Date: 2010-05-09
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

2. Report. Last night was a fairly quiet evening.  A "wanna be" thru hiker came into the hostel before lights out. He was quiet interested in hearing about the experiences and adventures of thru hiking. The youngsters (Muffin Mittens, Uncle Frank, Boomerang and Reckless were most receptive to sharing their experiences. I enjoy just watching and listening to the young ones as they always seem to exude energy and confidenceThe hostel has 4 double bunk beds, a shower, toilet and common area. When we went to bed, I lucked out to have one of the lower berths, but Fahmah and Springbok were in the uppers. During the night, I was kinda surprised that one of the youngsters next to me was snoring. It wasn't of the chain saw variety snoring,  just a gentle buzz. It all became a little more clear in the am. I don't believe there was any funny business going on,  but MM ended up where UF was last seen on a small couch next to restroom, Reckless started out next to me but ended up on large couch in common area and Springbok ended up next to me.My plans for the am were somewhat mixed. I was considering a short 11 mile hike to the Mohican Outdoor Center. Part of me wanted to have breakfast at 0800 and attend church service at 1000, then start hiking around noon. The other part of me was interested in getting an early start to ensure I could easily hike to the shelter on a questionable ankle and unknown territory. Even though the PA rocks were behind me, I was advised to still expect some degree of difficulty in NJ. My decision was to letmy wakeupTime decide for me, e.g., if up early start hiking, if up late, eat and go to churchI was up early and left shortly after Freeman, around 0730.  The weather was cold (mid30s) and windy. The hike into NJ was very easy and I had the most gentle 1200 ft climb. And the rocks have been most accomodating. MM has his sis meeting him today and is going to be on the gravy train for a few days. UB, Reckless and boomerang blew by around 1100. I met a couple of slackpackers (Kite and Sandpiper) who are NOBO flip floppers.  My ankle held up reasonably well but wasn't feeling all that great several times. And the last1.5 miles seemed more like 5.0. I checked into the Mohican Outdoor Center and was assigned an entire 8 bedroom lodge to myself, all fully equipped. I showered, made some cocoa and popcorn and Wooly Mamoth came in. He and Outside Dog are in the other lodge and wanted to know if I was interested in joining their pizza delivery order. I originally agreed, then declined after remembering all the food I was carrying plus the fact I just had a large pizza the night beforeAnother Milestone: Rocksylvania is in the rear view mirror.  The rocks on the trail were every bit as bad as they have been reported. However, inrrally enjoyed visiting the towns and the overall hospitaity extended to the hikers. The jailhouse hostel in Palmerton and hiker center hostel at the Church on the Mtn in DWG are especially noteworthy. And I enjoyed the "old time" values, small cities with a main street. I also note the number of what I assume immigarant Americans (based on ESL) who are working hard to make aliving and provide a service. Life is Great!