Date: 2014-06-15
From: PA 611

To: Mohican Outdoor Center via Camp Mohican Rd
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy Father's Day! Don't forget to tell dad how much you love him and do something nice for him.Today I let Big Dawg get some extra rest and made all of the breakfast for him - sure it was mostly just boiling water but it is the thought that counts! We finished packing and exited the hostel into a beautiful sunshiney day - first one since Hamburg!Leaving town and walking along I-80 we entered NJ - farewell PA and hello to more views! A nice walk along the road with only one scare - a semi drove past us and literally shook the bridge underneath us. Quite an odd feeling!A nice climb up from the road until we got closer to the Backpackers Campsite - the trail reverted back to PA form and threw a rocky section at us! Seems like we are not quite out of the tough rocks yet. A brief rest helped Big Dawg's paws and then we walked on to Sunfish Pond.Sunfish Pond was amazing! Clear blue water just inviting me for a swim (no swimming allowed) - the first glacial lake on the trail! Enjoyed the view from the shoreline before continuing the hike - running into more rocky trail around the lake. Climbed up to the rocky summit of Kittatinny Mountain and were treated to some nice views along the way - NJ brought back viewpoints! We also ran into Rangeley on the climb up - an older section hiker who was very friendly. She was excited to meet us and it was nice putting a face to a name in the logbooks. The trail was still rocky in parts and Big Dawg's feet were still sore from PA so we decided to follow the schedule and do a short day to the Mohican Outdoor Center - which I will call the MOC.Arrived at the MOC in time for lunch and spent the rest of the day relaxing and letting Big Dawg recover. The MOC was a great stopping place along the trail - come here if you can! The camping areas are nice and very well-priced for thru-hikers and the main visitor center has WiFi and water for hikers. The room with the fireplace next to the camp store is open 24 hrs and we utilized it a lot. You can also rent canoes and kayaks for Catfish Pond which is right next to the camp - we did not do that but the pond was nice!We checked in with the very helpful attendant Katie (I think that is how it was spelled) and set up our hammocks for the first time since Hamburg - ready for a good sleep in them! After getting settled in and getting all the important info we ate a good lunch and relaxed. I returned to the office with a question and met two gentleman from NY out paddling around the lake with their families - they were both excited to find out I was thru-hiking with my dad and asked lots of questions. A bit humorous watching them get the gear they needed for three canoes and two kayaks...or was it three kayaks and one canoe?Spent a lot of the afternoon in the side room charging things up and resting - lucky we were there since we received some trail magic! While in the room a lady by the trail name of Tuda checked out and asked if they had thru-hikers at the camp. I was nearby so I went and talked with her for a bit and she was very interested in our adventure - a fellow hiker from NY. She had some extra beer and sodas from a training that past weekend and she offered them to us - very nice trail magic!We Skyped Mom and Stef in the evening and talked about them visiting us agaim - should be soon and it will be great to see them! Reset arrived in camp later in the evening and it was good to see he made it through the PA rocks - he said his feet feel much better!Long day planned tomorrow - hopefully the trail brings us nice conditions!