New Jersey & New York

New Jersey

Eight down, five more to go!

July 11

Selfie at the border of Pennsylvania & New Jersey! The first day in Jersey was a success, the terrain started to noticeably improve (there are still rocks, but they are much gentler & kinder thus far). The lakes are perfect swimming temp and a great escape from the midday sun. I also saw my first Rattlesnake (nearly stepped on it, oops)! I also hung a wicked bear bag.

Rock Stacks.

"Open to all Who Walk"

My first encounter with a Rattlesnake!! She was a beauty.

The trail in New Jersey leads you around and through a lot of swamps. It's a nice change of scenery, but it also means more mosquitoes, and the water sources are getting increasingly funkier and more questionable the farther north we travel... On the up side the flora & fauna are becoming more diverse and i'm spotting a bunch of frogs and amphibians!

Grassy meadows with the occasional rock slab litter the mountains.

July 12

Me and Steel Cheese seem to have caught Room 234s sinus infection. The owner of "Sunrise, an Appalachian Trail Deli" which just opened shop named Dean kindly drove us down the road to a farmstand for some cold meds.

An amazing pavilion, in the middle of nowhere.

A good reminder.

July 13

Took a small detour to climb up New Jerseys High Point, an obelisk that stands 220 feet tall, and involves a 291 stair climb to reach the top. Yes I climbed to the top, do I recommend that other hikers take this .03 side blue blaze? Not necessarily, the 291 stairs lead you to a sauna with no new views (view from base of obelisk might actually be better). But I did have fun and can say I went up the High Point followed by a visit to a mediocre swimming beach & concession stand. Spent the night at Murray's Property, A little hiker cabin with plenty of camping, beautiful clean water, a shower & privy that are located on the edge of someones mountain farm property. It was quaint, quiet and a beautiful place to rest for a night.

The 291 step climb up the 220 foot tall tower.

If you look closely you can spot two hikers.

The "sauna heat box" at the top of the obelisk - I was dripping with sweat.

Murray's Property (Above & Below)

Swamp Life means plenty of board walks and neat swamp plants.

Flintstones?!

Lots of (what im assuming is) property markers?

July 14 & July 15

Woke up sick, a summer cold inhabiting my lungs. In Vernon, New Jersey I stayed at St.Thomas Episcopal Hostel, saw the local doctor and got medicine. Pizza with Low Profile, Detox & Wheaties. Everyone gathering around the tv to watch movies. Sleeping on the loveseat. Prices of everything are starting to be noticeably higher. The local bagel shops oven broke so the town was sadly fresh bagel-less. The climb out of town started with "The Stairway to Heaven" which was just a bunch of stairs. On the way up I saw my second bear of the hike! It was a black bear a hundred yards west that was foraging around, didn't pay me any attention. The shelter had a bear box. Below is the view at the summit of the stair climb on a .01W blue blaze trail.

New York

The southern half is beautiful but more brutal than Pennsylvania. The northern half is child's play comparatively and might be some of the last flat we hit until the 100 mile wilderness. The water in New York is currently in the lead for the worst.

July 16

I crossed into New York. The trail starts of with lots of exposed rock ridges, resulting in some crazy scrambles. Hiked a 18.3 and stealth camped with no tarp to a beautiful clear sky.

The highest point in New York was reached within an hour of entering the state. Marked with an American flag.

I fell in love with New Yorks color palette.

Unidentified bird.

"Coffee Maker" - Austria - Blog

First hot dog consumed in years.

Bellvale Farms Creamery - Local Ice Cream - .01W

Me & Annabelle

July 17

New York has a section that is often classified as a "roller coaster" (The original reference refers to a section pre-Harpers), basically miles of repetitive, seemingly pointless, steep up and downs. A ladder was fastened partway through a rock climb to help climb a tall sleek rock. Did a 20.8 mile day. Stealth camped again.

Chill-a-While just before entering the Lemon Squeezer.

Fingerboard Shelter.

Attempting to stay hydrated in the 100 degree heat.

More color palette love.

Bear Mountain - Fire Tower

July 18 & July 19

Ran down Bear Mountain and into the town of Fort Montgomery. Walked into town to charge dead phones and get slices of New York pizza. The attendant at the Chestnut Market was extremely hiker friendly, volunteered outlets and useful information to us. We did a little bit of exploring before re-hitting the trail. That evening a dear friend of mine, M drove up from Long Island and treated me and my hiking partners to a hotel room, some good food & even better beer.

Chill-a-While and a massive canon.

The Hudson River

Me & M. The Newburgh Brewing Company is located on the Hudson River in an old converted train building. The food and beer were excellent!

I love coffee & I like soda. Put the two together and its unfortunately not as good as you'd think.

Big Tree.

M also left me with some new reading material.

July 20 & July 21

The heat index must have read "insanity" instead of a number. The last days in New York terrain wise were nice, but the heat was brutal. I was drinking over 4 liters of water during my hike and would still arrive at camp dehydrated. The bugs are also starting to become unbearable, their favorite activity being divebombing into your eyes, nostrils, mouth and ears.