Date: 2006-06-18
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

.2 miles from DWG I crossed the PA/NJ line (350¢) over the west end of the Delaware River Bridge. Pennsylvania is behind me and ¢the wheels are still on the bus¢! I am grateful for my good health¢¦Sean called me this morning to wish me a Happy Father¢s Day and because I lent my phone to another hiker so she could call her Dad, I didn¢t turn it off when I got it back. I¢m not used to having my phone on during the day when I¢m walking. I heard the ringing but paid no attention¢¦finally, a bell went off (no pun intended) and I realized it was my phone ringing! We briefly chatted and he said he¢d call me later in the day in order not to interfere with my hiking. When we finished talking, I tried calling Bonnie, but no luck! I¢ll talk with her tomorrow.Today was sunny and hot - high 91o/low 69o and I covered slightly more than 10 miles ¢ as I passed the DWG National Recreation Area Information Center, the I-80 overpass, Holly Springs Trail, Backpacker Site, Sunfish Pond (1,382¢) and Spring before arriving the Mohican Outdoor Center (MOC), the southernmost Appalachian Mtn. Club (AMC) facility. Located in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the MOC is situated on a beautiful 60-acre glacial lake, the camp is one-quarter mile from the Appalachian Trail, with connecting loop trails available for hiking as well as swimming, canoeing, cross-country skiing and year-round outdoor adventures and workshops. Black bears, are native to New Jersey, New York and PA. There are between 500 and 800 black bears currently living in New Jersey, depending on who's counting.The park is home to 14 species of snakes, 8 species of turtles, and two kinds of lizards. As with amphibians, many suffer population declines from habitat loss or fragmentation, illegal collection, and commercial exploitation. Of the park's 26 species, 8 are of "special concern" in one or both states (Pennsylvania or New Jersey), and one species - the bog turtle - is protected under the Endangered Species Act. Commonly encountered reptiles include painted turtles and water snakes. In warm weather, both can often be spotted at one of the park's old farm ponds - the turtle basking on a floating log and the snake draped over the branches of a shoreline shrub. Garter and ribbon snakes can be found in adjacent wetlands. Among the least frequently encountered reptiles are the lizards and venomous snakes. Small populations of five-lined skinks, northern fence lizards and the venemous northern copperheads and timber rattlesnakes all inhabit the park but are seldom seen¢¦I have had encounters with both and am happy to report no problems!The recreation area boasts 25 species of frogs, toads and salamanders which live or breed in the park's diverse aquatic and wetland habitats. Under a rotting log you may find a red-backed salamander or the northern dusky.   Spring introduces the spring peeper symphony and the longer days of summer heat introduce the bellowing bullfrog.The park is a mosaic of landforms further altered by centuries of human activities. These diverse landscapes provide habitat for a variety of birds that breed here or migrate through: more than 260 species have been identified in the recreation area. River and stream corridors are hosts to species ranging from Louisiana waterthrush to bald eagles. Bottomland forest along the river support cirulean warblers. Hemlock dominated ravines offer breeding habitat for blackburnian and black-throated green warblers, acadian flycatchers, and hermit thrush. Agricultural fields provide open space that is frequented by wild turkey while the surrounding trees offer hunting perches for raptors scanning fields for small prey. Grasslands provide breeding habitat for bobolink and grasshopper sparrow while wetlands are inhabited by waterfowl, shorebirds, and herons. Deciduous forests, perhaps the largest landscape component, provide habitat for birds ranging from the scarlet tanager to the ruffed grouse. During the fall and spring months many birds migrate along the river valley. More than 30 species of warblers have been recorded during spring migration. In the fall the Kittatinny Ridge provides an important migratory corridor for raptors. The Delaware River valley offers important wintering habitat for a large population of bald eagles attracted to the open water for foraging. Golden eagles are less frequently sighted but are recorded nearly every winter. Bald eagles are frequently seen along the river during the summer months and in 2002 the first recorded successful nest in the recreation area fledged two young. In April of 2003 the park closed a section of the Minsi Cliffs in Pennsylvania at the Water Gap, to protect a peregrine falcons nest, the first pergrine nest in this areas since the 1940s and 1950s.Phase of Moon - June 18: Waning Gibbous The waning gibbous Moon, or disseminating moon, is generally illuminated from the left and appears from 312 to 7 days after the full moon. This phase of the Moon is seen to rise a little while after sunset. The gibbous Moon rides across the sky for most of the night and is still above the western horizon at sunrise. The Moon is in this phase for nearly a week between full and third quarter. For a few days or so after Full Moon the waning gibbous Moon appears nearly full and might be mistaken for a full Moon. The Moon in this phase sets just shortly after sunrise and is generally seen by casual observers early in the morning.For practical purposes, phases of the Moon and the percent of the Moon illuminated are independent of the location on the Earth from where the Moon is observed. That is, all the phases occur at the same time regardless of the observer's position.         The Moon The moon has a face like the clock in the hall; She shines on thieves on the garden wall, On streets and fields and harbour quays, And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees. The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse, The howling dog by the door of the house, The bat that lies in bed at noon, All love to be out by the light of the moon. But all of the things that belong to the day Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way; And flowers and children close their eyes Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.    - Robert Louis Stevenson -