July 8, 2012

Start: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center, NJ

Our feet took a beating today!!! Between the 18 miles we put on them and the rocks (the trail is confused and thinks we're still in PA), our feet are SORE!!! We started the day a little later than usual because the outdoor center had breakfast. I had eggs, a biscuit, oatmeal, cereal, peaches, and orange juice. Delicious!! We left at 9 am and started out for what was going to be a 14 mile day. We walked the .3 miles to the trail head and started climbing. It was about 500 ft in a half mile. Once we reached the ridge, we had some beautiful views!! We had one little descent and ascent, but the first half of the day was mostly on the ridge. That's not to say it was flat though. There were small ups and downs along the whole ridge and of course, rocks. NJ likes to hide the rocks in tall grass so they are hard to see. It makes for some slow going to make sure you don't turn an ankle. There were also tons of ledges. Not the nice flat kind that look like someone placed a sidewalk in the middle of the woods, but steeply slanted ones that take some balance, knee and ankle strength, and luck to walk across. We reached Blue Mountain Rd and took a lunch break. We pumped water and took our boots off for a little while. Thru hiker, Mmrf (pronounced Murf) also stopped there for lunch. He told me that he followed a bear up the first climb and he wasn't too far behind us. That means a bear was in my tracks... YIKES! While we were sitting on the log, with food and boots off, we got the great idea to extend our day by 4 miles and go to Rt. 206 in Branchville, NJ. Why would we decide this?? I don't know. It sounded like a good idea at the time since we want to start increasing our mileage. Now, with 11 miles left to go for the day at 1 pm, it was time to get going. We hiked along a pond and just before I was out of the trees, I heard a big splashing sound. Brian was a little ahead so I asked him what it was. He got to see a deer frolicking in the pond and jump out when it heard us. Wish I was able to see!!! We continued on to a big ascent with some hand over hand rock scrambling, then a descent, and then we climbed Rattlesnake Mountain. No, we didn't see any rattlers on the mountain (although I saw a black snake just before it). There were gorgeous views from the summit! After 14 miles, we reached the shelter where we originally planned to stay. We sat for a half hour to rest our feet and contemplated the idea of staying at the shelter. It was 6 pm and our feet hurt, but we were on a mission! We were determined to finish the 18 miles. 1 hour and 40 minutes later we were at Rt. 206. Mission accomplished! Right next to the trail head was a pub... Perfect! We ate dinner and are now ready for some sleep. Overall, today was a great, long day with tons of amazing views. I never realized New Jersey was so beautiful!

End: Rt. 206, Branchville, NJ

Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka