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Saturday, May 27, 2006- Since I had some extra time on my hands this Memorial Day weekend, I decided to go up to Delaware Water Gap, PA and knock out the 10 mile section of the AT that I had failed to do twice. In May, 2003, I had to stop at Mohican Outdoor Center, NJ from Kent, CT because I was too slow and didn't make it in the number of days that I had alotted. In April, 2005, there was massive flooding along the Delaware River and I could not get north to knock out this section. So I had to go south from DWG. So I decided that I would knock out this 10 mile stretch this long holiday weekend.

Left Bristow, VA at around 5:15AM, ate breakfast at Mountain Gate Restaurant in Thurmont, MD at around 6:45AM, very good food, and got to Delaware Water Gap, PA at around 11:30AM. I wasn't sure how I was going to structure this trip. My original plan was to get the local outfitter to shuttle me over to MOC, NJ and hike the 10.3 miles back to DWG, PA. I would do this either Saturday or Sunday as the hike itself would not take any longer than 5 or 6 hours. I called the local outfitter earlier in the week and he said that Sunday would be a better day for him to shuttle me. However, since I got to DWG so early, I didn't want to just hang around all day, do the hike tomorrow and get home late on Sunday night. So I decided to do 2 'In & Outs' for the hike.

So I checked into the Poconos Inn, formerly the Ramada Limited in DWG. My room was ready. I put my backpack in the room and set off to do the first of the 2 'In & Out' day hikes for this section of the AT. I drove to Blairstown, NJ, not really sure where I was going. I had been shuttled from MOC to Bristow, VA 3 years ago but didn't remember the way. So I stopped at an antiques store along the way. A very nice elderly gentleman was sitting out front of the store. He looked deep in thought as I asked if he could help me out with directions. I told him that I wanted to get to the Mohican Outdoor Center. He thought about it and immediately told me to look for Mohican RD. However, he could not remember any landmarks. So we talked for awhile and he told me that his wife had passed away about 17 months ago and he was clearing out her antiques store. He showed me her picture. Very lovely lady. She died from tongue and throat cancer due to smoking cigarettes. Very sad. I wanted to stay and listen to this 82 year old gentleman but I had to go. So I thanked him and set off. I found Mohican RD about 6 miles from his store. From there, numerous small signs got me to MOC. When I got there, I went to the lodge and got some water for my Camelbak and bought a tee shirt from the money I saved by not getting a shuttle. It was about 12:30. I was ready to start the hike.

The goal today was to hike 6 miles to Sunfish Pond, then hike back to MOC. Tomorrow, I would hike from I80 to Sunfish pond and back again. I would, in essence, be hiking this trail twice. So it didn't bother me that I did not hike the mile or so from I80 into DWG as I had driven it 2 or 3 times.

The trail ascended from Camp RD and then ridged for the 6 miles that I had to hike to Sunfish Pond. What's neat about hiking the AT on a weekend is that you meet all sorts of people while hiking. I met 2 young men that were section hiking to High Point, NJ. I told them what to expect since I had already hiked that section. I saw families out enjoying the view. I saw couples out for a day hike. I chatted with an elderly thru-hiker turned section hiker who was starting up where he had to get off the trail last year due to health problems. Most everyone was friendly and at least said hi and, in alot of cass, started up a conversation.

I had alloted 2 hours to hike in, then 2 hours to hike back. My goal was to get as close to Sunfish Pond as possible before I had to turn back. The trail was rocky and mostly within a tree canopy. However, it opened up in some sections and you got some great views of the Delaware River and some reservoirs below. I saw alot of planes and helicopters overhead so someone must have been giving tours. The weather was nice, sunny and low to mid 80's.

When I got to the 2 hour point I thought that I was close but had not gotten to Sunfish Pond yet. So I sat down and ate my lunch and was just getting ready to start back. Just then, a very nice looking lady hikes towards me from the south. We exchanged greetings and I told her that I was trying to get to Sunfish Pond but ran out of time and had to turn around. She told me that it was only 10 minutes away and it was worth the trip. She may have been apprehensive about me walking northbound with her, I don't know. So I thanked her and made the 10 minute trek to Sunfish Pond. It was worth the trip. It was a large, nice pond with people fishing, hiking or just sitting by the waters edge. I hiked about halfway around it, then turned back for the return trip.

The return trip was interesting. By the way, I forgot my camera so no pics, sorry. I had also forgot my 'concoction' consisting of 2 advils and a One-a-Day vitamin. So I was starting to get very sore. Then, about 2 miles back, I hear a rattle in the bush right next to where I was about to step. What is it with these snakes in NJ? They're everywhere! So I turned to run away from what I perceived to be a rattlesnake in the scrub right next to the trail. Like the last time I saw a snake, I turned to run away from it and fell down on the trail. I have to get better at reacting to snakes! I hurt my knee and hip in the fall. Just bruises. But they would effect my hike back, if I got back.

The way the trail was through this section, I could not go around the snake. I tried to bang my walking stick on a rock and yell at the snake to scare it, but it wouldn't move. It would just rattle every now and then in reaction to the noise I was making. What do I do now? After a few minutes, I decided the only way out of this situation was to run past the scrub where the snake was. Keep in mind that I could not see the snake but could hear the rattle. So I counted to 3 and ran past that snake. I was wearing long pants so I thought that the liklihood of him being able to bite me while moving past him at a high rate of speed was slim. I heard the rattle again as I ran past the scrub but the snake did not lunge. In fact, I never really saw the snake. Crisis over. So I proceeded to walk back to my car. I saw the lovely lady that pased me earlier. She was doing an 'In & Out' from I80 to Camp RD and back. Either she's in very good shape or I'm in really bad shape. Anyway, I told her about the snake about 1 quarter mile back and she thanked me. It was very painful getting back to the car as I was sore and hurting from my fall. But I made it back to the car around 5:15PM. I went back to the hotel, ate an MRE in my room, showered and crashed.

Sunday, May 28, 2006- Got up early and tried to go to church but there were no early masses. So I went to the I80 AT parking area and started my 2nd 'In & Out'. This one was only about 4.5 miles in and 4.5 miles out. I was worried at the fact that the climb from DWG to Sunfish Pond would be steeper. However, it was a well graded old road that I was hiking on today, so it was alot easier than yesterday. Alot of the AT in NJ is along old roads. I like that and hope that they keep it that way and not move the trail onto rocky, crappy trail instead. I remembered my 'concoction' today but again forgot my camera. El stupido me. Anyway, it was a cool, crisp morning and great for hiking. The forest was beautiful. The faster day hikers passed me on the way up. People that had been camping at Backpacker Campsite #2 last night were passing me to go back down to their cars on I80. It was a nice but rocky up for about 3.5 miles. Then the trail leveled off and passed the Backpacker #2 Campsite. I passed a nice young lady there that was camping and asked me where the water source was. I told her it was about 50 feet back and she thanked me. I then hiked another half mile and made it to Sunfish Pond. Again, there were lots of people there either fishing, backpacking or just hanging out. Again, I hiked about half way around the lake, then started back, stopped to have a snack and then started back to my car.

The nice lady that I passed on the way up was pumping water with her significant other as I passed. We talked for awhile and saw a neat looking red finch in the trees. This bird looked like it belonged in the Carribean. I passed some Japanese tourists that asked me where the trail led to. I told them Sunfish Pond and pointed the way. I'm not sure that they understood me though. The trip down was amazing. I must have passed 200 people going back down to my car. People of all walks of life. Old, young, families, couples, lone hikers like myself, people with dogs. There were so many people that I had a tough time finding a place to 'go' on the way down. Everyone said hi. Some told me that they saw a snake or a bear further back on the trail. But I saw neither on the way down.

I made it back to my car around 12 noon. I drove around DWG one last time and 'drove' the AT through town so I could attest that I did it. I was sad to leave this beautiful place as I'm not sure that I will ever get the chance to return. I took an interesting way home. rather than drive along I80 W to I81 S, I drove diagonally through PA along PA209 and then PA443 to I81. I then got off of I81 at Marysville and went to Duncannon to scout out a place to park cars for the September, 2006 AT backpacking trip that I have planned with The Rag Tag Rangers. It didn't look too promising but I think that we can squeeze a car or 2 in along the road right where the AT comes off the mountain into Duncannon.

Anyway, I'm glad that I got this 10 miles out of the way. Now, I only have about 60 miles of the AT to do in PA and will then be continous from Springer Mountain, GA to Kent, CT. Then, I will have to figure out how to do the final 750 miles between Kent, CT and Katahdin, ME. I hope that I can pull it off.

Mike C