HELLO NEW JERSEY

AT Day 077: Friday June 23, 2023

Mile 1297 + 15 miles/24.1 km

Total Distance Hiked: 1312 miles/2111km

Delaware Water Gap – Campsite

A: 2533 ft /773 m  D:1473ft /449m 

We had thoughts of  taking a full zero today to rest our feet and avoid the worst of the rain. But the hotel had upped its nightly rate by more then 50% from yesterday  and the rain will not be as bad as predicted  so we headed back on trail. 

Before rejoining the trail we stopped at the Bakery for brunch. . Hammer had a burger with fries and I had a toasted egg, cheese and bacon sandwich on delicious rye bread. We also shared a cinnamon scroll just because it looked amazing. It tasted even better then it looked. 

We left the bakery around 10.30 and walked out of town and onto the Delaware Water Gap Bridge.  The bridge was long and quite scary to walk on because the traffic was flying past, the separation barriers were low which we were not used to and the bridge vibrated with each zooming truck that passed. Although it  was cool to cross the state border on the bridge and entered New Jersey  for the next 72 miles of the AT. 

We soon entered the woods and within minutes the sound of traffic disappeared.  We were back on beautiful trail for a relatively short ascent to the Kittatinny Ridge.  We followed the ridgeline for the rest of  the day passing several lakes. At some stage we passed the 1300 miles mark but we missed it.  

The day was grey and overcast  and the lakes looked quite mystical and moody in the fog.

They look like small lakes but our map refers to them as ponds. Sunfish Pond was first on the  ridge. The trail passed right by the lake and was pretty rocky with great views of the lake.  

Drizzly rain came in a few short bursts in the early afternoon, significant rain was expected around 5 pm. We were keen to get to a campsite before the rain arrived.

The first campsite we came to in the afternoon was full of noisy teenagers in an outward bound training course. We hiked on for another mile and a half past a beaver pond. We found an established campsite, got the tent set up and were undercover just as the few drops of rain turned into a downpour. The rain arrived right on cue.  We so hope that each day of the predicted fortnight of rain will be similar to today. 

And now over to Hammer to pen a few reflections on our time in Pennsylvania. 

Trail Magic, Conspiracy Theories and Rocks, lots of Rocks 

Pennsylvania is better know on trail as Rocksylvania because of its rocky terrain. But our first impression was Trail Magic and nice trail through sweet smelling woods.

First trail magic encounter was soon after we entered Pennsylvania. We were low on food and snacks when we met ‘Tycoon’. Tycoon got his trail name because he section hikes and prefers to stay at the Hilton Inn and in his words “leave the camping in the rain to the younger kids”. We were surprised to learn that Big Agnes Hilton had competition :-). Tycoon had an endless supply of hotdogs which were delicious. He kept saying don’t be polite have more. He once fed a family whose 8 year old daughter managed to eat 6 hotdogs. I was pretty sure I had 5 but it could well have been 6 and it was washed down with Gatorade and Pepsi with biscuits and cake in-between. 

It was a genuine feast and so generous. Tycoon also fed our brains as he is a history tragic. When not trail angeling, he runs history tours in Gettysburg, the location of one of America’s most famous Civil War battles. It was truly fascinating to get his point of view on the Civil War and his knowledge of the Mason Dixon line. He was also able to tell us about the trail ahead and gave us sage advice on how to deal with the rocky terrain. A truly great experience spending time with Tycoon and we walked away grateful and rejuvenated.

We filled our water bottles from the faucet in the park and only walked about half a mile before encountering trail magic number 2. Brett was set up in an airstream caravan. Brett has his van well set up with solar panels and he had a backup generator if needed. Bretts pickup truck had a fabulous arrangement for his Surly bikepacking bike and his mountain bike. He had done a bike packing trip through Tasmania in 2020 and only just made it back home before the full force of Covid and its disruptions hit the world. It caused him to reassess his life. He sold his house and purchased the Airstream which he has been living out of ever since.

This was Brett’s first attempt at Trail Magic and he had ice cold watermelon and other tasty treats. He asked if anyone wanted a burrito filled with rice, beans and chopped veggies. After the number of hot dogs we had eaten, it was simply not possible. Brett said how about if he makes them to go. They were still a bit warm and fantastically delicious when we arrived at a shelter later in the day. 

The trail magic continued a few days later when we arrived in Duncannon. We had just finished a fantastic burger and a beer and I asked for the bill. I was told that the gentleman at the bar had paid our bill. Chuck whom we had spoken to briefly had already settled the bill. How extraordinarily generous. We thanked Chuck and he wished us a good journey for the rest of the hike.

A few days later the trail magic continued, with some Korean hikers sharing their delicious cherries. Trail magic is so nice because it is unexpected. A little later on the same day three day hikers heading in the opposite direction asked if we would like some trail magic   And next minute produced a couple of cold Gatorades, a couple of bags of grapes and some mandarines, what a treat. 

It’s fitting that we finish Pennsylvania with some trail magic in our last two days with Sherpa and with Bookie as soon as we arrived in Delaware Water Gap yesterday.  

Corky has documented a number of other instances of trail magic –  such as coolers left with treats, water caches for drier sections – that people have  set up at road crossings. All of the trail magic is so very generous and best because it’s unexpected and really boosts your spirits. This has been especially welcomed as Pennsylvania has been a tough section of the AT. 

It’s been challenging hiking through Pennsylvania. A challenge that’s been made  so much easier because of the kindness from strangers.

Although Pennsylvania had plenty of rocks, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the extent of ‘easy’ trail mixed in with the challenging rocky sections.

Pennsylvania will also be remembered for some strange conspiracy theories. Along the trail we’ve seen little squares of paper folded tightly and held together by a paper clip. We had seen a number of these sitting on rocks or pinned to trees. Curiosity got the better of us and we opened one. It contained a series of what appeared as gibberish words, hyphenated and disjointed. But on closer reading it’s keywords for just about every conspiracy theory known to man. S

Weird for sure, we wondered why? .