Date: 2017-06-11
From: Ramsey, NJ

To: Wawayanda Shelter, NJ
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

6/10/17, Wawayanda Shelter, NJMiles hiked: 1044.4 Miles to go: 1145.4Today's hike was more like a work day than yesterday; but, it was a fun day at work. 1st Sgt, Sitting Bull, and I were up at 5:00 AM because the Sooz were picking us up at 6:00 AM. A quick stop at Dunkin Donuts and a drive back to Unionville put us on the trail by 7:20 AM. Thanks again to the Sooz for all their kind assistance. It was another beautiful, clear morning which held the potential for a hot afternoon. We had a good blend of terrain today - flat trail next to wetlands, boardwalks through wetlands, a couple of big climbs, and up-and-down ridge walking. After a few miles through pastures and wetlands, we arrived at Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge. We walked on open trails around the edge of the wetlands. With no trees for shade, it was beginning to warm up considerably. As we traversed the wetlands, we came upon an incredible sight - a turtle laying eggs! It was so cool! She had dug a hole and, as she laid each egg, she would cover it with dirt using her back legs. We must have watched for 20 minutes. It was amazing that such a small creature could have so many eggs in her. As we left the wildlife refuge we came upon trail magic in the form of cold sodas. Perfect! Just what we needed on such a warm morning. The sugar also helped fuel us as we climbed up and over Pochuck Mt. By the time we descended, it was lunch time! We ate lunch at the southern end of the Pochuck Boardwalk. There were several weekend hikers who were curious about our hike. So, we hung out for quite awhile answering their questions. After lunch, we crossed the Pochuck Boardwalk, a 0.9 mile boardwalk through the open wetlands. With no shade. And temperatures that had risen into the nineties. It was a very pretty section of the hike and there were Day hikers everywhere; but, it was hot!The Pochuck Boardwalk was petty; but, the farmer's market at the end with drinks and ice cream was even prettier! As we sat enjoying our ice cream, all our friends began arriving: Sitting Bull, Shenaniguy, Silly Spilly, Pluck, Crazy Tree, Keller, Sauce, and Snooze, to name a few. We were all taking a little respite before we began the big climb of the day. If you will recall when I was discussing Jacob's Ladder way back in NC, I said that it was a bad sign if a geographic feature was significant enough to get a name. Well, this one was called "Stairway to Heaven".  It was a 1000 ft climb consisting mostly of rock steps. 1st Sgt and I were the first ones to head out. Luckily, it turned out that the entire climb was in the shade. As it was, by the time we reached the top, we were drenched in sweat. We passed many local day hikers on the way up who marveled at our climbing ability, with full packs, no less! We, of course, were quite blas© about it and waited until we got out of sight of them to huff and puff. We were rewarded for our climb with a spectacular view back over the wetlands we had previously traversed. After enjoying the view and catching our breaths, we set out to finish the last five miles of the day's hike. As is often the case, these last miles were just plain work. We hiked along the ridgeline with no views and several PUDS (pointless ups and downs). At this point, it was after 5:00 PM, so we just put our heads down and hiked. We eventually arrived at the shelter and set up camp for the evening. Pretty soon, everyone started rolling in. It now looks like a tent city with probably 20-25 people here, including our old buddy Ramsey Bolton, who managed to catch up today. I would have to put this day near the top of the 'Good Hiking Days' list.