Appalachian Trail Section Hike #1: NJ Route 23 (High Point State Park) to NJ / PA State Line (Delaware Water Gap, PA)

Dates:   7/3/03 – 7/5/03

Participants:      Tim, Dave & Jeff

           
After deciding to hike this section of the AT, Tim and I spent our time reviewing maps, fine-tuning our gear and planning meals.  Just a week before the start date, I was talking to Dave, a friend of ours from high school, and he expressed interest in joining us.   Tim and I weren’t concerned with Dave’s hiking abilities, as he is an amazing bicyclist.  We did however have some reservations about his ability to gather the gear required in such a short period of time.

We all met at the High Point Country Inn on Wednesday, July 2nd.  I arrived first with my family, checked in and lounged in the pool.  Dave and his wife Crista arrived second and Tim made it by 19:30.  My family left me in good company and Crista stayed the night to see us off in the morning.  The four of us had dinner at a German restaurant before returning to the Inn to sort through our packs and split up some of the provisions.  After a few beers, we retired for the evening in preparation for the big day.

Thursday, July 3rd

 

We woke up early and did the final pack-up before eating breakfast at the Inn and receiving a shuttle to the trailhead 1.5 miles to the north.  Crista followed to take the obligatory trailhead photos.
   
We walked out to the west edge of Route 23 and took the first of many southbound steps at 07:21 on this beautiful and cool morning.  The trail was good with only scattered rocks and I found myself quietly remarking “We’re actually doing it!”  Within the first mile, we met the first northbound hiker of the day.  I looked up and saw a familiar looking face approaching.  It took a second to realize that it was Rest Step, a thru-hiker that is posting his trail journal on-line.  I had been reading his accounts and was disappointed that his descriptions of the NJ trails weren’t posted before we began.  Now I understood why – he was still hiking them.  As he approached, I said “Rest Step?” and he looked a little shocked before confirming his identity.  We chatted briefly before he continued on his way with a quick summary of the trail behind him – “It sucks”.  Tim & Dave couldn’t believe that I recognized someone on the trail that I had never met and promptly began referring to me as a Trail Stalker.

We continued our hike with Dave in the lead and me bringing up the rear.  Dave would stop at the various viewpoints and wait for us to catch up.  We made it to the first trail register by 10:22.  As we departed, Dave took off like a rabbit.  It was amazing how fast he would disappear from sight.  We caught up to him at the Crigger Road intersection and stopped for a lunch of bagels, pepperoni, salami and smoked Gouda.

This is where Dave received his trail name of ‘Receding Hare’ – a combination of his hiking pace and his…um, hairstyle.  We took another brief break after climbing to the Sunrise Mountain Pavilion, a stone and concrete structure with excellent views to the east and west.  Just before the Gren Anderson shelter, I passed a group of ten or so young girls out for a day hike.  I met up with Tim & Dave at the shelter trail intersection and we dropped our packs and set off in search of the spring to replenish our water supplies.  It was a treat to be able to drink some cold, delicious water as the temperatures had become very warm.  Re-hydrated, we hoisted our packs and continued southward.  (After our hike, I learned that another hiker had dropped his pack at the same place while fetching water only to return and find it shredded by a bear)

Culver Fire Tower views
The next stop was the Culver fire tower.   I was lagging behind Tim & Dave due to a poorly-adjusted pack.  When I caught up with them at the tower, two thru-hikers, Kiwi and Dreamwalker were there.  We enjoyed the impressive views and cool breezes for a short while before continuing on our quest to reach Culvers Gap for dinner.
 
It was an easy descent into the gap and we reached Worthington’s Bakery at 17:05.  I convinced Tim and Dave that we should have dessert at the bakery before dinner at the Sunset Grill.  The apple turnover, V-8 juice and cold Coke were welcome after a challenging hike.

                                                Worthington’s Bakery – An AT Tradition
Just as we were leaving Worthington’s, two northbound young ladies approached and were faced with the same decision that we had struggled with only moments earlier – dinner or dessert?  They followed our lead and ended up sharing our table at the Sunset Grill after a visit to Worthington’s.  They were college friends from Virginia and were embarking on a hike from Delaware Water Gap to Katahdin.  Dinner was great and the folks at the restaurant were very pleasant to our group of sweaty, stinky hikers.  We swapped stories with our new friends about trail conditions and home lives and they recommended a great camping spot just on top of the ridge overlooking Culvers Lake. With full bellies, we set out to begin the 400’ climb out of the gap.  At 19:22 we reached the crest of the ridge.
 
Receding Hare at Culvers Lake Overlook

Dave volunteered (or was volunteered) to scout the trail ahead to see if there was a better spot to spend the night.  He returned a short time later and led us to the spot 0.4 miles ahead described by the two ladies we met in the gap.  Tim and Dave took care of the bear bagging and we set up our tents just as the sun dropped behind the western edge of the ridge.  The lights of the homes along Culvers Lake shimmered on the lake’s glassy surface as we reflected on the day’s hike and made plans for tomorrow’s push to the Mohican Outdoor Center (MOC).  We retired by 22:00 for some much needed rest.

Friday, July 4th

 

None of us slept exceptionally well.  Tim suffered from an endless mosquito assault in his bivy netting and Dave tossed and turned in his Sears tent with noisy floor material.  They both mentioned something about someone snoring all night but I believe it was actually the sounds of the local wildlife.  I woke up at 04:30 when I felt something crawling up my side.  My flashlight confirmed that it was a tick – the second one of the trip.  I didn’t know if it was on my clothes when I entered my tent or if it had found an opening into my mosquito sanctuary.  In any case, I was awake and began packing up my equipment by 05:00.  Tim and Dave soon followed suit.  Condensation had covered all of our gear overnight and fog almost completely obscured the view of the lake.  We ate crunchy Huevos Rancheros for breakfast (read the directions next time, dummy) and finished packing up by 06:46.  Within the first mile, we met Dirty Harry, our first NOBO (NOrthBOund) of the day who had just seen two bears ¼ mile ahead.  We hiked cautiously with our cameras at the ready but didn’t see them.

We arrived at the Brink Road shelter trail at 08:00.  The mosquitoes were really bad in this area.  Tim was physically struggling a bit so Dave and I fetched water from the spring at the shelter and filtered it back at the trail intersection.  I can’t imagine how anyone could sleep at this shelter without a tent.  There was a stagnant pool of water out in front and we were swarmed as we filled the water bag at the spring.  It’s a good thing that DEET works so well.  We continued southward and summited Rattlesnake Mountain at 09:55.  It was here on this exposed summit that the day’s heat and humidity began to make their unwelcome presence known.
 
Baking on the Summit of Rattlesnake Mountain

The descent from the summit was steep and abrupt.  Tim started showing signs of heat exhaustion due to a poor night’s sleep, dehydration and the heat.  I kept repeating my ‘slow and steady’ mantra for both of us.  We made it to the Buttermilk Falls trail intersection and decided to take our lunch break for bagels with the remaining pepperoni, salami and cheese.  Water conservation became an issue, as my trail summary info did not show any water sources until Rattlesnake Spring, 7.2 miles ahead.  Fortunately, the trail followed a gravel road for just over a mile before dropping down a steep rock escarpment (now I know that an escarpment is a steep rock face).  Since Dave could hike much faster than Tim or I, we would give him a meeting point ahead on the trail where he should wait for us.  The next scheduled stop was at the Blue Mountain Lakes Road crossing, which Tim and I reached at 13:35.

This stop was an actual oasis along the trail.  There were logs to sit on, a trashcan, cool breezes, and most importantly, a water pump.  I somehow missed this water source when typing my guidebook summary.  We took a long break to re-hydrate, cool off and rest after a difficult 9.4 miles in 95-degree heat and high humidity.  Our reward for reaching this point was an easy 1.6-mile gravel road walk before the trail turned back into a rock-strewn path.  I haven’t mentioned it to this point but Rest Step was correct – the trail surface really sucks through this part of New Jersey.  The retreat of the ice-age glaciers left rocks scattered everywhere along the Kittatinny mountain ridges.  It is difficult to take full strides on most sections of the trail.  Most of the time, a hiker is forced to look straight down at his feet to search for the next footstep location.  While watching my footing, I missed a blaze and followed a game trail for a short distance.  That put me even further behind Dave.  Tim had stopped for a long break and I caught up to him just as Dave backtracked and found both of us.  We hiked together to the southern end of this ridge and made the steep descent to the Millsbrook – Blairstown Road crossing.  It was a good point to stop and give Tim some moral support for the next challenge – the climb up to the Catfish fire tower.

The ascent to the tower was steep and rocky.  Every time we thought we were close to the top, the trail would veer towards a higher spot.  My thought at the time was that the AT trail planners had invented the term ‘false summit’.  We finally broke out into a clearing on top of the ridge and found the fire tower.  Dave was already at the top and I joined him, leaving Tim to rest at the base.  The views to the east and west were excellent and the strong breeze did wonders to cool us off after the difficult climb.

 
Catfish Fire Tower Views

 As the three of us departed the clearing, we agreed that Dave would hike straight through to the MOC to set up our home for the evening.  As an incentive to Tim, Dave mentioned that he had placed an order with Omaha Steaks for delivery to the MOC.  Tim and I weren’t sure if we should believe him or not, but it didn’t matter - we were on the final 2.4-mile trudge to Camp Road.

After about ¾-mile, Dave came walking back up the trail without his pack.  His GPS had fallen out of his pack after he left the fire tower.  He decided to search all the way back to the tower if necessary while Tim and I continued on towards the MOC.  I caught up to Tim where Dave had dropped his pack and we pushed onwards.  Just before our descent into the Camp Road gap, Tim stopped on the trail ahead of me and motioned me to stop.  A sow black bear had been standing less than 10 feet off of the trail as Tim passed by.  He then noticed her two cubs.  He slowly passed her and stopped to take pictures.  I followed his lead and carefully paused to watch and record the encounter on film.  Unfortunately, the pictures only showed a black mass among the green leaves and grasses.  With adrenaline flowing, we descended from the ridge and finally saw Camp Road through the trees.  The quarter-mile walk up the road seemed to take forever but we finally reached the Mohican Outdoor Center office.  Tim and I had a good laugh as we realized that the two tortoises had beaten the hare to the finish line.  My trail name was appropriately softened from the Trail Stalker to Stalking Tortoise.  I struggled up the steps with my pack and bought three Cokes while a staff member registered us into the Blueberry Hill Lodge.  I left a Coke for Dave in the office and then limped the final few yards to our lodge.  There were two other groups staying there: a young couple in one bunkroom and three women from New York City on a weekend escape in a second room.

Tim and I staked out the remaining bunk room and took great relief in dropping our packs and removing our boots.  While we were enjoying a truly refreshing shower, Dave showed up carrying a Styrofoam cooler.  He hadn’t been kidding after all!  Inside the cooler were four prime rib portions and two loaves of antipasto bread from Omaha Steaks.  Dave showered while Tim and I washed out our dirty hiking clothes in the sink.  After a brief wait for the beef to thaw, we sat down for a true feast that did wonders to erase the pain of hiking 16.7 miles in the July 4th heat.  Dave missed the bear sighting but did find his GPS – about 30 yards from where he discovered it was missing.

Saturday, July 5th                                                            

                                                                                    Mohican Outdoor Center
Our room was initially hot and stuffy and the window had no screen – not a good combination in a mosquito-infested area.  However, with the aid of a noisy box fan (to drown out snoring noise) and a hiker-engineered window screen (duct tape & cardboard), we all slept extremely well.  Tim and I both got up around 07:00 and took another shower before getting dressed for the last leg of the trip.  Dave slept in a little longer as he was still operating on modified California time.  Tim warmed up the last prime rib portion, the second loaf of antipasto bread and a couple of Denver omelet packets while Dave supplied a six-pack of Cokes from the office.  The combination of sleep, showers and food almost compensated for yesterday’s climbs, rocks, heat and humidity.                                                                
 

 

 Just as we were leaving the MOC office at 09:15, a member of the staff discovered a 36” rattlesnake right in front of the office.  Dave and I had probably walked past it as we made phone calls from the office.  We took a few quick pictures before beginning the last ridge climb of the trip.

We had picked the Kaiser Trail intersection as our first meeting point of the day. The problem was that there were no signs marking the Kaiser Trail.  Just as Tim and I were getting disappointed with our lack of progress, we came across a sign denoting the Worthington State Forest boundary at 10:45.  This was actually 0.5 miles further than the Kaiser Trail so we were that much closer to the end of the hike.  We caught up to Dave at Sunfish Pond, the southernmost glacial pond in the U.S.  He had seen a bear shortly after the climb up from Camp Road.  At the pond, a southbound hiker recognized Dave from the MOC and asked, “Aren’t you the steak guy?”  Hmmmm…. maybe a new trail name.  He ended up being the only other SOBO for the entire trip.  After a refreshing break, we continued a short distance to the Sunfish drainage creek and filtered water for the long 1000’ descent into the Delaware Water Gap.  The trail followed an old rutted carriage road down the ridge with a combination of smooth and rocky portions.  The number of day hikers was amazing.  Some carried daypacks, some carried larger packs, and some carried nothing but the clothes on their backs.  One couple asked how much further the trail went on and were shocked when I told them 1000 miles – all the way to Maine.  They had no idea that they were hiking on the Appalachian Trail.  We knew that we were getting close to the parking area below when the number of day hikers increased dramatically and those walking up the trail didn’t have sweaty patches on their shirts.  We made it to a water pump and park bench at the parking area at 14:35.  The water wasn’t the best, but it was colder than anything we had left in our bottles.  We stopped briefly at the Delaware Water Gap Visitor’s Center before setting off across the I-80 bridge over the Delaware River.

The hike across the bridge was extremely difficult because we could see our end point but it didn’t seem to be getting any closer.  Finally, we reached the end of the pedestrian walkway and turned onto a dead end street in the town of Delaware Water Gap, PA at 15:30.  I saw my family waiting just up the street with a cooler of iced beer in the back of the van.  We had a great reunion with beers, sodas and stories at a picnic table in the shade.
 
Delaware Water Gap, PA - Dave, Tim, JJ, Jenny the GSP & Jeff

After a two-beer rest, we walked up to the Appalachian Trail sign for more pictures and posed one last time in front of the Trails End Café – apropos for the end of our 42.5-mile section hike.  We stopped at the Water Gap Diner for a late but well-deserved lunch before heading our separate ways.

Hike summary:  42.5 miles on the AT, .5 miles on Camp Road, and a couple of tenths backtracking from the wrong trail.  Trail summary:  rocky but scenic.  Blister count:  right outside heel, the inside of the right big toe, and a small abrasion on my left heel.  Lessons learned:  Lighten the pack load, cut back on the provisions (especially the GORP) and plan the mileage based on the trail conditions.  1.5 miles per hour seemed to be our average rate over the rocks of NJ.