Date: 2007-06-22
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: campsite - north of Rattlesnake Mtn, NJ
Miles today: 23.2

I didn't have my watch accessible when I woke up this morning. There were 8 of us sleeping in the bunk room. After a while Sticker got up and moved his gear put into the sitting room. I got up shortly after and moved my stuff out. I was surprised to see that it was only 6:00 when I got my stuff out of the bunk room. I had planned to hike over 20 miles, so it was good to get an early start. I left the hostel at 6:30. Early Bird and Sticker left before me. The trail started with a mile and a half through town and along the interstate across the Delaware River. Then the trail went up a nice gentle slope with a soft dirt surface. Initially it followed a trout creek and then veered off towards the ridge. The weather was cool and breezy. My feet were still sore from the last couple of days walking the rocky trails I eastern Pennsylvania. I was enjoying the softer trails, but it didn't last long. Once up on the ridge the trail got rocky again and stayed that way off and on the rest of the day. I may have finished Pennsylvania, but the trail surface didn't get any better in New Jersey. My feet are very sore tonight. It feels like someone has been beating on the bottom of my feet with a hammer.The good news is the weather was great today and the scenery in New Jersey has been wonderful. It doesn't fit into my perception of New Jersey as a dingy industrial waste land. There were great views to the east and west from the ridge line and no sign of industrial cities. The skies were clear with no haze. You could clearly see the distant mountains on the horizon. I passed several bodies of water including Sunfish Pond. A sign said it was a glacial pond and one of the 7 wonders of New Jersey. I don't know what a glacial pond is or what the the 6 wonders are, but the pond was beautiful with crystal clear water. I saw two snakes on rocks as I hiked along the shoreline. 357 Magnum caught up to me as I took a break near the pond.I made it to the Mohican Outdoor Center for lunch. There is a camp store that cells deli sandwiches about 0.3 miles off the trail. Early Bird, Sticker, and 357 Magnum were eating lunch when I arrived. Northstar was also there with a friend. Northstar had gotten off the trail a while ago due to injuries and is now just doing hiking some sections of the trail, while she has time off from work. It was good to see that she is still getting out to enjoy the trail.Shortly after I got back on the trail, Spence caught up to me. He left town two and a half hours after me. I did take a lot of breaks in the morning. He stopped for lunch and I continued on. I found some ripe blueberries along the trail and picked a couple handfuls. The blueberries are just starting to ripen and should be plentiful in the next week or two. There are lots of blueberry bushes around here.I stopped at Blue Mtn Rd and pumped some water from the hand pump well. I boiled the water and poured it into a vegetable lasagna dehydrated meal bag. I put the meal in my pack and hiked for another hour to the top of Rattlesnake Mtn, where I ate the meal. Then I hiked another mile and a half until I found a good campsite.It is suppose to drop to the mid 40s tonight. I am ready for it. I have my thermal base layer on along with my fleece hat and insulated puff jacket. I should be warm tonight, but it may be difficult to get up and start hiking until it warms up in the morning.