Date: 2018-07-22
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Stealth site near Crater Lake
Miles today: 22.2

I didn't sleep to well last night. I kept thinking I was going to fall off the bunk bed since it had no walls. We got up at 6 am since we wanted an early start. I packed up in the dark bunk room. It took me awhile to make sure I had all my things. I stumbled through the dark and went outside to eat breakfast. It was still raining from the night before. I ate a couple bananas, a small pie, a muffin, and yogurt. We were excited to get out of Pennsylvania today.  The initial walk out of town was next to the highway. I saw the NJ/PA border in the distance. Lupine was ecstatic to finally be leaving PA that she ran in the rain without care. We got pictures of us crossing over. It instantly felt different once we got back in the woods. The air, streams, and rocks felt better than Pennsylvania. It just felt good to be in New Jersey. We hiked the initial 5 miles to sunfish pond. There were couple women there who were trail runners. They were on our heels most of the time but didn't manage to pass us. We ate snacks at the pond. Rosie and Lupine packed out hummus and bread.  Their snacks were amazing. I had some cheez its, cookies, and a protein bar. Rosie decided to do get some bra shots on the lake. We got a couple pictures of him wearing only a bra and underwear looking off into the distance. We pushed on to the next water source about 3.5 miles away.The walk on the ridgeline was beautiful. There were views all along it. The trail was also covered with blue berries! So many berry bushes as far as I could see. I stopped a few times to eat the fruit. I had to stop eating or I would get far behind. There is more bear activity in New Jersey since they have so much berries to eat.  We came to a breathtaking view of the Delaware Water Gap and stopped for a break. The land below looked so green and lush. We then headed a few miles to our lunch location. It was another view of the valley. I ate two bagels with ham and cheese. Rosie and Lupine packed out curry and rice for lunch. Again, their meal was way better than mine. I ate a second bagel to make sure I had enough calories. After lunch it was easy rolling along the ridgeline. The rocks were still there but not as sharp and jagged as PA.  We pushed another 7 miles to crater lake and filled up our water bottles for the stealth site. At the lake I wanted to build a bridge out from the shore to make it easier to fill. I started throwing rocks in the lake one by one. At one point Rosie was on a rock and I aimed at getting him wet. I threw a huge rock and the splash backfired. It got Lupine totally wet from the front. It was really funny and she though so too. Until she said I was in the dog pound until further notice.  We pushed another mile to the stealth site and setup camp. Our area was right under a hemlock tree and the ground was soft. I realized as I was setting up my tent that I left my tent poles at the church in Delaware Water Gap. I needed them to pitch out my rain fly since it was supposed to rain tonight. Luckily Lupine and Rosie had extras to spare. We all sat next to each other and cooked our dinners. I had another one of my dehydrated meals and never seemed to get sick of them. We listened to tiny desk concerts as we cooked our food. The mosquitos had gotten worse and I needed to guard my legs from them. Hiker midnight rolled around and I got into bed.Tonight I'm listening to the rain hit my tent every few minutes. I hope it doesn't pour.