So, we never really knew what New Jersey was all about. We knew it was on the East Coast, but our knowledge of this state was pretty limited to episodes of The Jersey Shore and a few other things we knew:

• They have a professional ice hockey team, The New Jersey Devils. (We’ve watched them play the Ducks on numerous occasions, to include a Stanely Cup)
• I have a college teammate who lives in New Jersey
• They have beach lifeguards

Things we didn’t know (and quickly learned):

• The Appalachian Trail runs through it.

• The “rocks” of Pennsylvania START in New Jersey (about the last 40 miles)
• The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a lot of structures throughout the state lands
• There is more countryside and farming than we ever imagined.
• The tread and terrain through New Jersey is probably the most diverse we’ve encountered.
• The forested “green tunnel” appeared more open and healthy.

It took us four and a half days to get through New Jersey. And, as you may recall, our last post had us “welcomed” by New Jersey with Paul’s unintended and unexpected double back flips off a 12 foot ledge. So here’s the rest of the story.

Day 89: (Sept 27) 17 mi (831.5-Union City, New York)

Wait. What? Ya’ll thought we were done with New York. We thought so too. But, in order to resupply, we had to duck into Unionville New York. More about that later.

So, Paul survived the night from whacking his head. I was able to get the wound to close up pretty good with some butterfly bandages I found squirreled away in our sparse first aid kit. The antibiotic ointment should keep it clean, and the buff will keep the compression on it, so we were good to hike.

From the shelter, the trail would lead us down to what FarOut and New Jersey people call “The Stairway to Heaven”. I’m not sure it was appropriately named, as it was hellish coming down. Thank goodness it was not wet.

There were nicely placed rock steps for 40 percent of the 900-foot decent with perfectly disorganized, sharply situated rocks for the remaining 60 percent. Our reward was the Heaven Farm Stand (a roadside attraction) where we had cider doughnuts and took a break. From there, we walked across a pasture, where a sign admonished us not to “approach” the cows.

From there, we entered a forest where the tread resembled the rocks of New Hampshire and then led to bog boards and eventually high wooden platforms through a marshy area and eventually a Wildlife Refuge.

As we exited the perimeter of the Wildlife Refuge, there was a house that had a fridge outside for hikers filled with sodas. After that, it was an easy walk into Unionville, where we checked into the Horler’s General Store to register to camp in their city park for free.

After we set up our tent, we perused the news feeds after the ATC sent us a message about Hurricane Helene and the immediate trail closures, of which will not affect us, just yet. Holy Crap. Not good. Paul’s brother and sister-in-law live in Asheville, NC. Nothing we could do from here, but hope and pray they are okay. It feels like they are.

Day 90: (Sept 28) 14.3 mi (Unionville – Mashipacong Shelter)

One should always be wary of free offerings, especially from a municipality.  What they and all of FarOut failed to tell us was that the town clock chimes EVERY hour ON THE HOUR! At least after midnight, the number of chimes went down. So we had that. And, it only rained a little.

After a breakfast sandwich and a coffee, we completed our resupply from Horler’s General Store and made our way back on trail. Based on the route the AT takes, it looks like we can pretty much “deli blaze” all the way to Delaware Water Gap and only carry 2 days of food.

It rained lightly on and off throughout the day. Friends kept texting us, asking us if we were “okay,” thinking we were further south than we were. Thankfully, we didn’t start a month earlier, as we most likely would have been in the thick of the hurricane. Again, sometimes timing is everything when thru-hiking.

Oddly, the trail only took us within view of New Jerseys highest point, where all the other states took us up and over. We reached the shelter, hoping we would have it to ourselves. No such luck. Three other people would join us in this slightly leaking shelter. Just as I was about to change out into my dry sleep clothes, two brothers on their first backpack trip appeared. They were quite entertaining. They pretty much went into Dicks Sporting Goods and grabbed enough “gear” for 2 days. Two things they forgot. Sleep pad and a lighter. We lent them out 3/4 sit pads for the evening, and let them use our lighter. I watched as they excitedly un-boxed their items and read the instructions. They explained they weren’t sure what to get or what they would prefer, so they each grabbed something different to compare. Pretty bold, we thought, especially to do it last minute on a whim and during a rainy weekend.

Day 91: (Sept 29) 12.5 mi (Mashipacong Shelter – Brinks Rd. Shelter)

It rained most of the night, and “cleared” enough by morning for us to motivate ourselves to get going. For the most part, the day was pretty cruisey. On the “menu” of highlights for the day was a CCC Pavillion that had it not been wet and foggy, would have had a spectacular view.

It rained lightly all day. By the time we reached the Brink Road Shelter, we were too wet to continue on any further and didn’t want to deal with a wet tent, so shelter it was.

Day 92: (Sept 30) 16.4 mi (Brinks Rd. Shelter – 891.5)

It rained all night, so stopping early and staying at the shelter was a good decision. By the time we were packed up, the weather had cleared nicely.  We were pleasantly surprised when the sun emerged and stayed. Water for this section was a bit sparse in that we were pretty much relying on Springs. Today was no different. A side trail led down an abandoned road where a pipe spring flowed. This is probably why the road was falling apart. Time for a long drink and a yard sale.

After our break, we walked the ridgetop of a reclaimed road where a neighborhood once stood. Apparently, all the occupants were evicted, the homes were demolished and removed, and the land was designated as an ATC corridor. Remnants of telephone poles cut to the ground were still visible along with semi-cleared areas where houses once stood were still evident.

As we were low on snacks, we dipped down on a “blue” trail to the Mohican Outdoor Center. This place was expansive and of similar architecture to that of Asilomar conference grounds in Pacific Grove, California. In the main lodge and visitors center, they had snacks and dehydrated meals available. Confident that we would not go hungry after our purchases, we filled our water bottles for the 2.2 mile climb to our intended campsite on Racoon Ridge, where we hoped we’d be treated to an awesome sunrise in the morning.

In any event, tomorrow, we finish New Jersey and enter Pennsylvania. Looks like it will be sunrise in New Jersey and sunset in Pennsylvania. Ah, who are we kidding. We probably won’t see the sunset. We’ll be asleep by then.

Day 93: (Oct 1) 8.5 mi (891.5 – 900) Delaware Water Gap…Pennsylvania!

We awoke to a crisp morning and a beautiful sunrise, of which we lingered through its full brilliance before we packed up. Ironically,  had we gone further (.2 mi) and camped just south of Raccoon Mtn and had both a sunset and a sunrise. We’ll take the sunrise.

Miles felt like they were getting easier until we hit Sunfish Pond. What the hell?! And that’s when it hit us, we were told that the Pennsylvania rocks start way before we even get to the Delware Water Gap. And we’ve already experienced some significantly rock strewn terrain, but really? Ya had to take the trail the entire length of this glacial lake’s shoreline? You can’t even swim in that pond. I get its ecological significance of its high alkalinity that supports a few species of fish, and it is listed as one of New Jersey’s “Seven Natural Wonders”, but an interpretive sign with an overview of the pond through forested tread would have been sufficient. For the most part, the rocks continue, camouflaged by the fallen leaves that litter the forest floor, and makes for slow going. So much for “second breakfast” in Pennsylvania. We descend into the infamous Delaware Water Gap and see awesome places to swim or soak…if it had been warmer, like July. We understand why this place is another of the Natural Wonders in New Jersey. Eventually, we make our way onto footpath that spans the Delware River and runs parallel to the freeway. It vibrates and wobbles underfoot with each passing semi truck. We ready ourselves and tighten our caps from the trucks passing wind and cross into Pennsylvania.

Holy Crap! We’ve walked 900 miles!