May 27, 2023
Greetings from mile 1376 NOBO… and the Linden Motel in Greenwood Lake Village in Warwick NY.
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| Bonjour New York! May 26, 2023 |
New York is the ninth state for northbound hikers.
Notable Walker in my Family
My beloved Uncle Ross was a long distance walker… and I like to think he and I have that in common. Ross always seemed to be walking away from home and from those who loved him, and always heading eastward. Unlike Ross, I am definitely on a northward tack even though the trail deviates, and I am anxious to get back to my people, whom I rely on and miss so much. All of you. Ross was complicated and deeply troubled, but kind to a fault. I think of him often out here, and fondly remember the delicate, fleeting magic he would provide on the rare occasions when he allowed us to help him. Walk on dear Uncle Ross and Happy Trails.
Active Bears
I asked some day hikers last week if they had encountered any ACTIVE bears. I was trying to be funny. They seemed mildly alarmed and concerned for my safety. New Jersey likes to classify their bears that way -- ACTIVE. Other jurisdictions simply remind you that you are in Bear Country and to behave responsibly, particularly with regards to your food storage and preparation. I am not interested in any sort of memorable bear encounters so do my best to behave responsibly no matter where I am. Still, I wonder if INACTIVE bears laze about trailside mooching Clif Bars, while ACTIVE bears beat you senseless, sell your gear on Craigslist, and relocate you to an urban area in either NJ or NY. Been wondering about that.
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| ACTIVE Bears! May 24 |
Weapons
I met a gent named Paul in Port Clinton PA. Paul was happy to show me his electric scooter but was disappointed I was not carrying a gun on the trail. Paul was also amused that my strategy was to act BIG and MENACING if I got between Momma bear and her cubs. The thought of it made us both laugh!
Ankle Support
A day hiker was taping his ankles when I resumed my hike after stopping to resupply in Pine Grove PA. He asked me for advice. I told him that I am a big fan of Leucotape. I use it to hold body parts in place when they're at risk of falling off, but not for support or to compensate for crappy footwear. His Crocs were not providing the ankle support he sought. No kidding!! I didn’t think his tape job would do the trick either.
New Fauna Noted
Rose Breasted Grosbeaks (seen), Peewees and crickets (heard), Kingfishers and shit hawks (aka gulls) seen above Delaware River, something sniffing at my tent vestibule at Gren Anderson shelter… (I suspect a coyote as they were yipping that night and I saw one cross the trail next day... and pretty sure she winked at me), Scarlet Tanager (decent photo), E. Phoebes (heard), Bobolinks (heard), Green Frogs (heard en masse!!!), Nuthatches (heard), Canada Geese (heard and dodged their droppings), Carolina Wren (identified by hiker Jenn), Broad Winged Hawks (calls identified by moi and confirmed via Cornell U Merlin app), Timber Rattlesnake named Marlene, after my friend who WILL NOT appreciate this one bit!, Smooth Green Snake (above Superfund site), Lehigh River at Palmerton PA, Gray Ratsnake skin, Eastern Garter Snake beside NJ marsh, Beaver browse and half felled trees along Sunfish Pond NJ, Eastern Coyote, and a Baltimore Oriole.
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| Eastern Garter Snake May 22 |
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| Scarlet Tanager May 22 |
New Flora Noted
First Sugar Maple spotted!!! (PA) on 20 May, Virginia Creeper, (actually have been seeing Creeper for many weeks but never mentioned it) Stinging Nettles, miserable old foe Phragmites in a Jersey marsh, Pink Ladyslipper, Mayapple blossom, Eastern Dogwood, Shagbark Hickory (NY), Pale Corydalis, Sassafras seedlings.
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Pink Ladyslipper May 16
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| Mayapple May 25 |
Trail Names
Taylor the "Nahamsha Hiker" and mom Kathy (Na"mom"sha!!), from yup,... New Hampshire, Big T (Mississippi), Flame (PA), Sideways (VA), Tommy (Michigan), Bedrock (KY), Pizza Bastard (my laundry buddy from VT), Crap Shoot (Bear Mtn. NY), who is Bedrock’s brother!, Blackbird (Hawaii), unnamed NJ section hiker and dog Riley…she told me she wanted to section hike all 14 states but would skip PA so she could remain happy!!! Dylan (Stubborn Old Goat), Nick (Nobonaga), C.J. (Kosher Dill). Hey my sisters!!!!….Nick lives 10 miles from Tom’s River NJ!! (apparently close to the REAL Jersey Shore and not Delaware River Jersey shore, which isn't the REAL Jersey Shore), Snack Pack (St Louis Mo) and Road Rash (Duluth Minn), Dan the Forester who told me that fire hazard in NJ forests off the chart HIGH, Julie (TX), Dutch (Reading PA), and Yatzi (Jersey City), Twist Tie and Spreadsheet (Pittsburgh PA), Catch (Montana), Glen and dog Sid (Vernon NJ) curious about AT shelter and tent site availability, Skip (Pochuck Mtn, NJ), and Jenn (Baltimore, MD) .........a native New Brunswicker!!!!!
Milestones
Grandson Arthur turned 0.5 year wise on May 24!!!!!!
Spent my 100th night on the trail in my tiny tent, May 25.
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| 100th night in my tent since starting the Trail last year |
Language
I FINALLY figured out how we Canadians are notable and identifiable by our speech patterns. Take the word “about” for example. To American ears, we Canucks seem to say “aboot” because we say it quickly. Hiker Blackbird explained it to me as follows: “We Americans inflect (or drag) the word out for as long as we can…as in “ahhbowwwwwwwt”. You guys just say it fast. That’s how we pick you out!” Eh??
Palmerton PA
Nestled along the banks of the Lehigh River at Palmerton PA is the Palmerton Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Site. Blue Mountain, upon which the Appalachian Trail lies, was devastated by nearly a century of zinc smelting, and only now is the battered forest beginning to come back to life. This serves as a stark reminder of both the fragility and the resilience of Nature.
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| Palmerton, PA Site of 100 years of Zinc Smelting May 18 |
Snakes, Rocks, and Automobiles
Venomous snakes just want to sunbathe and be left alone. But the small, non-venomous snakes want to take you OUT! (The green snake I came across on the trail reared up in striking pose, trying to appear as threatening as possible!) No idea why automobiles made their way into this section, but traffic on the bridge over the Delaware River was ear splitting after the isolation and quiet of the mountains.
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MARLENE the Timber Rattlesnake May 19
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| Bridge over Delaware River, from PA into NJ May 21 |
Pennsylvania (aka Rocksylvania)
Pennsylvania was difficult. Hard on the feet, the body, and the confidence. I chose to power thru it by hiking 20+ miles per day, due in no small part to my rapidly deteriorating trail shoes and my desire to get to a point where I could get them replaced ASAP. I had set my sights on Port Clinton PA, as there was a major outfitter in the neighbouring town, but had to adjust my plans and have replacement shoes (my 4th pair on this trek) forwarded for pick up in Delaware Water Gap, the last Pennsylvania town before the Trail enters New Jersey. There was almost nothing left of the soles of my shoes and every step was a minor adventure in pain. So I had new shoes to start NJ and was able to gift the old ones (along with some single ply toilet paper) to a hiker box, for someone else to enjoy.
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| No Respite From the Rocks (Knife Edge, PA) May 17 |
New Jersey
One of the nicest surprises was the hiking in New Jersey. Most of the hype about the Appalachian Trail in this state is negative. Hiker lore has it that all of the nuisance bears that are captured close to urban centres in New York and New Jersey are dumped in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which is precisely where the Trail lies. That, and all of the signage regarding "active" bears makes hikers wary and anxious to be done with the 72 miles as quickly as possible. Blueberry bushes are in great abundance so it's easy to imagine the attraction for hungry bears when the fruit is ripe. I am told that most people think of the swampy landscape around Newark, NJ when they visualise what the trail must be like. In my experience, Jersey had some of the most varied terrain I had seen to date, in sharp contrast to the monoculture of rock on the other side of the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. Parts of the trail in Jersey looked and felt very much like the Canadian Shield, with marshes, beaver ponds, exposed rock, and gentle ascents and descents. Add to that the presence of swarms of mosquitos, countless basking turtles, and crickets, and it really felt like home.
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| Sunfish Pond NJ (looks like Frontenac Park, ON) May 21 |
Vera
Vera is the "ancient" and somewhat frail proprietor of The Linden Motel in Greenwood Lake NY. I stayed there recently when I got off to resupply. Vera is a real character and seemed to have a soft spot for hikers. Vera told me "We're all a bit kooky here at the motel. Sponge FAWWB!!!!.....come on outta ya room and enjoy the sunshine!!!" I asked Vera if it was ok if I bought a few cans of beer and sipped them in my room. "Oh shuwah Sponge FAWWB, just don't get too crazy and start singin' in the shawuh!" Turns out I had little time for singing as I had to do my laundry in the "shawuh", and there was only so much room for dirty laundry, clean laundry, me, my beer, and sheet music.
Sherm
This guy entered the scene at the Linwood Motel on May 28. I say entered but it was more like a profanity-laced explosion. Sherm roamed the veranda of The Linwood singing "HEY GOOD LOOKIN, WHUTCHA GOT COOKIN, HOW'S ABOUT COOKIN SUMPTHIN GOOD WITH ME?!!!" again and again and again. It had a very stifling effect on my appetite for anyone's cooking. He coughed so frequently and violently I was pretty sure he was going to hack up his dentures and send them into orbit. He told Renco (one of the assortment of "kooks" Vera referred to earlier) that he had "seen it all" working for the Brooklyn pizza mob and wasn't gonna take shit FROM NOBODY. He remained true to his word for the duration of my stay. He would sit and listen to the most vile redneck talk radio while inhaling cans of Lite beer. I will miss him.
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| When hiking in "Joisey", dress like Little Steven Van Zandt May 24 |
Trail Diversity (FINALLY!!!): Young People from Newark
I was thrilled to step aside at intervals all throughout the day on May 22 as waves (upwards of 200 young people in total!) of students from Newark NJ began a multi day southbound section hike…..and almost exclusively African American young women and men!! It was so gratifying and exciting for me to witness. Meeting hikers of colour is rare -- I know the dynamic out here will not change any time soon, but it gave me hope. The late stage groups were all young men and as we fist bumped, one of them asked me my name! “My goofy trail name or my real name?” I asked. “Why not both?” came his reply. “Goofy trail name is Sponge FOB, but my actual name is Pierre”. “Happy trails, Pierre, and stay safe.” If that isn’t trail Magic, then I don't know what is.
Trail Magic
Mary Poppins, a self described “trailblazer and chatterbox” left us a cooler full of water jugs at Ashfield Rd in PA.
There were numerous jugs of water left trail side at Wind Gap PA, in a notoriously dry region, and I was grateful and relieved to partake.
Julie (TX) gave me a smile and a little wave when I arrived at High Point Shelter on May 24th. I had been in foul humour and feeling exhausted most of that day, and her friendly gesture gave me a much needed lift.
Kathy (aka Namomsha) gave me pizza and was very kind and helpful.
A motorist at PA route 309 stopped and offered me a donut May 17. While I ate it, a trailside rattlesnake rattled its displeasure at my thoughtlessness. Emboldened by the sugar rush, I simply held my ground, finished the donut, and moved on once I was good and ready.
Trail Hazards
Piles of bear scat. Watch your step!
Icepick: I did not mention this creep last year for good reason. When I was in Hot Springs NC in early April 2022, word among hikers was that this guy was terrorizing hikers near Grayson Highlands State Park in southern Virginia and reportedly slashing women's tents. Ridgerunners were trying to locate him. Seemed to me then (and still now) that armed US Marshals would have been more appropriate. Or Uncle Mike (who I made reference to in my April 29th Blog Post). Snack Pack and Road Rash (see Trail Names section) told me recently that they witnessed his behaviour and that it was a really frightening experience. No doubt!
NY State of Mind
I found it surreal to be able to see the Manhattan skyline May 26 from a vantage point high above Greenwood Lake village. Such a big, busy city from this quiet location. Plenty close enough for my liking. I kept singing the Rolling Stones tune “Shattered*" as I hiked on.
*a not so flattering anthem to NYC... 🎵 they got rats on the West Side, Bedbugs uptown, What a mess this town's in tatters, I've been shattered.........this town's full of money grabbers, Go ahead, bite the Big Apple, don't mind the maggots... 🎵
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| Manhattan Skyline way off in the distance May 26 |
Weather
New Jersey forester Dan told me the Forest Service would be raising the fire risk level to its "extreme" classification. Scary dry out here and water is fast becoming scarce. The duff (leaf litter) actually crackles when you stop to listen to your surroundings. We finally got some desperately needed rain May 25th.
Diet
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May 21, New Jersey tastes good so far!
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area-Kittatinny Point |
Robbie
At first I wondered if that was you sniffing at my tent at Gren Anderson shelter, May 22?
All for now,
Pierre
