Foggy and light rain this morning. Made quick work of the trail down into Delaware Water Gap. The barren trees turned to pines and Rhododendrons. The later being very common in the south on the AT. It was nice to see something green and familiar.
By the time I reached the climb down the skies had cleared for what was expected to be a sunny day. There was a nice view of the river from up there.
At the gap I was able to get a rideshare to Stroudsburg where Ready Set Run is located. The owner herself through hiked in 1986 and she was very knowledgeable on what shoes and gear were popular on the AT. I got some new kicks that should be sturdier and provide a little relief from the rocks.
Had lunch across the street at a taco place and then walked to Earthlight Natural Foods to do a small resupply since it was close. Got some more oatmeal and some TVP to add protein to the Knorrs sides.
From there it was back to Delaware Water Gap where I planned to mail my shoes back home. I think they have a few miles of trail running left in them and it seems silly to waste that. Post office was closed until 1300 but when they reopened they were enthusiastic to help a hiker mail things home.
Back on the trail to road walk at the hottest part of the day. Not ideal but I felt like i had gotten a lot done in town. I crossed the bridge into New Jersey, completing the trail in Pennsylvania.
Proceeded up to Sunfish Pond and on to Kittatinny Mountain. Similar viewpoints as PA but no longer full of farms.
I had interpreted the guide as saying that camping was only allowed in designated areas so I could not dispersed camp. Later I learned this was incorrect. But for the day I was heading to the Mohecan Outdoor Center because I knew they had camping.
Upon arrival I checked in and got a spot in the communal bunk house. I was the only guest. I could have saved a little money and camped but having a quiet bunk, access to showers, and a stove sounded kind of nice.
The shower room had a fun sign:
After a rinse I had dinner and walked down around the lake as the sun got low. Lots of good nighttime lake sounds, I wish I was carrying a quality audio recorder.
Spent a little time at the visitor's center on the WiFi but was sleepy at sun down. On my way back I found their bear protections around the trash:
New Jersey is know for its dense and active bear population.