Delaware Water Gap to Vernon, NJ at NJ 94

Day 8. July 26th, 2015. 13.5 miles. I woke up with sinus pressure again. I stayed up until 11 talking to other hikers. I didn't sleep well at all and I awoke tired and agitated by some of the conversation the night before at 7. I packed up and headed to the hostel where I saw Caesar was awake and packing up. It took me two hours to get out of the hostel. Once I did, I still had a headache and was agitated. It took me all morning to get out of my mood. I did meet a section hiker out for her first hike named Buffalo Gal. I would say she was in her 50s and was walking 100 miles from DWG to Bear Mountain, New York. I loved her energy! She was asking me gear questions and she was excited to be on her first big adventure! I hope she enjoys her journey!

I found Caesar under a tree by Sunfish Pond. We discussed Carl Jung, the ACA (Obamacare for most people, which I think is a silly name for it much like the Czar titles given to Secretaries and the such, but I digress), the VA, and the trail. He is from Philly and an interesting dude for sure. I also met Whoopie Cat, Papa JR, and Delilah and his dog Sampson. I saw Rocky again today as we ate lunch by the pond. There was an amazing breeze and I got to know some more thru hikers. They all calmed my nerves and made me relax my agitation from the night before.

I left and headed towards the Mohican Outdoor Center run by the Appalachian Mountain Club. It was a nice little place to buy powerades (I bought three), M and Ms, Cool Ranch Doritos, HOMEMADE BANANA BREAD, and a grilled cheese. This may seem unhealthy and like a lot of food (and that's a big yes to both), but hikers usually burn between 4,000 and 6,000 calories a day depending on how far they hike and the elevation changes during their hike. Tilt and Akela (Previously Akula in the blog, but I misheard her when she introduced herself) joined me and I caught up to Rocky again. Rocky left shortly there after and Caesar caught up. I ate way too much and felt sleepy, but I knew there were storms coming in.

I stopped and talked to an Army reserve guy and his girlfriend and actually walked with Tilt and Akela for about 2.7 miles. It was quite nice to hike with people again. I have had a lot of head time while hiking alone, and I have found that hiking brings both the best and the worst thoughts to mind. There are so many thoughts one has when you walk anywhere from eight to twelve hours in one day. Music, unlike my experience in 2013 when I didn't have music, has helped tremendously when bouts of doubt and worry creep into my mind. It was nice to talk and listen to Tilt and Akela and it made the miles fade away.

We reached the Catfish Fire Tower and they went on for water and I climbed the tower. I always love being in the fire towers. There is a slight anxiety when nearing the top because they are old and you are quite high up, but much like when I jumped out planes and climbed rocks without ropes, I enjoy the thrill of heights. I surveyed the surroundings and to the west, a storm was brewing. I ran towards my next water source, but I took a wrong turn. I went down a road that I thought was the correct turn, but to my dismay I saw Tilt and Akela exiting right by the water source. This will probably upset Spicy Brown, but I walked back up the road and walked down the trail back to the water source since I had missed about 0.2 of the trail. I may be a section hiker, but I intend to walk every blaze of this trail! 

After collecting water, and not seeing the campsite supposed existed in the guidebook, I started hiking, not knowing my deatination. I walked maybe three minutes and came to the campsite. Rocky, Papa JR, Whoopie Cat, and Delilah with Sampson were all there! I hung my water and rushed to setup my tent to beat the storm. Over two hours later and all it has done is thunder. Caesar arrived shortly after me and a little before 9, Chuckles, Happy Baby, and Pegleg came in. They are currently rushing to setup their tents before it starts raining. It still hasn't started, which is odd. Papa JR said there is a flash flood warning with two inches expected: a repeat of the Shenandoahs it would appear! I hope it doesn't soak everything like before, but it's part of the life we live on the trail.

I almost feel like I have made some headway with the thru hikers and made some friends. It has been hard to hike alone and everyone I have seen today have been great. It rejuvenates me to know that good souls are found in the strangest of places and everyone mentioned on this day are amazing people!

 The wind just came in. Here comes the rain. Time to put the phone up and enjoy the cool air that the storm brings! Happy trails!

 Day 9. July 27th, 2015. 17.9 miles. I awoke exhausted and some of my stuff got wet from the rain. Nothing too serious. I packed my soaked tent and head out around 8. I was not looking forward to today, if it were to rain all day, but it never did. I met Rocky just down the way and we walked 14.9 miles together today. I walked the final 3 alone. Rocky and I got to know each other and talked on a wide range of topics. It was just nice to chat with someone while I hiked! He has had an interesting life and passed on some knowledge about careers, women, raising a family, and life in general. It was nice to listen to his advice. He is getting off for Bermuda for his anniversary in Connecticut and getting back on five days later. I might him and see him when he gets back. I hope so! He was a pleasure to hike with for today.

Rocky and I stopped at Gyp's Tavern in Blairsville, NJ. I would see Bear, Pineapple, Ghengis Khan, Pegleg, Happy Baby, Chuckles, Delilah and Sampson, Whoopie Cat, Papa JR, and a couple other people I didn't really know. I had a burger, fries, a beer, and three gatorades. Expensive, but worth it. The terrain is still rocky from PA, but less shark fins and more manageable hiking. I can't remember if I mentioned this, today and the next two days will paint a good picture if I will make Bennington on time. Today was 17.9, tomorrow is 18.4, and Wednesday is 18.5. I'm already tired and sore, but hiking is always like that. I could be doing 12 mile days and enjoying leisure time, but that would A) get boring quick B) I wouldn't be pushing myself and C) it would take me forever to get to Bennington. These long days might force a zero, but I will try to push it off if I can.

Today's hike was a good one, but my legs feel it. I have my legs back I'd say 80%. I can do big miles and I can hike fast for long periods of time, but I haven't tested my ability to hike this way day in and day out. Here's to hoping I make it the next two days! Blog posts might be shorter from here on out. I'm exhausted. Good night and Happy Trails!!!

Day 10. July 28th, 2015. 18.4 miles. Today was a shorter day of hiking time wise compared to yesterday but it felt long. I hiked alone all day, only seeing five thru hikers I have never seen before on my lunch break trying to hitch a ride. I started hiking around 7:35 this morning and put down 11.6 miles by 12:35. I barely stopped to rest and I tried to get as many miles in before breaking for lunch because of the heat. The heat has been bugging me on long days, mostly because I prefer to be done before 6 at night and I hate the heat. I didn't sleep well again last night and I was tired all day, doubled with the long day yesterday.

 After lunch, I walked through the heat, my ankles twisted, my feet pounded, and a host of other pains nagged at me. I saw a trail maintainer about half a mile away from my stop. I finally made it to the Murray Property.

It was off the trail and is a private cabin/privy/shower that has been open for hikers for over 20 years. It is an amazing place. It's like I walked back into an episode of Little House on the Prairie or back to when I was a kid before everything become a subdivision. There is one really old tree on a hillside with freshly cut hay. It was the perfect woodland oasis to find myself at after 36.3 miles in two days. As I stumbled forward towards the cabin at 5 o'clock (I really was dragging my feet a bit. I finished walking four hours ago and they are still pounding), I see none other than Rocky sitting amongst two other hikers. I had been trying to catch him all day. I came within 25 minutes of him, but I took a two hour break for lunch to get out of the heat. We caught up, gave each other hell, and decided we will walk together tomorrow. Nose Blind is another hiker here. Very cool dude in his mid 30s from Atlanta. There are two SoBos but I can't remember their names.

This will make Spicy Brown happy: I ate an entire box of Velveeta mac and cheese for dinner today. Hit right on the spot. Had a Snickers for dessert. My diet is horrible on the trail. I really need to look into dehydrating food on my own. I have made an adjustment to my schedule, but it should actually allow me to avoid a zero, keep my days under 18 miles until at least Kent, Connecticut, and make up for the zero I took last week. My legs are smoked. Rocky and I are going to go 13.5 tomorrow to either a motel or this hostel in Vernon, NJ. Either way, the hiking should be easier tomorrow and it's only 13.5. The concern is the heat. It has been a killer and I haven't been able to stay properly hydrated. I have definitely been dehydrated almost every day I have been hiking. I'm tired, and it's after 9 now, so I'm going to hopefully fall asleep and sleep well. I hope everyone is doing well! Happy trails!

Day 11/12. July 29th and 30th, 2015. 13.5 miles and a zero. I woke up for the first time on the trail feeling somewhat rested. I woke up in the middle of the night with knee pain and ankle pain. I felt good when I awoke, said goodbye to Nose Blind and the SoBos, and headed out with Rocky. Within five minutes, I knew I had pushed it too much. But more on that later.

Rocky and I headed out and we quickly learned that the SoBos that said this section was easy were dirty, nasty liars. It wasn't the hardest in the world, but certainly not easy. This would be my last guranteed day of hiking with Rocky, so we discussed many serious and many fun things. I'm 28 and he is 55, so we both bring interesting perspectives to our conversation and it flowed easily. He left today when I took a zero and headed out. I may see him again in Massachusetts, so here's hoping for that!

We finally came to NJ 94 (to quote Rocky, "That's 94 mother @$!#/&@!") and we grabbed a hot dog and a birch beer at the hot dog stand a little ways down the road. We got picked up after walking toward town, got to a hiker hostel (an Episcopalian church) showered, did laundry, setup our tents, and headed to dinner at the Vernon Inn. The food and beer was good. By the time we got back to the hostel, Pegleg, Happy Baby, Chuckles, Bear, Pineapple, and the rest were there, spread out. I did yoga with Happy Baby, chatted with her for awhile, and headed to bed.

I slept ok but I got maybe six hours. I woke up again with knee pain. Rocky and I went to a Dunkin Donuts nearby and got breakfast. I said goodbye to Rocky and got to know Pathfinder a bit before I resupplied for my next stretch and went back to the hostel. I hung out with the bubble (a term used to describe a large group of hikers that travel up the trail together) and eventually made it to a local motel to relax the rest of my zero.

So, I lost another day. In the last four days of hiking, I hit 63.3 miles. The last two days of that, I developed general knee pain, aggrivated an old injury in my left knee, and both of my shins and Achilles pain has gone from aching pain that comes and goes to tight, sharp pains that last longer and longer as my day goes by. There is an adage within the hiking community that as long as the pain keeps moving around your body, you will be ok. These pains aren't moving and were getting worse, so I have been icing my knees and ankles while at the motel today.

Here is an example of what the last 139.2 miles have done to my shoes (notice the holes in the stitching and peeling of the front of the sole):

I am disappointed in my shoes. And in my zero today. I should be excited about my progress, but I made the fatal mistake of trying to push it too fast. The shoes reflect the amount of beating that has been happening since I started. Other factors include the intense heat and the extreme amount of mosquitos. I don't mind the mosquitos too much, you can't let them get to you, but after a long day, they do drag you down. The heat has been horrible. I can't stay hydrated properly and I have some minor dehydration problems (nothing serious or out of the norm in this weather).

Overall, nothing can prepare someone to hike. The only way to get back in hiking shape is to hike. I have extended my schedule to Kent, Connecticut from seven days to eight days without a zero in the hopes that less miles might make it more manageable, especially in the heat. Everyone out here is suffering in the heat, so it hasn't shaken me too badly, but it doesn't make it any easier climbing up and down mountains. Bennington seems far away these last three days, and the seeds of doubt have begun to take root, but hopefully my legs loosen up and I can catch up on miles in my third and fourth week. Plenty of time to get to Bennington, but the elevation gains and losses will become more significant once I get to New England, so the challenges change and the hiking will be harder in a different way.

To end on a positive note, tomorrow will lead me to finish another state! New Jersey has been pretty, but it's been painfully hot, still rocky, and the mosquitos have been miserable. Here's hoping to New York being a little less buggy at least! When I cross the border, I will have finished my fifth state on the trail and it will put me well over 850 miles of the trial hiked so far! I am excited and can't wait to see hello to New York! I hope you all are well! Happy trails!