Date: 2005-05-19
From: Tenting

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It is so wonderful to be in New Jersey-one of the fifty best places on earth!Today's hike: 21.3/1290.3 tenting to MOCMoney spent:$20.99-lodging at MOC 12.72; DWG-Bakery 4.88 (yum!) and Kwik Mart drinks 3.88Today's Wx: Sunny, 70sIn the office at 7:00 and at the Mohican Outdoor Center at 6:50. At the center tonight we have Pure Luck and a section hiker-Steve B from Pennsylvania's only town-Bloomsburg!The real rocky part of The Penn State runs from Smith Gap Road through the Wolf Rocks, which is a 15 mile stretch of almost all rock walk or extremely washboard trails.After the Wolf Rocks, the rocks are more avoidable on trail-there are still some scrambles (Wolf Rocks) and washboard areas, but more dirt trail is evident.After Totts Gap, the trail becomes another old roadbed through Mt Minsi, where you begin a descent into Delaware Water Gap. The Church of the Mountain Hostel is close to the trail. The Trail's End Cafe is across the street, but it was closed for a week today. The BAKERY is where to go to eat large-they really know how to scramble lard, flour, and sugar! Today's special was a hot dog and a piece of apple or pumpkin pie (I chose the latter!) for $1.49! I also had a fifty cent Pepsi and a large strawberry turnover (OK-I also had about 5 doughnuts halfs from the freebies table!)I felt a real pull to stay in DWG, but I arrived at 12PM and only was going to eat at the cafe and rest out of the sun until 2PM and go the 10.3 miles to the MOC.As the cafe was closed, I left my gear at the hostel and did the town, wrote a letter, re-batteried my pocketmail, and worked a toothbrush over my teeth-which is a luxury on trail.Onward to New Jersey! There are many businesses in DWG and many NP buildings still unusable due to flooding last year. So it was weird crossing the bridge and walking along the Delaware River by the Visitor's Center and having no traffic or people there-it is still taped off and closed! Then under I-80 to Worthington SP.As I was leaving WSP's parking lot, going to the Dunnfield Creek Bridge (maybe 100 yards), I saw my first bear just to my right! The beast was less than 50 yards from the cars, just browsing in the ferns and grass-maybe eating acorns?The hike from WSP parking is an easy uphill for about 1/2 mile, then it is the Penn State in New Jersey with a 1000' climb-not thru hiker steep, but basically straight up and rocky from erosion all the way to Sunfish Pond, which you skirt on the Northern side-a very boulder/rocky 1/2 mile.The trail eventually gets up on a 1400' ridge and is quite pretty and open for awhile-good views either side of the ridge, but overall this is the worst 5 miles of blowdowns, greenery encroaching, rocky trail, with poor blazing, no mileage data or check points, etc., that I've seen on the AT this year-congratulations to the trail club! This hike's dedicated to Mr R D Smith-my eighth grade science teacher at Lincoln Junior High School in Oceanside, California. He made science fun for me and I have liked it a lot ever since-I just wish I was better at it!The ability to move and freedom are as one!GANJ 05