Date: 2016-07-23
From: MOC in NJ

To: Time Warps House
Miles today: 40.0

Well as I type this I am four miles from the NY border. Tomorrow morning I say goodbye to good old NJ. NJ has been very good to me and the 75 miles of trail through the state are very interesting. Most hikers agree, NJ is cool... That's not just because I am a Jersey Boy!What's cool about the trail in NJ? It winds through a diverse setting of woods, ridges, fields, swamps and even roads. In addition there are a few steep but short climbs. There is a lot of places to stop and eat and perhaps have a beer. It keeps the hikers interested. Last night a hiker named Time Warp had a hiker get together at his house. He lives 3 miles from trail in Orange County, NY. I was 20 miles behind and I hiked across NY border to Unionville, NY where he picked me up.At the party were a lot of familiar faces, many of them a day or so ahead of me now. In addition Time Warps dad, a retired NYPD Officer and avid deer and turkey hunter, was there and we hit it off.This morning the day already was showing promise of high heat. Because I was 20 miles back the suggestion was made that I should leave my pack at Time Warps and get a ride to Unionville and slack pack back to his house (hike with minimal weight).His dad shuttled me down to Unionville where I rejoined the trail on the NJ side of the road and began a great day if hiking without 35 pounds on my back. The day ended with a quick shuttle back to his house where I had dinner, a shower and did laundry... Yes I am grateful!!!!One other thing I have to mention about NJ. My old friend Kevin Kolans came up from Hillsborough to see me. We met at Gyps Tavern in Branchville. As I waited for him the biggest bear so far came out of the woods and was trying to get into the dumpster at the tavern!! We had a great visit when he arrived and and even better breakfast the next day!I am posting pictures of my hike on Instagram and I started a thread of my hike on Texasbowhunter.com. Hello to all TBH users who are now following my blog. The other day someone on TBH asked about the social aspects of the hike where I am today versus earlier on. I thought I would try to explain...Early on there are a lot of hikers and everyone of them are excited about the newness of the journey. Additionally new starters are not worn down yet. Because of this it seems there is more social interaction, people tend to hike together or in groups and hikers are generally more up beat.Fast forward 1,350 miles and things change. PA beat the hell out of hikers and this was obvious from looking at the faces of hikers at the Delaware Water Gap... People were beat. Throw in some wicked high temps, big mile days and a few injuries and hikers are a little less excited about chatting. This has an effect of more alone time, which is really kind of cool because alone time enables one to think about things. It has been interesting to see the social "game" shift out here. Another interesting observation is that I continue to meet new hikers!!! Within the last few days there has been several who have started much earlier than me but had gotten off the trail for what ever reason. In addition there is an occasional very late starter that comes by who is making big miles on a daily basis.