~*~ Delaware Water Gap, NJ – AT Section ~*~

DWG to Mohican Outdoor Center, NJ

Date: September 30- October 2, 2005

Hikers:Green Monkee & I

Mileage:

Elevation Gain/Loss:

Friday

We left early and still we didn’t get to the trailhead until later in the evening. “It just doesn’t matter! It just doesn’t matter!” Needless to say, we weren’t going to make it all the way to Sunfish Pond BP site so we chose to stealth it once again. We found a nice little spot, hidden from the DWG trailhead, as well as the trail. Legal? Not according to the posted signs…but we managed to find a nice little nook. Although we pretty much rolled into each other all night since it was like sleeping in a “U”.

Saturday

Up and at ‘em early. The promise of a beautiful day brought the dayhikers and photographers out in droves. I haven’t been on this trail in over 10 years ~ and I barely remember it from then, so it was nice to be back and experiencing it for what felt like the first time. There were loads of people out and about as we made our way up the A.T. to Sunfish Pond. We didn’t spend much time dallying, figuring that we’d take a nice long lunch at the pond. I had heard there had been a lot of damage from the flooding, but along this section, it didn’t seem to be particularly noticeable.

Sunfish Pond was a madhouse of people and frogs. With every step, bunches of them jumped from the bank into the pond (the frogs, not the people). We were fortunate to find a couple huge rocks that were abandoned, so we dropped our packs and spread out to have some lunch and catch some rays. After an hour or so, we packed back up to make our way to wherever. We didn’t have a set plan, just to hike until we felt like stopping. We did manage to lose the A.T. somehow but found our way back quickly by following alternate routes. An older gentleman and his son, who looked like a pack mule, were slowly making their way up the trail ahead of us. As we approached, they moved aside and said “make way for the freight train coming through”. I guess we were moving quickly.

Raccoon Ridge made for a nice spot to take a little breather, and there were probably 12 other people that thought the same thing. I placed a rock on the giant cairn as GM snapped some pictures of the Delaware River and PA, seen below. We set out again, not intending on stopping but we happened upon a nice little rock ridge that was perfect for sitting and admiring the view. Since we were in no hurry and making good time, we stopped yet again and kicked back for 15 minutes. Once on the trail again, we caught a group of boy scouts and zoomed pass them. Sometimes following GM is like an endurance training thing. He moves so dang fast up the climbs that I’m all but running to keep up. One scout leader commented on our speed and I told him I was just doing my best to keep up with the monkey in front of me. A scout offered me $10 for my trekking poles. Sorry, but no. Punk.

We made our way down a rather long descent and found ourselves on a dirt road, not far from the Mohican Outdoor Center. Since I had never been there, we decided to go check it out. Upon investigating, there was nobody to be found at the campsites so we opted to stay there for the evening. As GM registered us, I checked out the photos and the register of the thru-hikers, smiling inside that I would be back through again next year to do the same.

We set up camp and then went for a walk around Catfish Pond. A little beach made for a nice location to check out the view, watch the inexperienced canoe-people, and master the art of skipping the unskippable rocks while watching the sun set. It was a nice relaxed evening and as dusk took over, we made our way back to the tent to cook dinner. I love Enertia Mac ‘n Cheese with chorizo. It is perhaps my favorite backcountry quick meal. MMMmmMMmmm We had carried some beer in so we spent the remainder of the evening reading our books and sipping on cold beer. Not a bad night, if you ask me.

Around 8:30pm, we heard a couple setting up camp in the site next to us. At 9:30pm I took our food up to the designated bear boxes to lock it up for the evening. I would say about 30 minutes passed when we heard rustling and clanking in what was a silent evening. And then…running. Loud running. So loud that the guy in the neighboring site shot up, headlamp on, and yelled “That’s a big motherfucking bear!!!!!” at the top of his lungs. GM and I both burst into quiet laughter. Across the lake there must have been some folks with guitars and a recorder because we could hear it drifting over the water. A peaceful evening for all.

Sunday

We woke up at 7am and got our stuff somewhat together before heading over the main house for breakfast. Hey, I love the backcountry but man, it was nice to have someone cook a hot breakfast for us! We had bagels, eggs and cereal, sharing the feast with a big group of “wilderness enthusiasts” as well as three ladies from NYC who were out enjoying the weekend. They were in awe of us and our packs, which was a little amusing.

By 9am, we were back on the trail heading back the way we came. We did take an alternate route so it wouldn’t be entirely the same. The name of the trail we descended escapes me but we climbed back up the Kaiser Trail to intersect with the A.T. again. It was a nice long climb and it felt good to be pushing so early in the day. As we came back to Raccoon Ridge, we were hauling butt again. A group of three was taking a break and one man in the group said “Great job, you guys! Not too much further to Springer Mountain! What are your trail names?” HAHA He thought we were thru-hikers, which was a bit of a compliment but it made us both laugh. I think he was a little disappointed to learn we were merely out for the weekend.

A group of bird-watchers and a giant horse-dog had taken over the ridge so we sat in silence for a few minutes before heading back down the trail towards Sunfish Pond.

Sometimes I don’t know why I follow GM. We got to the pond and he suggested we take the “trail” around the other side. OK, he’s been here before so I trust him. I made it up some silly little rock scramble and noticed some blazes to my left. To the right, a nice view of the pond and a blowdown that looked exactly like a horse. Needless to say, I swung my leg over the horse and pulled on the reins. GIDDY UP! We watched a lone swimmer make is way about ¾ across the pond before turning around and heading back to shore. We thought that it was illegal to swim in the pond, and if not illegal, just plain goofy given the level of acidity in the dang thing. Better him than us! After some silliness, and lunch, we followed the “trail” around the pond.

There’s no trail. It’s a big fat lie. There’s half a footpath that is so overgrown, you can’t even SEE the path. There are trees down, pricker bushes and a big fat mess. We might as well have been bushwhacking! I grumbled at him under my breath as my skin clung to every branch I had to climb over/under/around/through. By the time we broke through the other side of Sunfish Pond, I was more than ready.

Instead of taking the A.T. back to the trailhead, we went via the Dunnfield Creek Trail, which I really enjoyed. It was a nice trail through some really pretty wilderness. We saw several deer, one which scared the bajeezus out of me. It was along this trail that the effects of the flooding were very apparent. So many huge trees just snapped like twigs and scattered on the forest floor. The creek itself was packed with trees that had fallen. I think it was the size of the trees that surprised me the most, uprooted completely and probably 15’ in diameter at the base. As we passed on day hiker, we chatted briefly and upon leaving he cheerfully waved and said “Enjoy the devastation!” Um, ok?

We made it back down to the car in another ½ hour or so and were ready to be on our way home. The parking lot was completely loaded with vehicles, boy scouts, and people in general. I don’t blame them, it was a beautiful weekend to be out and about. It was really nice getting up to DWG since I have lived so close to it for the past year without ever making it there to hike. I can see the attraction though and look forward to passing through again next year while on my thru-hike.

What I Learned:

~ If it sounds like a bear, it’s probably a huge motherf*****g bear!!!”

~ How to enjoy the devastation.

~ Playing touron on a backpacking trip is fun when it involves a yummy home cooked breakfast.

~ “You mean you hiked all the way here without a car?” is a common question at MOC.

~ How to skip the unskippable rocks.

~ Bear bagging is 100% essential in NJ.

~ Hiking fast can mean being mistaken for a thru-hiker.

~ That I will never learn to stop following GM when he makes promises of trail.

~ I have an inner cowgirl.

~ City folk shouldn’t be allowed to rent canoes.

~ It just doesn’t matter.

~ Nobody talks about the rocks in NJ. Why?

~ Sometimes a twig is a bug. But sometimes a twig is just a twig.

~ Laying on a trail that is loaded with rocks to take a photo is not smart.

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