Date: 2018-05-25
From: Deer Head Inn, Delaware Water Gap 

To: Tentsite at Catfish Fire Tower
Miles today: 12.7

I know nothing about jazz, but I appreciated the virtuosity of the pianist, bassist and drummer who made up last night¢s ensemble. The young bassist showed no emotion on his face, but it came through clearly in his playing. Cool jazz?  It¢s easy to make fun of New Jersey, especially if all you have seen of it is the I-95 corridor between Newark Airport and Manhattan. I won¢t pretend that it¢s my favorite state, but I¢ll proclaim enthusiastically that at least it¢s not Pennsylvania. For that I give most hearty thanks. There are rocks in New Jersey, but they are Jersey rocks and not Pennsylvania rocks. The difference? Pennsylvania rocks are sharp. New Jersey rocks are smooth and easy to walk on. I waited until the Apple Pie Bakery opened at 8 for breakfast, a fine egg and cheese sandwich with sausage. I didn¢t have room for the slice of apple pie that I really wanted, my appetite still suppressed by my cold. The trail crosses the Delaware River on a highway bridge that bounces when heavy trucks pass. The state line is marked on the sidewalk in undramatic fashion, almost lost in clutter of signs offering suicide prevention counseling. A high curved fence would prevent a jumper from landing on train tracks or a highway, but the river remains fair target. After crossing the river, the trail ascends gradually through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and New Jersey¢s Worthington Forest, named after our favorite cinnamon bun purveyor. It being the start of a long holiday weekend, there were people everywhere, including a very large group of boys and teenagers ending their overnight. At one point, I saw three of them jump back after they spotted a small timber rattlesnake, only about three feet long. I took photos, but he was so well camouflaged that I can¢t see him in the photos. He rattled and moved off the trail and was not overly aggressive. Nonetheless, the boys were impressed. I don¢t know why it is, but the only state in which I routinely see trash on the trail is New Jersey.  I prevailed on three separate groups of kids to carry out candy wrappers and four separate well used socks.  They took the objects reluctantly, perhaps just to humor me, and I suspect they tossed them back on the trail once I was out of sight  Shortly after the snake sighting, Baby Bird caught up with me and we walked together most of the day. We stopped at an overlook with 360 degree views of the Delaware River to the west and a reservoir to the east. There was a large group of first year medical students from the University of Pennsylvania. Baby Bird and I took the 0.3 road to The Mohican Center, operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club of Beacon Hill, Boston. There was no room in the Inn, as I had been told on the phone earlier, but we ordered sandwiches. I could eat only half of my turkey club and carried out half for dinner. I filled all of my water containers, about 2.5 liters, and slowly walked another two miles to the old Catfish Fire Tower where I am now tented. There¢s a nice breeze, soft grass and a picnic table. Once the sun sets a little more, it should cool down and be a very pleasant evening. Lotus and Ibex stopped by to visit on their way to the next campsite by Rattlesnake Spring. I thought of hiking the additional 0.7 miles, but I don¢t need water and staying here improved the odds of my having a quiet night. The medical students just passed, planning to tent at the spring, making me very glad to be tenting by the fire tower!  I¢m feeling much improved over yesterday and tomorrow I will be better still, especially if I have a good night¢s sleep without awakening to sneeze or to cough. I¢m grateful for my recovering health! It¢s one thing to struggle on in ordinary life with a cold and quite another to carry a 25 pound pack for 12-15 miles.