Day 108 – Delaware Water Gap to Mohican Outdoor Center 

“And my tires were slashed and I almost crashed, 

but the Lord had mercy.

And my machine, she’s a dud, out stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey.

Well, hold on tight, stay up all night, ’cause Rosie, I’m comin’ on strong” – Bruce Springsteen 

Up at 8:00. Got 10 hours of sleep. I feel great today.

Walked to the Village Farmer Bakery for a nice breakfast and coffee. What an amazing place! They have all kinds of fresh fruit, confections, and baked goods. I’m going to pick up some cookies or something similar to go.

Clockwise: Overkill, Polar, Glass, 23, Newt.

Short 10.6-mile hike to Mohican Outdoor Center in NJ today. We need a Nero, and Overkill has a resupply box there, so we will just stay there. The extended family is likely going there as well. I called Mohican, and they have lots of bunks. Their hot food stops at 5:30, and the store closed at 6:00. Our goal is to leave here at 11:00 and to get there about 5:00 today. Chill day.

We got on the trail at 11:15. My bad. Hiked along the interstate and over the bridge into NJ. Overkill flipped off PA as we walked into NJ. Good riddance, PA.

At 12:30, we crossed the 1300-mile mark. Not as big a deal as crossing into NJ.

Reached Sunfish Pond at 1:50. Very pretty. We hiked around it for about an hour.

Stopped for water at 2:00 and 5.7 miles.  We have 5.1 miles to go. That should get us there about 5:00. Back on the trail at 2:35.

Got a nice 360-degree view from the foundation of an old fire tower overlooking NJ.

YouTube Video of 360-degree NJ view.

I ran into a NJ bear at 8.8 miles in for today. Youngster between 1 and 2. He had his head in some plants rooting around. He did not see me until I tried to get my phone out to take a pic. Then he looked at me and ran off into the woods. My first bear since near Glasgow, VA.

Got to Mohican Outdoor Center at 5:05. Grill closed at 5:00:( But cold sandwiches were good. The extended family was here. They are leaving in a bit and going 3 more miles to tent. We will see them tomorrow night. We ate, got checked in for our bunks, and bought snacks for tonight as the store/office closed at 6:00. 

Bunk house is very large and very nice. There are only 4 of us in here so far tonight. This place could sleep 20. It’s very expensive at $50 for a bunk. No linens or towels provided. You have to pay an extra $10 each for those! The AMC has good facilities but they take hikers on price. I’ll complain more about them later in New England. 

I showered and washed my hiking shirt in the shower. It really needed it. Thank  goodness I started carrying a light camp towel when we got to MD. There are state and local campgrounds with free shower facilities in the north as well as outdoor centers like this that have facilities but no towels. I’m using multiple box fans to dry my clothes and towel in multiple rooms. Hiker trash style.

Updated blogs (offline , no internet service) and planned for tomorrow. Clothes are mostly dry. Got food and pack ready for the morning. Breakfast available starting at 7:00. We plan to be there at 7 then get on trail by 7:45 ish. We have 20 miles tomorrow. Not sure what the terrain will be like. I think this is my first 20 with the new pack. 

Hung out and snacked and read till 11:00. 

Technical Notes:

• OJ 140
• Bacon egg sandwich 650
• Chocolate éclair 500
• Cheese crackers 180
• Zero sugar sausage 120
• Trail mix 250
• Dr Pepper 240
• Ham and cheese sandwich 500
• Chocolate chip ice cream sandwich: 400
• Dr Pepper: 240
• Hershey bar: 210
• Reese’s: 210
• Pringles: 500
• Doritos: 260
• Water liters: 2.4
• Miles: 10.6
• Time: 5:45
• Elevation gain: 1764
• Calories consumed: 4460
• Calories burned: 5000