Post #10 Shhh!

  I remember feeling disappointed as we descended into the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.  Yeah, there were a couple of trails to hike and a river you can paddle, if you don’t mind being sandwiched between a busy four lane highway, a two lane highway, and a railroad.  The din from all the traffic was almost overwhelming as I descended the mountainside.

  I had a nearo in the small community of Delaware Water Gap, which was a quaint, hiker-friendly town and which provided just enough services to satisfy a thru hiker.  A bakery/farmer’s market, pizza shop, hostel-provided by a church, hotel, outfitter, ice cream parlor, and a couple of convenience stores were the resources we had to make do for a resupply.  A couple of visits to the bakery for breakfast sandwiches and a pulled pork meal each left me too full to try one of their pies, a disappointment that may require therapy to overcome.  I need to do a better job at prioritizing before starting a meal.

  The down time at the Clarion, which was empty except for a half dozen thru hikers, was spent allowing my feet to recover from the beating they took from the rocky trail, doing laundry by hand because the guest laundry was one of several services closed so they wouldn’t have to sanitize it, downloading music and a couple of e-books, and updating this blog.  (Wow, the apostle Paul would be proud of that run-on sentence.)

The trail north from DWG followed roads for about 1.5 miles. The half mile long I-80 bridge across the Delaware River included a pedestrian lane behind a concrete barrier. It was a little unnerving to sense how much this concrete bridge deflected up and down every time a loaded truck roared past, which was about once every 15 seconds. I hadn’t noticed that much deflection in other bridges that we crossed. I could only trust that the engineers were on their game during the construction of the bridge.

 Since I crossed the Delaware River that means that I am no longer in PA!   Entering NJ brought the anticipation of change: Fewer rocks, different terrain, and perhaps easier walking.  Back in the woods, I passed a pond built by beavers and filled with lily pads.  Frogs of all shapes and sizes were calling out to one another.  Later, that same morning, I was serenaded by a pack of coyotes.

 In the past, whenever I thought of NJ, I would think of beaches, both developed and undeveloped, lots of traffic, attitude, and the area around Newark.  The northwest part of the state is a different world.  

 The AT in NJ passes through forested ridges, rolling hay fields, and forests that had reclaimed fields a century ago.  The many stone fences I passed while hiking in a forest are monuments to those who lived here in the 19th century and struggled to get the land to produce enough so they could survive the winter.  If these folks could see their former farms today, I wonder what emotions would grip them?

 I spent a few days hiking with Cowboy and Iron-heart.  Cowboy is a Vietnam vet, looks like he is in his 70s, and is attempting to complete his second thru hike of the AT.  Iron-heart is trying to complete the trail after hiking half of it in 2017.  Both have had significant cardiac events and procedures. I admire them for continuing to be active.

We hiked through wildlife refuges, parks, a mile long boardwalk through wetlands, and heard the croak of a blue heron, all while dodging hoards of day hikers during the weekend.

  On days that were hot, I found it difficult to hike as far as I would like.  My breaks got longer and more frequent.  I found it helpful to soak my shirt in a stream and then put it on wet.  And on some occasions I hiked into the evening when it was a little cooler.

And finally, we got a real taste of New Jersey attitude from a vendor while getting lunch at a roadside hot dog stand.  After getting his hot dogs, Cowboy, who’s from Georgia, commented to me that he can’t get used to how rude folks from the North are.  Iron-heart is also from Jersey, so he gave the vendor some of his own attitude.  Apparently it’s all in good fun, even though it would make me blush to repeat what was said.  The vendor sat down with us and continued his demonstration, saying off colored things in Yiddish and then providing the translation.  It was just like being in the city.

  Next, it’s time to tackle the Empire State.