Delaware Water Gap, PA to Bear Mountain, NY

Spring 2004 Trip

Day 1, Sunday, May 23

Delaware Water Gap to Mohican Outdoor Center, 10.3 miles

These adventures always seem to start with an adventure of their own….and this trip is no different. Yesterday was a BIG day. My oldest daughter graduated from high school. She was the class valedictorian, graduating with the highest grade point average the school has seen honors and advanced placement courses were added to the curriculum. She graduated with a perfect 5.0.

After the graduation ceremony, we held a family luncheon/cookout in her honor, severely stuffing ourselves with hotdogs, hamburgers, valedictorian cake, and homemade ice-cream. Could hardly walk, let alone think about hiking. Both sets of grandparents were there wondering how their grandchild could be so smart considering her stock. Who knows? After everyone went home that afternoon and the Val-gal went to take a nap, I finished packing my hiking gear and loaded my car for the 600 mile drive to Delaware Water Gap, PA. I had planned to drive part of the way last night and finish the drive this morning….hopefully in time to hike today.

Last night I made better time than I thought I could and around midnight I was already in Pennsylvania looking for a room for the night. Every place I stopped was booked up. I must have stopped five or six times. No luck. So, I just kept heading north. The closer I got to Allentown, the more hotels, but everything was booked because of the NASCAR Busch in Nazareth, PA. So, I just kept driving.

By 3 AM I was in Delaware Water Gap, back at the place I stayed last year, the Ramada Inn. Plenty of rooms available. I checked in and drug my pack out of the car and crashed at 3:30 AM. Knew it was gonna be a short night.

This morning I promptly woke up at 7:30 AM, but I rolled over for another hour until 8:30 AM. Then I got up, showered, and drove over to the DWG Diner for breakfast at 9:30 AM. Then, back to the room to finish packing. The Ramada let me leave my car at the motel, so I just locked it up and headed back through town toward the AT.

So now here I am, walking down the sidewalk through early morning sunshine a world away from home for another adventure on the Appalachian Trail. The temperature this morning at 10AM is already 74-75 degrees and it is fairly humid. The forecast for today’s temperature is high 80’s-low 90’s with a decent chance of thunderstorms late in the afternoon. The walk across the Delaware River Bridge and beside the river on the other side is flat and exposed to the sunshine. I’m in a sweat before I duck underneath the interstate highway bridge and hike into the woods heading up out of the gap. The AT ascends gently up a cove with a roaring brook on the right side. Beautiful setting, hard to believe this is New Jersey.

The day heats up by the time I’m on the ridgeline and more exposed to the sun; it’s hot! I meet four or five groups hiking south that are just out for the weekend. By 12:30 PM I’m at Sunfish Pond, a beautiful forty-acre glacial lake. The AT is very rocky around the western side of the lake, but it’s a beautiful setting.

An hour later I’m on top of a ridge looking at the Delaware River on one side and the lower Yards Creek Reservoir on the other. Big billowing clouds are pushing up in the distance. Might be a storm brewing. I pass a father and daughter resting on top of the ridge. I walk a short distance past them and take a short break myself.

I drink my last Gatorade an hour later and finally start down toward Mohican Road. At 2:40 PM I turn left on the road toward the Mohican Outdoor Center where I plan to spend the night.

Three guys are sitting on the front porch “working”. Scott gives me a tour of the place and I walk up the road a little further to the Blueberry Hill Lodge, where my bunk is located. It’s rustic, but it’s a roof and a shower. I unload my gear and walk up the road past my cabin to the lake to check out the beach. I almost step on a very large black snake on the side of the road. The snake quickly moves out of the way and then slithers back over a log to “watch” me walk by. Weird.

There isn’t much of beach, the lake is full. I wade in the lake for a few minutes enjoying the cool water. It really looks like a storm is brewing, so I walk back to the cabin for a quick shower before the storm gets here. Thirty minutes later the first rumble of thunder echoes across the camp and a few minutes later the storm is on us. Lightning and loud thunder and very hard rain. Heck of a storm. At least the temperature drops.

After the storm passes, Scott shows up to clean up the cabin a little. He tells me there are two thru-hikers coming in. A few minutes later two hikers, a mother, “Double-Nickels”, and son, “Endorphines”, show up. The storm pushes by and soon the sun is peeking back out. A deer is looking in the window of the lodge to see what’s for supper. I’m cooking Lipton noodles and a sampling of nuts and pretzels with cookies for dessert. Sure is nice cooking in a kitchen.

I talk with the thru-hikers for a while, but I head to the bunk and I’m asleep by 8 PM.