Colesville, NJ (USA)

[up around 0700 - packed and drove north from Hazleton to I-84 and then headed eastbound - stopped for gas at Milford (PA) at 0915 - then got off the interstate at Port Jervis - facebook - After acclimating all winter to the cold hiking days, the prospect of 50 (F) degree weather drove me to the north. I managed to get out of DC late last night and stopped to sleep in Hazleton. It was only a short drive to Port Jervis and a little farther to the AT trailhead on NJ-23 (near highest elevation in New Jersey). The day (SOBO after using High Point State Park approach trail) started out pretty easy: cool/clear weather and tightly packed snow made for good pace. Saw tremendous views (including the Catskills, miles north) and no people. As the day wore on, however, several obstacles surfaced: treacherous (icy) rock faces to climb, gradually melting surfaces (allowed me sink into the 12-18 inch drifts), hidden creeks under the snow, many criss-crossing trails (disoriented me) and widely spaced blazes (made the AT hard to follow). By the time I reached the Deckertown Turnpike, I was completely convinced I should walk back on the road. Back at my car, I decided to reposition to the east on the NY-NJ border (near Unionville). Hiked a few more miles in the Wallkill Reserve (NOBO from State Line Road). By this point, it was so slushy and muddy that I had to walk very slowly. In the last half mile (before reaching Liberty Corners Road), I nearly hurt myself several times on a plank walkway that crossed a marshy area. Glad to be finished, so I walked back on the road again. Completed 16+ miles for all the effort! Drove east to scout out the AT near Warwick and Greenwood Lake before stopping for the night at the Tuxedo Motel in Southfields (NY). Worked on taxes and updated software until around 2200. AT today = 7.64 miles / G.T. AT = 366.23 miles.]