Date: 2007-07-10
From: POCHUNK MTN SHELTER

To: WAWAYANDA SHELTER
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: haze

From: Pochuck Mtn ShelterTo: Wawayanda ShelterToday's Mileage: 11.8Total Mileage:1347.8It was already hot by the time we left camp at 7:15 this morning. We had a rocky climb up Pochuck Mtn and then we went down into some old woods walking. I like walking in the old woods the best as it is generally cooler and you can see deep into your surroundings. After we crossed Country Rd 517, we were on a boardwalk through a swampy area. It was about one mile in length, with benches along it, and in the middle there was a suspension bridge over Pochuck Creek. It was a great walk except it was very hot and the boardwalk was out in the open in a swamp, but the bugs have not been too bad, so that helped. Again today, we have had all different sorts of walking. Before we got to NJ 94, we walked through this field all on boards, fun but hot. At NJ 94, .1 mile away was Heaven Hill Farm with ice cream and cold drinks, so of course Calamity and I went there. I had an orange ice cream float. I know I am getting north when they have ice cream floats on the menu. My mom always would make them when I would go to visit her! CJ and I sat there and hydrated ourselves. I find I am always thirsty now and need to drink all the time but, the water is pretty scarce and many of the shelters do not have water. We are not used to that, so we are getting water every chance we can and carrying way more weight because of it. But being dehydrated is not a good feeling, and we try to watch each other for any changes in behavior.After our break, we had to climb Wawayanda Mtn. It was the hardest climb since Lehigh Gap and the hardest in NJ. It went from 500 ft to 1340ft in a mile. When we first started, I looked up and saw these huge rocks. My stomach did flips as it made me nervous to think I had to get up them somehow, but we went around them and thanks to the trail maintainers the climb was hard and steep but not dangerous. We met this couple who had done it three times that day to practice for a Grand Canyon trip! We also met the first thru hiker in two days, Bloody Nose. Talked to him for awhile and might never see him again as he hikes way too fast and far for us.We got to the shelter at 4:00 PM and had only done 11.8 miles, but we were exhausted so we decided to stop. The heat and the climbs had gotten to us, I guess. We had to walk another .4 miles to get water from the Wawayanda State Park, as they had a spigot outside. And we cooked and ate dinner for the first time in three days. We just have been to hot to eat but both of us knew that we needed to tonight, besides we are carrying all these dinners, but after four days have only eaten two. We are both in our tents trying to be still and cool and we will try to do more mileage tomorrow if possible! PS: Well we just had our first NJ bear encounter. We were lying in our tents and hear this noise in the woods. We knew it was something big so I went out and got my sticks and could hear it but could not see anything so I clanged my sticks together. Calamity came out and said there it is and it was two pretty big bears just walking by the shelter. We both made a lot of noise and they strolled on by as if to say "Yea we see you up there!" They did not look too scared of us. We both put our poles next to our tents just in case and hopefully that is the last time we will see the bears tonight. But once again CJ and I are all alone at this shelter!