The Appalachian Train in New Jersey and New York

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The Appalachian Train in New Jersey and New York

Facts about the Appalachian Trail in New Jersey

How many miles of the Appalachian Trail are in New Jersey?: 71.6 miles
Elevation Range 350′-1685′ feet

Facts about the Appalachian Trail in New York

How many miles of the Appalachian Trail are in New York?: 93.7 miles
Elevation Range: 124′-1433′ feet

Trail Day: 108

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Location: Campsite at mile 1311
Start/End Time: 8:15/6:15
Weather Conditions: Hot and Humid

There was a mouse in our room last night. I’m not joking. We’re not sure if it was here when we got here or if we accidentally smuggled it in inside one of our backpacks, but it was scurrying around all night.

The hotel didn’t have breakfast, but we ate donuts from the local bakery I picked up yesterday.

Not long after, slightly dehydrated from all the white claws we drank the night before we left the hotel.

The 3 of us walked down the streets of Delaware Water Gap and followed the white blazes to the bridge. While cars went speeding by us and some shook the bridge we crossed the river and into our 7th state, New Jersey!

A little while after we entered New Jersey and went up a gradual hill I hit the 1300 mile mark. Even though it’s been months of hiking, passing another 100-mile mark always puts a smile on my face.

Just up the trail, I ran into Platinum and Upchuck. We all headed to Sunfish Pond to enjoy the scenery and have an early lunch. I packed out 2 double cheeseburgers from McDonald’s, they were delicious!

Hiked to Yards Creek & Camp Road to meet up with Platinum and Upchuck again and got beer trail magic from Book Reader. Platinum had 2 beers and packed one out. Upchuck did the same thing. Then they drank the one they packed out and were a little tipsy.

I climbed the Catfish Fire Tower with Butter and we got a gorgeous view! In fact I have gotten so many amazing views today. This ridge is amazing! I’m loving New Jersey so far. Although I wish the rocks had stayed in Pennsylvania.

Trail Day: 109

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Location: Glen Anderson Shelter
Start/End Time: 7:15/4:00
Weather Conditions: Hot and Humid with tropical storm Elsa coming in the evening

I was up and out by 7:15. The threat of rain really helps me get moving in the morning!

The morning was full of sunshine and I hiked by myself for most of it. A few other hikers passed me, and every time I heard a sound I thought it was a bear. I’ve been told by friends who have gone through New Jersey that there are bears everywhere. I’d be fine not seeing any while I’m here.

Mid-morning Green came up behind me! I haven’t seen her since the Greyson Highlands. She’s been hiking alone for about a week and slowed down her pace to chat.

We hiked to the next shelter to take a break, and get water. Then we headed to our very first deli in New Jersey!

The Sandwich Lobby was amazing. I had a rueben and coleslaw with deli mustard. I’ve been waiting for a real deli sandwich since I was disappointed by a restaurant that claimed to be a deli in Georgia. The Sandwich Lobby did not disappoint. After I finished my rueben I got a roast beef sandwich to go for dinner.

With the knowledge that tropical storm Elsa was making her way up the coast and would hit us in the afternoon/evening, I headed out to do the 3.1 miles to the shelter.

2 miles in there was another fire tower. I climbed to the top to get a hazy and cloudy view of the surrounding area.

The last mile I did with Green, Platinum, and Bear Jew. And we did it as fast as we could to avoid the rain that was threatening to fall.

I was lucky enough to get the last spot in the shelter! There were way more people here than we all expected. After not seeing too many people for so long I’m a little overwhelmed.

The rain didn’t start until around 6:30, so we all just hung out for a few hours in the sunshine. But when the rain came, it really came. The sky opened up and just dumped on us. 3 hikers arrived at camp after the rain started and they were soaked.

After the rain subsided we found out that Upchuck’s tent was leaking. We made room for him at our feet inside the shelter. Once he got all set up we realized the rain was coming inside the shelter on him. To help keep him dry I put my rain fly up at the front of the shelter. It’s not perfect, and it looks like a 5-year-old failed at making a fort, but it’s keeping the rain out.

Trail Day: 110

Friday, July 9, 2021

Location: The Secret Shelter
Start/End Time: 9:30/6:45
Weather Conditions: Hot and Humid with threats of rain all day

It rained all night long. Luckily, with my rain fly up to protect Upchuck from getting wet those of us on my side of the shelter didn’t get wet!

Everyone got a slow start today because we were all waiting for the rain to stop before hiking. According to our weather apps it said it was going to stop around d 9-9:30. And by 9 many of us were out hiking, including me. It rained on me a little, but I didn’t get soaked which was nice.

Just 2 miles up the trail there was a large pavilion with an amazing view. I stopped there with Platinum, Upchuck, and Green while they dried out a bunch of their stuff. Because I was in the shelter the only thing of mine that was wet was my rain fly. I’m lucky.

Started listening to the second book in the Bridgerton series, The Viscount who Loved Me. I’m loving it already!

Everyone is seeing bears here in NJ, but I haven’t seen any yet. I’m started to think New Jersey bears are a myth. Feel free to weigh in on this in the comments.

I stopped mid-afternoon for a snack at a nice rocky outcrop, and Platinum caught up to me. We hiked together for around 3 miles to the High Point State Park Headquarters. Inside there is a small store with snacks and cold drinks! A cold drink goes a long way when it’s hot out.

I thought the AT went over to the New Jersey High Point, but it doesn’t. However, I did get to see it from a cool wooden observation platform.

From there I decided to do 7 more miles (totaling 18.4 for the day) to the Secret Shelter. It’s not really a secret as it is listed in Guthooks. I wanted to go anyway, so I could meet Jake the Donkey.

For the rest of the afternoon, I was racing the threat of rain. About .5 miles from the shelter it started to sprinkle. Thankfully it stopped, and I didn’t get rained on.

Green was there when I arrived along with 4 other hikers. The shelter is a cute little cabin on some gorgeous farmland. And the best part about the secret shelter is Jake. He roams around the grounds looking for scratches and free food. I gladly gave him all the affection, but I didn’t share my food. One of the other hikers gave him some cookies they had and after that Jake wouldn’t leave them alone. In fact, he liked the cookies so much he got a little excited if you know what I mean.

I decided to set up my tent for the night. The shelter is 4 sided and was going to be super hot. Plus Jake definitely tried to get inside because he knew there was food in there.

Trail Day: 111

Saturday, July 10, 2021

Location: Stealth site somewhere?
Start/End Time: 6:45/6:30
Weather Conditions: Hot and Humid

I’m not sure why I was up so early, but it all worked out as I hiked into Unionville with Green. Together we sat on the front porch of Horler’s General Store and Deli. I ate a raspberry coffee cake, a jelly donut, and sipped on chocolate milk. Green ate a pint of coffee cookie ice cream and a breakfast sandwich.

I resupplied here too. I’m not sure if I’ve said this before, but I do my best to do my resupplies at small family-owned places whether it be general stores or outfitters. They need the business more than any Walmart does.

After a couple of hours, Green-headed back out of town, but I stayed. My friend Allison was coming into town to see me! I went over to the town park and started taking things out of my bag to spray with permethrin to help keep the ticks away.

Platinum and Upchuck arrived right before my friend Allison did and started spraying their gear too.

Allison brought a tarp for Upchuck to put under his tent and a waterproofing spray for both Platinum and Upchuck to use in their tents. With any luck, it will help prevent leaks during future storms. She’s a real Trail Angel!

With all our stuff laying in the lawn we were in full in hiker trash mode. I even put on my sleep shorts, that are see-through, so I could spray my new black hiking shorts. While we waited for our things to dry Allison offered to get us a snack and grabbed a few slices of pizza.

Having Allison visit was so great, even for a short time. It’s difficult to give people off-trail the real picture of what life out here is really like. However, when people come to visit it gives them a little glimpse into the thru-hiker world.

For lunch, we went to the Wits End Tavern. This little hole in the wall had cold beer and really tasty chicken sandwiches. We all bellied up to the bar and spent a couple of hours catching up and enjoying the air conditioning.

Seeing Allison was the biggest boost to morale. Between the rain and the heat, I was pretty bogged down. She definitely put a smile on my face and for that alone, I’m so thankful.

After Allison dropped us off at the trailhead it was 7 miles of mild trail until Platinum, Upchuck, Bear Jew, and I found a nice stealth campsite near a water source. We shared some laughs and went to bed with full bellies.

Trail Day: 112

Sunday, July 11, 2021

Location: Stealth site at mile at 1371
Start/End Time: 8:30/6:00
Weather Conditions: Hot and Humid

I can’t believe it, but I was the first one to leave camp this morning. And after a short walk, I was on the New Jersey boardwalk! It’s a mile or so of beautiful, well-maintained boardwalk. The views are nice and there were some benches to stop and have a second breakfast on.

Went up a rocky uphill and was rewarded with an amazing view of the farmland below. While I was there I met Trail Mama from New Hampshire and her two dogs and had a lovely chat. On the way up I met 3 women who seemed like they were just getting into hiking. They were so kind to me when they found out I was a thru-hiker. Moments like that give me faith in humanity.

Got to the Wawayanda shelter and took a break. I thought everyone was in front of me from when they passed me on the boardwalk but they stopped at the Farm Stand. They all showed up about 20 minutes after I did.

I listened to more of The Viscount who Loved me. I’m unashamed about how much I enjoy this book. I never thought I’d admit to enjoying trashy romance novels, but here we are.

Because I was at the shelter for a while I left before Platinum, Upchuck, and Bear Jew did. And that’s when the big rocks started. They weren’t exactly rocks, they were just the exposed mountain that happened to be a giant rock. Some sections were a little slick so I had to take my time.

After about an hour I arrived at the New York/New Jersey border! It feels so good to have completed another state!

Right after entering New York, there was a rock outcropping with a pretty nice view and a random American flag flying. I met up with the crew there and we started to hear thunder. Not wanting to get stuck on an exposed part of the ridge if the storm came in we moved on. This is where the rock scrambling began.

For about an hour our team of 4 stuck together climbing up and down the rocks. At one part we even had to climb a rebar ladder up the rocks. It was pretty cool!

About 3 miles from town, well the road we planned to take into town the next day, Platinum and I set up camp. The sites weren’t in the best places, but we found a good tree to hang out bear bags from and it was pretty quiet.

After all the heat we’re both super excited for showers and we get our new shoes tomorrow too!

Trail Day: 113

Monday, July 12, 2021

Location: Greenwood Lake, NY
Start/End Time: 7:15/8:45
Weather Conditions: Humid with an afternoon rainstorm

Platinum and I got up and out early so we could have plenty of downtime in town.

However, the rocks were slippery, so we had to go slow and steady. The first mile was tough, and there was lots of swearing and sliding. It took us nearly an hour to do the first mile.

Luckily, the next 2.6 weren’t too bad and we made good time, arriving at NY Route 51 by 9 to meet our ride into town.

We had called Ubarich, a local taxi service for a ride. They were mentioned in Guthook several times with good reviews. What a rip-off! It cost us $26 for less than a 5-minute ride. They couldn’t even find the pickup spot. There is a sign and everything where the AT crossed the road!

We were dropped off at the local bagel shop, and it made everything better. I got the best bagel I’ve had in a VERY long time! It was a toasted onion bagel with vegetable cream cheese, bacon, spinach, and tomato. I was one happy hiker.

Then we went to the post office to pick up our new sneakers and resupply at the CVS next door. I spent WAY too much money.

Luckily we were able to hitch a ride to our motel from a Trail Angel who had dropped another hiker off at the post office.

Jim, the motel owner, got us all checked in and did our laundry for us! He was so sweet.

We showered, I took an Epsom salt bath, and binged watched Mad Men.

For lunch, we ordered in from Four Brothers Pizza. There was a special which consisted of pizza, wings, and a 2 liter of coke. We also order fried ravioli.

The rest of the afternoon was bookended with chatting with friends on the phone. First I for to talk to Cheryl. Then Platinum and I went across the street for some ice cream. While we were there Hoagie called and I chatted with her.

When we got back to the hotel we knew there was another hiker next door to us, so I knocked on the door. His name is Diva. We had some extra permethrin (tick protection) from treating our shoes and I passed it along to him. We ended up sitting outside under the porch while a rainstorm rolled through drinking wine.

Our evening consisted of watching more Mad Men, doing face masks, and moisturized our feet.

Trail Day: 114

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Location: Fingerboard Shelter
Start/End Time: 8:00/6:30
Weather Conditions: Humid with misting rain throughout the day

I got an amazing night’s sleep last night in our tiny hotel room with our beds that touch. Seriously.

We took that stupid taxi service to get back to the trail. They were so terrible a d called us back twice after we booked our ride because they didn’t know the address after we already gave it to them.

After finally getting to the trail we found that we’re had a bunch of rocks to get over. Unfortunately, said rocks were slick from the morning dew. Platinum and I went over them together. In between, there were some flat stretches, but when the rock scrambles showed up Platinum, who is usually in front of me, stopped to wait.

At one of the rock scrambles, we ran into Pretty in Pink and Fullmoon. We hiked with them on and off for the rest of the day.

The rocks didn’t let up, but at one point we found a sign saying that 5.2 miles ahead there was trail magic! I put my headphones in and powered ahead. I was listening to The Viscount who Loved Me. It made for easy listening.

We all thought we had to get to the next road crossing and there is where the trail magic was. Sadly, we got to the road and found another sign that said the trail magic was 1.7 miles ahead and would be there until 1:30. I booked it! My audiobook was getting really good as it’s basically just a well-written romance novel. There was a pretty big rock scramble that I flew up. It made me feel really confident about my ability to take on the northeast!

When I got to the trail magic Vista and Rainman were there too! I had 2 hot dogs and a can of coke. It really hit the spot.

After catching up with them I hit the trail and headed for the Lemon Squeezer. Of course, they ended up in front of me and I leap-frogged with Pretty in Pink and Fullmoon all the way there.

The Lemon Squeezer was this short stretch of the trail through some rocks that was challenging to walk through because of difficult footing. However, the steep rock scramble afterward was the tough part. Luckily, Rainman and Vista were there and I was able to pass my backpack up to them before using my rock climbing skills to get up it. Again, I felt really good about my ability to do hard things on the trail.

After that, it was all about getting to the Fingerboard Shelter. It was another 2.2 miles there and we had to get water beforehand because the spring was dry. Thankfully, Vista, Rainman, and I kept each other laughing the entire time.

I was lucky enough to get one of the last spots in the shelter! Pushing hard the last couple of miles really paid off.

As the evening went on I was getting more and more worried about Platinum. The few times she’s gotten to camp after me it was only a short while after. Plus I hadn’t seen her since the trail magic. She eventually got to camp and I could tell by the expression on her face she had a hard day. Her trekking poles are broken and she hates her new shoes. There wasn’t room in the shelter either so she set up her tent.

I ended my day in the shelter between Vista and Rainman shushing each other. For some reason it was hilarious. I felt like I was 13 years old the way we were giggling. We were also listening to Elton John and The Beatles. It was a great end to a hard day of hiking.

Trail Day: 115

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Location: Hemlock Springs Campsite
Start/End Time: 7:15/5:30
Weather Conditions: Hot and Humid

The goal for today is to get through the Trailside Zoo. It is only open from 10-4 and if I don’t make it there by 3:30, when they close the front gate, I’ll have to walk the side trail around it. As a result, I got up way earlier than I normally do and got my shit together.

Upon walking up the hill from the Fingerboard Shelter this morning there were 2 bucks having breakfast. They had velvet in their antlers and didn’t mind that I watched them eating.

To say I hiked like a maniac today is an understatement. I pushed myself so hard to ensure I made it to the zoo before closing. I don’t remember much about the trail and I didn’t stop that much.

I do remember hiking, and when I say hiking I mean running, across several roads which were very busy. I remember that I had a layer of sweat on every inch of my body all day. And I remember that I climbed over a lot of rocks.

The part of the day I do have a quality recollection of is climbing Bear Mountain and seeing the Trailside Zoo.

Bear Mountain started off with lots of rock scrambling. To matter matters worse several sections were exposed so I was out in the hot sun. Then the trail became an old road which was super easy to hike on. However, that didn’t last very long and I starting going upstairs. I will say that the stairs are made of well-cut and well place rocks. They were tough but evenly spaced.

Just before reaching the top with Vista, Pretty in Pink, and Fullmoon, I spotted some vending machines. Cold drinks! It’s funny how the little things make me so happy. After paying I pressed the button to get some Arizona Green Tea and 2 came out! I guzzled them down as fast as possible and kept hiking. The downhill was just as amazing as the uphill; well-made rock stairs.

When I completed the stairs I was spat out into a lovely park full of people having picnics and out in peddle boats on a pond. As much as I wanted to take a break I knew I needed to keep walking.

I followed the white blazes that led me under the highway and over to the zoo. I made it with 45 minutes until closing time!

The zoo was really nice! It’s home to animals that can no longer live in the wild due to injury. My personal favorites were the 3 legged red fox, the bobcat, the bears, and porcupine. Sadly, I did not get to see Chompy the Beaver because he was at the vet.

When you exit the north side of the zoo you cross a crazy amount of traffic and walk over the Hudson River. I did this with Vista and Rainman. We took lots of pictures, enjoyed the view, and Rainman yelled at all the cars that passed us with open windows for some reason.

I camped with Rainman and Vista tonight and as usual, when we’re together there is lots of laughter. All-day Rainman and I were passing each other saying, “You’re not gonna make it!” and the funny thing is he didn’t make it! He had to sneak in the back of the zoo to walk the official AT through the zoo!

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all fun and games at camp as I discovered that the discomfort I was having on my back today was a pack rash. I cleaned it up and Amy there’s it in Vaseline. Hopefully, it won’t take too long to heal.

It was almost completely dark out, I was in my tent texting with friends, and all of a sudden I heard a crash outside my tent. This was followed by a “Did the bear bag just fall?” and giggles from Vista and Rainman. I couldn’t see the bag hanging so I got out of my tent. Luckily, the branch had not fallen, but we still don’t know what the crashing noise was.

Oh and at some point, during the day I hit the 1400 mile mark too, so that’s exciting!

Trail Day: 116

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Location: Canopus Lake Beach Campground
Start/End Time: 8:15/7:15
Weather Conditions: Hell

Today was the hottest day I’ve hiked so far. I don’t know how hot it got, but I felt like I was melting all day. I was also followed by a pack of blood-thirsty mosquitoes who are probably selling my DNA to 23 and me to frame me for some kind of crime in the future.

My morning started off with lots of laughs at camp with Vista and Rainman and was followed by a quick 3 miles to the Appalachian Market and Deli. I had a bomb turkey sandwich and sipped on a Slush Puppy. It’s like a slurpy but doesn’t taste terrible.

Then the heat struck with a vengeance. I stopped dozens of times today to drink water and cool off. Sweat was pouring off of me, literally. I can’t even remember the last time I was this hot. The constant up and down all day didn’t help either.

Around 4:30 I did get some trail magic in the form of an ice-cold Snapple black cherry lemonade. She even let me take a second one for the road!

For the rest of the afternoon, I battled with mosquitoes and sweat getting in my eyes as I hiked and scrambled up some rocks. By this time in the day, I hated everyone and was glad I didn’t see anyone on the trail because I wasn’t in the mood to speak with a single soul.

After walking .5 miles off the AT I got to the hiker camp spot near Canopus Beach and it was definitely not worth the walk.

I set up my tent in the field and put my quilt on top of my tent to air it out. 20 minutes later when I went to put it in my tent it was wet. That’s hot humid it is.

Needless to say, I’m done with today.

Trail Day: 117

Friday, July 16, 2021

Location: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Start/End Time: 8:15/6:00
Weather Conditions: Hot and Humid

The weather continues to try and make me hate hiking. Today I have to admit I’m not having fun. After leaving camp I had a complete meltdown. I’m talking full-on ugly crying on the side of the trail. Luckily, no one came by while I was having this moment.

The heat and humidity are really wearing me out. I’m a little over 200 miles from home where I’m taking a break for a couple of days to enjoy summer in Vermont and see some of my favorite people. I just want to be in Vermont right now. I have no intentions of quitting, but I’m tired both mentally and physically. In 2 days I’ll be in Kent, CT, and will be taking the day off to do a whole lot of nothing. Hopefully, this will get me rested enough to get me home.

What really saved my day today was calling my original trail buddy Hangry Hatter. Sadly, he got injured and is off-trail, but I call him from time to time to chat and see how he’s doing. We talked for about an hour today and it turned my day around completely.

I stopped for a snack at the RPU shelter. It’s a really cool shelter that is well taken care of by local trail angels. There were lots of jugs of water, a picnic table, 6 bunks, and a fake hiker’s leg sticking out of the ceiling.

The road soon after the shelter had a cooler full of trail magic! I stopped and had a coke and a Gatorade. I feel like I’m constantly in need of electrolytes. There was beer too, but I didn’t dare make myself more dehydrated.

After a few more miles and a short rod walk, I arrived at my last Deli in New York. I got a sandwich called The Real Man. I ate the tire thing in one sitting along with a chocolate eclair ice cream bar, a brownie, and an Arizona iced tea.

Sitting out on the back lawn of the Deli with Vista and another hiker, whose name I won’t mention, was super chill. Then he sat on the grass with his short shorts and no underwear on and we was his penis and balls. Not sure how he didn’t know this was happening, you’d think he’d feel the breeze. I couldn’t even make eye contact with Vista when this was happening for fear that I’d burst into laughter.

As soon as I got back to the trail I got caught up in a sudden rainstorm. There was a little bit of thunder, but it mostly rained. I was able to take cover under a Trailside kiosk and miss most of the rain, thankfully.

With a few more miles under my belt and a bit of slippery rock scrambling, I arrived at the shelter for the night.

It was so exciting to have the shelter all to ourselves tonight, just me and Vista! As soon as I got there I asked if she had seen what I saw on the back lawn of the Deli and she did. We both burst into laughter at how someone doesn’t know they’re flashing their goods to the world. We still don’t know.

For water, we had to use a hand pump. This was the first place along the trail where I had to do this and it was pretty cool. However, it was a bit of a workout after a long day of hiking.

Trail Day: 118

Saturday, July 17, 2021

Location: Wiley Shelter
Start/End Time: 9:00/6:00
Weather Conditions: Hot and Humid with afternoon and evening thunderstorms

Talk about sleeping in! Both Vista and I slept until 8 am, it’s a trail miracle! Most of the time when you’re in a shelter people are waking up at the crack of dawn for some reason. It was nice to have it to ourselves and not get woken up.

I met this trail guy named Keith. I’m not sure why he does out here, but he’s definitely a volunteer and loves the trail. He told me all about the area and even tried to Tracy me some things I already knew. Vista, who is too nice, got by him and he chatted her ear off for 45 minutes.

Stopped by Nuclear Lake for lunch. Apparently, there was some kind of nuclear test site here at one point and something blew up and ruined the lake. 1 local told me that he swims in it, another told me that I shouldn’t. I decided not to take a swim.

I did however stop and have lunch on this cool rock and catch up with Hoagie. She was hanging out in Chester, Mass after stomping through the mud for a couple of days.

Then I stopped again by the blue blaze trail for the Telephone Pioneers Shelter and soaked my feet and had a snack. It was a lovely spot to just take a minute and chill.

At the base of the hill, there was a trail magic cooler with soda and beer. I grabbed 2 beers for the road thinking Vista might not get there in time before the beer ran out. I would surprise her with them later tonight at the shelter.

After waking over a bunch of boards, as you do in New York, I came across the Appalachian Trail Metro-North Station. I was tempted to head into the city but didn’t.

Right after that, I walked through some fields that were an active farm. There were cow tracks everywhere, but I didn’t see any. I did however sing the Sound of Music and skipped around the field. This was before I lost the shade and began to melt in the sun.

While I heard thunder off in the distance I was lucky enough for the impending storm bit to hit until I was amongst the trees again. And boy did it rain! For about an hour the thunder roared and it poured. The trail was essentially a small stream and my shoes were soaked. A few sections were more difficult because the wooden boards were wet and I had to be extra careful so I didn’t slip and fall.

Just before reaching the shelter, I met a woman putting her trail magic cooler in her car. She gave me a coke for the road and I headed to the shelter just uphill.

When I arrived there was a thru-hiker there and 2 young kids that were doing a section. The kids had their clothes laid out in the shelter to dry, which in turn made the shelter wet.

Just as I was getting my stuff organized Vista rolled in and I handed her a beer. Hiking those beers here was a great decision. For the rest of the night, before an even bigger storm rolled in, we sipped in our beers, yelled at the chipmunks that were trying to come into the shelter, and relaxed.

The Appalachian Train in New Jersey and New York