
Greymoor Friary to Fingerboard Shelter
20.7 miles
Rained a little last night. Bugs were bad too. Pretty hot today…
There were a few good climbs. Crossed the Hudson River. I didn’t want to cross on the bridge (The Bear Mountain Bridge), so I swam the half mile across with my pack on. Yeah right!
Met “Rolling Stone” at the zoo we were supposed to walk through, but it wasn’t open yet. Hiked with him almost all day. Lots of blueberries to eat today!
Went to some lake where they had soda and ice cream machines!!! The shelter was 1.1 miles from there. Had to carry 4L of water because there is none at the shelter. Water is heavy!
Caught up to “Freefall”! Hadn’t seen him since Maine! Good to see him! He was “Chris” back then. Sleepy is here too. Peaches and Chickadee showed up too. That’s six south-bounders at this shelter!!! Some kind of record to have that many south-bounders in one place at once.
Get to do the infamous “Lemon Squeezer” tomorrow (A fun section of trail where it is routed through a deep crack in the rocks). Probably going to go 26 miles tomorrow…
Day 55
Friday, 8/11/00
Fingerboard Shelter to Waywayanda Shelter
26.3 miles
Woke up pretty early… of course. After 2.1 miles I reached the infamous “Lemon Squeezer”. It’s a narrow rock chute. Kinda fun. Saw 8 deer including a buck in velvet. I guess summer’s almost over…
Started raining really hard, did for quite a while. Then it let up. Somehow I passed Wildcat shelter without seeing it… oh well…
Got to some big, open rocks and saw a big storm coming. Hurried to get down from there. Around 3:30 it got REALLY dark. Then the sky exploded! I’ve never seen it rain so hard! It was like a firehose was aimed right at me or something. Lots of thunder and lightning too.
One time it struck really close and my watch started beeping uncontrollably and then shorted out. (Not sure if it was the lightning of the rain that did it.) Now it’s broken. Crossed the NY/NJ line.
Made it to shelter around 5:30 (I think). No one else showed up. Fell asleep fast.
Day 56
Saturday, 8/12/00
Waywayanda Shelter to Vernon, NJ
5.4 miles
Woke up early. Pouring rain. Hiked in my sandals (In addition to the running shoes I was wearing for hiking, I carried a pair of Teva Alp sandals for stream crossings and wearing around camp.) Got soaked of course. Easy hiking. Saw another turkey. Hitched the 1.8 miles into town. This hostel is really nice. I remember that this was a “hostel” set up in the basement of a local church. There was plenty of space to spread out and dry my gear, and they had a selection of movies to watch too. It was a great place to spend a rainy day.
Sat around all day, watched TV, etc. Walked to the A&P and got some grub. TV says NJ has had 10” of rain. There are Severe Flash Flood warnings too…
I feel really lazy for such a short day. Something like 24 to do tomorrow. Supposed to be lots of bugs on that stretch…
Day 57
Sunday, 8/13/00
Vernon, NJ to Mashipacong Shelter
26.9 miles
Got up pretty early… ate a hamburger bun with chocolate frosting for breakfast. (Yeah, really. Cheap calories are what I was after at this point.) Packed up, left by 7:00. Went to Dunkin’ Donuts. Tried to hitch a ride, but walked the 1.8 miles back to the trail.
The bugs werent’ bad at all! There were some really flat places around some fields. Hauled ass on ‘em. Weather was good today! No rain anyway…
Saw a bunch more deer, more bucks too. I saw a flock of 8 wild turkey! I wish I had my bow. I’d love to have turkey for dinner! (I think I also saw some river otter on this day. Despite the bad reputation Jersey gets, western NJ is actually kind of neat, and there’s lots of wildlife, including bears, as you’ll soon see.)
Went to “Secret Shelter” where I met “Mr. Clean”. He started January first in Maine. He forages a lot of food! Cool guy. I remember him telling me about getting drunk and going frog-spearing in a pond one night, and also about foraging mushrooms. I don’t know if he made it all the way or not, but I doubt it based on his pace to this point.
The rocks started past High Point Shelter. (I’d been hearing horror stories about the rocks in NJ and PA for weeks from the north-bounders. Though there were lots of pointy rocks in parts of these states, it would turn out to be another case of north-bounder exaggeration.) Went over the highest point in New Jersey. 1,800 feet baby! Too bad I didn’t have my oxygen tanks, it was hard to breath up at that altitude.
Long day though. More rocks tomorrow…
Day 58
Monday, 8/14/00
Mashipacong Shelter to Mohican Outdoor Center (AMC)
26.8 miles
Woke up before everyone else, as usual. Got my food out of the bear-box and started eating. By that time everyone else was up. Suddenly Freefall starts saying, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, there’s a BEAR!” (I should mention that Freefall was a minister of some sort and he really did say ‘oh my gosh’) A big ol’ black bear waddled over to the bear-box and tried unsuccessfully for about 5 minutes to get it open. He was climbing all over it! This being our first bear sighting, we’re in the shelter shitting bricks! Then he gave up on the box and started coming our direction!! He got about 15 feet from us!!! We yelled a bunch and clapped our hands and banged our pots to scare him off. He checked out the privy and wandered around for a while longer… Freefall and I went out and made some noise to make him leave. He eventually ran off. So, I survived my first bear encounter!
The rest of the day, every tree stump or other large dark object off in the woods looked like a bear to me! Kind of nerve-wracking. Made lots of noise with my poles and whistled all day long just to make the bears know I was there.
Easy hiking otherwise. Rained a little… passed 2 fire-towers.
I’m at this place alone. I guess it was too far for everyone else. I wouldn’t want to tent out with all those bears around!
Had a good dinner tonight! I’m stuffed! Rice, mashed potatoes, tomato paste, French onion dip and Cup-o-soup chili mix all in one pot! (Wow! That sounds like high carb, stomach stretching meal!) Washed it all down with raspberry crystal light! Yummy! (Drinking nothing but water had gotten a little repetitive, so I tried various powdered drinks. Crystal light proved to be the best because it only takes a spoonful or so to make a liter of juice, as opposed to a bunch of Gatorade powder or other things like that).
I’m only 10 miles from Delaware Water Gap and the Pennsylvania border. Rocks haven’t been too bad so far.
Gonna call home tomorrow. Should be an easy day!
Day 59
Tuesday, 8/15/00
Mohican Outdoor Center (AMC) to Kirkridge Shelter
16.9 miles
Easy day today… Slept great last light all alone in the cabin. EASY hiking mostly old road beds into Delaware Water Gap. Did it in no time! I had to hike along I-80 for a few miles. That was fun! I love exhaust fumes and 18-wheelers flying by at 75mph!
Crossed the Delaware River (Just like good ol’ George Washington!) and was in DWG. I didn’t realize it at first and walked about a ¼ mile out of town. Then I turned around and went back, dropped my pack at the hostel, and went to the P.O. Mom: You’re doing a great job packing my mail-drops! Love the Nutella!
Went to a bakery where they had hot dogs & apple pie for $1.00! I had 2 hot dogs and 2 slices of pie for $2.00! Hard to beat that!! Packed up supplies and hung around hostel for a bit…
I’m in Pennsylvania now! I’ll think I’ll starting writing cumulative miles. It’s 911.7 miles now!
Day 60
Wednesday, 8/16/00
Kirkridge Shelter to George W. Outerbridge Shelter
30.5 miles
Whew! What a day and what a night! Sometime in the middle of the night someone came in with 2 puppies that licked me all over my face. I didn’t know someone else was there, so I thought they were strays or something, so I told them to “get!”
I guess someone else had showed up and pitched tent behind the shelter. The dogs were messing around and he thought they were bears. So, he yells and wakes me up again. Then, later the dogs ran off and these people spent about half an hour yelling for them! (I can understand the concern, but keep the dogs tied up or in the tent with you!) Finally, they sent up their tent and kept the dogs in there. But – later, there was an incredible electrical storm that put on a show and some amazing thunder as well. Woke me up again! Oh well. I remember this lightning storm being a really awesome sight. This shelter sits on a ridge with a clearing out in front of it, so you can see a long way off. It was pretty amazing to see crazy lightning and thunder and not get a drop of rain from it. This was one of my most memorable nights, despite (or because of) the lack of sleep I got.
Don’t know when I woke up this morning, must have been pretty early. QUIETLY packed up and left. I should have thrown rocks on the tin roof to wake up the people with the dogs!
Came across a bunch of rocks after a few miles. Took a picture of ‘em. They’re not too bad at all. They’re just kind of annoying, but they don’t slow you down.
It was EASY hiking today. This was supposed to be the rockiest section, but it’s so flat you can just haul booty! I covered 14 miles before 11:00. That’s an estimate on the time (since my watch had shorted out). Nothing exciting until the descent into Lehigh Gap. It’s wicked steep and rocky for about a mile. It wasn’t blazed at all. So I just just took off down the “slope” (a big pile of rocks). Eventually found the trail again. Got here maybe 5:00, judging by the sun. No one else here yet…
Well, 30.5 is my longest day so far! A genuine 30-miler! Wahoo!! I thought today was Thursday and that meant I’d have to do 33 tomorrow to make it to Port Clinton by 11:00am on Saturday, but it’s not! Planning on doing 24 or so tomorrow. Should be really easy.
Another thing I remember about this day was the ridge before descending into Lehigh Gap, above the town of Palmerton. There had once been a zinc smelting operation in the valley, and this ridge was directly down wind from it. There was almost nothing living left on this ridge. The trees were all dead, and there wasn’t even any grass. It was almost like being in the desert…
Also, in terms of days I was on the trail, this is the halfway point. Not halfway in miles though, so I guess the second half was quicker hiking.
Day 61
Thursday, 8/17/00
George W. Outerbridge Shelter to Eckville Shelter
24.2 miles
Man! I didn’t get any sleep last night either! The shelter was 0.7 miles from a road and late at night some locals showed up. They made a lot of racket making a huge fire. They were all drinking too. Come on, it was Wednesday night! Later on, one of them got sick and puked everywhere, not to mention the drunken blabbering… Ugh.
I got out of there pretty early. Nice easy hiking again. Hiking in this part of Pennsylvania follows the long, flat ridges of the mountains and only had elevation changes when you get to a gap in the ridgeline. Later on, the trail would turn and go perpendicular to these ranges. Hit some excellent blueberry patches! More rocks to, but nothing to whine about like the north-bounders. Ate lunch at some restaurant. I was the only one there! Sandwich was good. Came across some guy bird-watching and spotted a bald eagle! I guess it was headed south…
A few miles from the road to this shelter I was stung by a wasp! Right on my Achilles tendon! Man, it hurt. Saw several more of the bastards but I ran like hell and they didn’t get me.
This shelter is in some guy’s back yard. I think he works for Pepsi because he’s god a fridge full of them and they’re free!!! Really nice guy. Another “trail angel”. He took my picture. Lots of caretakers and outfitters along the trail keep records of the hikers that pass through. I remember one in Gatlinburg, Tennessee whose walls were covered with pictures of hopeful thru-hikers. They also do this at the AMC headquarters in Harpers Ferry, WV.
I’m alone right now. Again. I guess there’s a few other south-bounders just ahead a few days. No one I know though.
Picking up mail in Port Clinton tomorrow then moving on. I’m a day behind Beat Feet now. I’ll catch him soon…
Supposed to rain tomorrow…
Day 62
Friday, 8/16/00
Eckville Shelter to Eagle’s Nest Shelter
23.8 miles
Wow! I finally slept some last night! Two north-bounders showed up. They were pretty quiet though. Got out of there by around 8:00. More easy hiking. Not too many rocks either. Passed what was supposed to be an awesome view point but it was all foggy! Doh!
Made it to Port Clinton before 12:30. That was 15+ miles. I was movin’! As soon as I got my mail the clerk went for her lunch break. I packed up my stuff, including my snazzy fleece sleeping bag (custom made by my mom at my request, still have it! It’s good for warm weather camping or as a liner when it’s too chilly for a summer bag.). Ate some food and it started raining.
The P.O. didn’t reopen until 2:00 and I didn’t want to wait around that long. So, now I’m carrying 2 sleeping bags. So much for losing some pack weight. I still have the maps from Connecticut too. Bunch of stuff to send home.
Saw my first rattlesnake today! Weird conditions for it I thought. It was raining… I was in a non-rocky section of trail. I came around a corner and there he was! About 3 feet from me. He was semi-coiled up. Pretty good-sized too… I threw a stick and some rocks to get its attention, but it just sat there. Didn’t rattle, didn’t budge at all. It must have just eaten a big meal and was too full to respond. So, I grabbed him and bit his head off. Ate him with my instant rice… kinda bony. Just kidding, obviously.
Weather is gloomy, supposed to be tomorrow too. I get to try out my new fleece bag tonight though.
Planning on doing 32.5 tomorrow. That’ll be a personal record for me.
Day 63
Saturday, 8/19/00
Eagle’s Nest Shelter to Rausch Gap Shelter
32.5 miles!!!
Wow! I’m tired. This might be brief…
Woke up after sunrise. Don’t know what time… Ate a big breakfast. It was cold last night so I didn’t try out the fleece bag.
It was wet most of the morning but cleared up eventually. I was going really, really fast! Not too many rocks either…
Made it to 501 (shelter?) before noon. That was 15 miles. Ate a candy bar for lunch. Kept on truckin’.
Made it to shelter around 6:00. Beat Feet was there! I knew I’d catch him. 2 other south-bounders too: “Cold-Foot” and “Can-do”.
Ate a big dinner and went to sleep. Chilly again…
This would be the longest day of the trip, and the longest day of hiking I’ve done ever. The terrain was easy, I had plenty to eat, and I was motivated to catch some folks. Keep in mind, 30 miles in this part of the country is nothing compared to 30 miles in New England. Some of my long days in New England are more impressive to me as far as difficulty goes.
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