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View Full Version : NJ thru hike in a weekend



jersey joe
07-12-2010, 09:12
I have always wanted to hike the entire NJ portion of the AT in a weekend. It looks like I'm going to give it a go this coming weekend. 72 miles in 48 hours!!!

Cookerhiker
07-12-2010, 12:37
What are you doing the one night - camping or is someone meeting you? Are you slackpacking? What about water?

Let's see - if you limit your hiking to 12 hrs per day - say 6-6, averaging 3 mph=36 milesx2 days=72. And with the daylight still about 14 hours, you have some slack. And you're in good shape. And even if you're not slackpacking, you're still carrying a relatively light pack. You will do it! Good luck and hope the weather's decent.

jersey joe
07-12-2010, 12:57
What are you doing the one night - camping or is someone meeting you? Are you slackpacking? What about water?

Let's see - if you limit your hiking to 12 hrs per day - say 6-6, averaging 3 mph=36 milesx2 days=72. And with the daylight still about 14 hours, you have some slack. And you're in good shape. And even if you're not slackpacking, you're still carrying a relatively light pack. You will do it! Good luck and hope the weather's decent.
Thanks Cookerhiker. The plan right now is to leave around 1 PM on Friday from DWG and finish by noon on Sunday. I'll be going with my brother, who just trained for and ran a half marathon, so he's in good physical shape.(jury still out on his mental capacity for this type of hike, but i'm optimistic)

We will camp two nights and carry all of our gear and food. We will be traveling as light as possible though. The weather looks like it will be HOT in the 90's during the day so our water consumption should be high. I've already found a recent thread on WB with water availability along the way.

The long days will absolutely help. 2.5-3 mph is the goal while hiking for most of the daylight hours availabe to us.

jersey joe
07-13-2010, 12:58
Hitting campmor tonight to try out some lightweight backpacks and price out some hiking poles.

10-K
07-13-2010, 13:02
Sounds like fun - wish I could go with you guys.

ExosC3
07-13-2010, 13:49
nice man. I did the NJ section last year, in pieces, nowhere near as ambitious as you are planning. I am planned to thru hike NY in august tho and cant wait.

NJ section is really nice, the last 30 miles or so from high point to NY state line (S-N) is probably my favorite hike in all of NJ. the first half is so friggen rocky your feet really start to feel it and your hips too.

have fun...2 days, thats pretty nuts.

ExosC3
07-13-2010, 13:52
by the way Jersey Joe, I am selling a lightweight pack that I bought a year ago. an Osprey Exos 58. Its perfect for up to 35lbs. Only reason Im selling is to get something larger for longer trips. I just bought the osprey manta for long day trips so the Exos doesnt fit in my collection any more. check out my craigslist ad here...happy to meet up with you, im in Wayne.. they have the pack at campmor (im actually going there tonight myself) so try it out when your there. lifetime warranty too.

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/spo/1830285430.html

jersey joe
07-13-2010, 14:21
I'll check out the Exos 58 tonight...I only see the Exos 46 on campmor's site, seems similar, just smaller.

ExosC3
07-13-2010, 14:57
sounds good. yea ive seen the 46 there before, but i dont think i bought my 58 from them. let me know what u think..

Simba
07-13-2010, 15:12
I was at Campmor two days ago and three weeks prior to that to get an Osprey pack. I was hell bent on an Osprey (used to Lowe Alpine Contour packs) and when I got to Campmor the guy pretty much crossed his arms when I told him I was decided on the Osprey brand. I was not fitted properly. Got home and refitted my new Osprey Atmos 65; awesome pack that holds 35pds. well. Don't rely on Campmor people to properly fit you. My compression straps were actually put on wrong by the guy, grr.

Anyway, Im from the NJ/PA/NY area. I always dayhike in NJ with my dog. WATER...I can tell you the stream crossing before the shelter in culvers lake to sunrise pavillion is dry. THough, awesome little spring in reach from the shelter, I used it on a 12 mile day hike to see if my leg still swelled on me, it did. WATER...NOBO after rt206 (on 206 worthington's bakery is not there anymore, now called Joe's coffee) where the path goes from the culver's lake parking area to the AT a guy I think named "Beer Man Bill" leaves a cooler full of ice, water, and gatorade! Great trail magic on a 90+ day. After the incline up from rt 206 it is clear sailing/ridge walk for about six miles to the Sunrise pavillion. NO water, get it at the shelter. THings are spaced out every two miles from the 206 crossing (road, fire tower with picnic table, shelter, sunrise pavillion). So...my 2¢. Godspeed.

ExosC3
07-13-2010, 15:44
the atmos is actually the pack im looking at. suggested weight up to 45lbs actually...for the large atleast...fitting isnt too fancy on these packs, but im suprised campmor didnt do you right. ive always felt like ive gotten great advice from them, but depends who you talk to i guess...

man i love that store but it sucks my wallet dry every time

jersey joe
07-14-2010, 08:21
The Exos 46 was a nice pack. I didn't really like the mesh back, doesn't really seem that durable. In the end I went with the Kelty Pawnee pack. It seemed a lot more durable and it was half the price. It is an extra pound at 3lb 9oz. Maybe I'm just not cut out for "ultra" light.

Kerosene
07-14-2010, 10:12
I suggest ditching the stove for this hike (eliminates stove, windscreen, fuel, pot, lid, cozy, etc.) and going cold.

I'm sure you know to keep hydrated and powered up throughout the day. Also consider standing mini-breaks in the afternoon when you feel your energy starting to fade.

While it's been 35 years since I hiked the DWG-to-Unionville section, I think you'll find that 50 miles to be a lot harder than the remaining distance to NY-17A. If you can cover 20 miles on Friday afternoon and 35 on Saturday, then that will leave you with 17 for Sunday morning. I would bring good headlamps and plan to hike longer on Friday or start before dawn on Sunday.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

ExosC3
07-14-2010, 10:22
ah too bad man. the mesh back is what makes the pack so amazing actually. its th emost comfortable pack ive ever had. no issues with durability here. oh well, good luck with the kelty. ive had a few of those in the past as well.

jersey joe
07-14-2010, 10:49
I suggest ditching the stove for this hike (eliminates stove, windscreen, fuel, pot, lid, cozy, etc.) and going cold.

I'm sure you know to keep hydrated and powered up throughout the day. Also consider standing mini-breaks in the afternoon when you feel your energy starting to fade.

While it's been 35 years since I hiked the DWG-to-Unionville section, I think you'll find that 50 miles to be a lot harder than the remaining distance to NY-17A. If you can cover 20 miles on Friday afternoon and 35 on Saturday, then that will leave you with 17 for Sunday morning. I would bring good headlamps and plan to hike longer on Friday or start before dawn on Sunday.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Kerosene, we have actually decided to do just that, ditch the stove and fuel and go cold. Especially since the weather is looking like it will be really hot this wknd.
Staying hydrated should be our biggest challenge.

The mileage you gave is pretty much what we are looking at. 20+ miles is the goal for Friday, 35ish on Saturday...we also have leeway on Sunday to hike past noon...the 48 hour time limit is just a goal, not a necessary limit.

Panzer1
07-14-2010, 11:22
you can get a hot sandwich at "joe to go" on route 206. You go right past it. Its the old Worthington bakery.

Panzer

ExosC3
07-14-2010, 11:28
theres also a blue trail that runs off, i think it says maybe 1-1.5 miles each way to waterfalls (wanna say buttermilk falls). that trail is straight down and only way back is straight up. id avoid it unless you reallllly need water...it gets a little busy there too bc i think yo ucan actually drive a car to the bottom

jersey joe
07-14-2010, 12:48
you can get a hot sandwich at "joe to go" on route 206. You go right past it. Its the old Worthington bakery.

Panzer
Absolutely! Stopping at Joe-To-Go is part of the plan!

thelowend
07-14-2010, 14:14
ah too bad man. the mesh back is what makes the pack so amazing actually. its th emost comfortable pack ive ever had. no issues with durability here. oh well, good luck with the kelty. ive had a few of those in the past as well.

im curious, do you ever wear your pack with your shirt off? im looking into an osprey exos (or atmos but most likely exos) and i like to hike shirtless because i sweat so frakn much that wearing a shirt (even a 'quick dry') is just like wearing pure moisture after 15 minutes of hard hikin and it seems like the tensioned mesh might rub.. also how are the shoulder straps? i use an rei flash 30 right now and the 3d mesh on the shoulder straps rubs my shoulders bad so i use a bandana when going shirtless to ease the rubbage.. any feedback would be awesome but i might have to start a thread in straight forward for this. ive been meaning to ask it for a while..

ExosC3
07-14-2010, 15:18
im curious, do you ever wear your pack with your shirt off? im looking into an osprey exos (or atmos but most likely exos) and i like to hike shirtless because i sweat so frakn much that wearing a shirt (even a 'quick dry') is just like wearing pure moisture after 15 minutes of hard hikin and it seems like the tensioned mesh might rub.. also how are the shoulder straps? i use an rei flash 30 right now and the 3d mesh on the shoulder straps rubs my shoulders bad so i use a bandana when going shirtless to ease the rubbage.. any feedback would be awesome but i might have to start a thread in straight forward for this. ive been meaning to ask it for a while..
nah, never wore it shirtless. one of the ideas behind the mesh, is to allow air to flow between the pack and your back. when i take my pack off, my back is dry, unlike everyone elses...the straps are also ventilated. no idea what it would be like without a shirt tho...i cant see any pack being all to comfortable without a shirt tho

perrito
07-14-2010, 16:25
What are your goals for campsites?

BTW, I love my Exos!

jersey joe
07-14-2010, 16:39
What are your goals for campsites?

BTW, I love my Exos!
Very Loose goals of
Friday Night:Rattlesnake Mtn./Brink Rd. Shelter
Sat Night:Pochuch Mtn. Shelter

Simba
07-14-2010, 21:06
I cut weight too by ditching the stove, fuel, and big pot. Going with tuna salad in the pouch; good stuff, rip it open and eat. I love my Osprey pack.

jersey joe
07-18-2010, 10:39
Just as an update to my bid to hike NJ in 48 hours. In a nutshell it was a failed attempt. But it was a very good couple days out. Headed out on Friday at 1PM and cranked out 20.5 miles from the DWG to the campsite just north of the Buttermilk Falls Trail. Hit the trail Saturday at 7am and hiked 23 miles to High Point. Got to High Point and we were behind schedule and made the decision to end the hike there. The main factors in us stopping were:
1) My brother turned his ankle a couple times and it was pretty tender.
2) My bro had two huge blisters on his heels
3) The 90+ degree heat really sapped the energy out of both of us, especially with the general lack of water along this section, which slowed our pace quite a bit more than we anticipated.

We could have made it to the NY/NJ state line by late Sunday but our condition wasn't great and my brother works nights starting early Monday morning, so we ended the hike.

Experience:
Saw two rattle snakes, one on the trail coming at us and one sitting about a foot off the trail...both rattled at us, we were right next to the second one.

Saw Five bears. A mom and a cub/a mom and two cubs. The cubs scampered up trees and the moms raised up and watched us pass by.

Saw a whole slew of thru hikers...Hit and Miss, stickwalker, jewbear, dumbass, beaver chief, miles and another guy named bear something or other. All seemed pretty happy to be out of PA.

In all, despite not doing what we set out to do, we had a very good hike, were physically exhausted, enjoyed lots of fantastic views, saw good people and tons of wildlife and I was very happy to be out enjoying my state's trails.

Slo-go'en
07-18-2010, 11:10
Thanks for the update. Too many people announce they are going to do something and then we never hear how it turned out. Knowing what went wrong -or went right - can be a big help.

Cookerhiker
07-18-2010, 12:25
You still had a worthwhile hiking experience - both bears and rattlesnakes! So it sounds like you savored the positive aspects including meeting the thruhikers and seeing some views. Too bad about your brother's ankle - I suppose a tribute to the rocks.

Hot weather really is a bitch. I hiked part of NJ (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=69068) (my native state) in awful heat & humidity - it was so bad, I quit after 3 days and saved the rest of the state for nicer weather. Fall is the best conditions but for a 48 hour hike, it's only feasible if you're willing to hike some in the dark. Perhaps early May would be a good time to try again.

Thanks for getting back to us.

ExosC3
07-18-2010, 13:25
sounds nice man...the section that you ended up doing is the worst part, it only gets easier from there, and prettier, so you should definatley go back and do the second half.

jersey joe
07-18-2010, 14:35
Thanks for the update. Too many people announce they are going to do something and then we never hear how it turned out. Knowing what went wrong -or went right - can be a big help.
No problem...I tried and had a great time. All failure should be this good.

ExosC3
07-18-2010, 20:50
btw, how much water did you each take and how much did you drink each day? did you need more, and how were the sources? Im struggling with this for my upcoming thruhike in NY...if this weather keeps up it doesnt look good. starting with 6L but it would be nice to be able to drink 6L a day too..

Thanks!

jersey joe
07-19-2010, 09:12
btw, how much water did you each take and how much did you drink each day? did you need more, and how were the sources? Im struggling with this for my upcoming thruhike in NY...if this weather keeps up it doesnt look good. starting with 6L but it would be nice to be able to drink 6L a day too..

Thanks!
We each started with two 32oz bottles. This is the most we carried at one time. We drank as much as we could at each water source. The first day we didn't get any water past sunfish pond until brink road shelter(~17 miles). The hand pump being out of commission at blue mountain lakes road really hurt us.

Are you really starting with 6L of water? That is roughly 13lbs no?

snorz
07-19-2010, 09:28
I left two jugs of water at mashipicon shelter on friday.was there any left on sunday? surprised to hear pump at blue mt road is gone.thanks for the info!

ExosC3
07-19-2010, 09:47
Yea believe me I'm well aware of the weight. I'm going for 6 days and were in a drought. I can always not refill all 6L but in my opinion it's not worth saving weight to suffer through a trip bc u don't have enough water. I was just curious what you took.

jersey joe
07-19-2010, 09:50
I left two jugs of water at mashipicon shelter on friday.was there any left on sunday? surprised to hear pump at blue mt road is gone.thanks for the info!
Wow, that was you? I was there on Saturday and there were three containers there, two empty gallon jugs and a huge blue container(5 gallons?) that was nearly empty.

Snorz, I owe you a big thank you because I did take some water!!!

Buzz_Lightfoot
07-19-2010, 12:47
I left two jugs of water at mashipicon shelter on friday.was there any left on sunday? surprised to hear pump at blue mt road is gone.thanks for the info!

Pump was still there as of about a month ago or so. It was a bit of hard work then to get water though. Is it perhaps just that the well is dry now?

BL

jersey joe
07-19-2010, 13:55
The pump is there. the handle was broken off though. It may be possible to get water from it, but I couldn't do it.

Kerosene
07-19-2010, 14:42
Perhaps early May would be a good time to try again.I did High Point to Wawayanda in late June 2004 under 70-degree clear skies and it was lovely. You'd still get a lot of daylight in late May and have a better chance with the temperatures.

Cookerhiker
07-19-2010, 16:16
I did High Point to Wawayanda in late June 2004 under 70-degree clear skies and it was lovely. You'd still get a lot of daylight in late May and have a better chance with the temperatures.

Late June 2004? You were lucky you didn't start that hike a week earlier when conditions were utterly miserable. I remember now that 1-2 days after I ended that hike, the weather broke and turned nice. In June, you never know.

Old Grouse
07-19-2010, 17:12
That section chewed up my feet in weather like this one year, too. Sorry to hear about the BMR pump being out of commission - it's damn fine water at just the right moment.

ExosC3
07-19-2010, 19:16
That section chewed up my feet in weather like this one year, too. Sorry to hear about the BMR pump being out of commission - it's damn fine water at just the right moment.red from what i remember, but delicious

longhiker
07-19-2010, 19:52
I used the pump at Blue Mountain Road about 3 weeks ago.. maybe it was 4. It takes fast furious pumping but oh, the water was so cold and good.. I poured it all over myself before setting off.

Saw 6 bears on my weekend between 206 and Rattlesnake Spring and back, including 3 bears just near that pump. Don't think they knew how to pump it..

jersey joe
07-20-2010, 09:53
I used the pump at Blue Mountain Road about 3 weeks ago.. maybe it was 4. It takes fast furious pumping but oh, the water was so cold and good.. I poured it all over myself before setting off.

Saw 6 bears on my weekend between 206 and Rattlesnake Spring and back, including 3 bears just near that pump. Don't think they knew how to pump it..
I bet three weeks ago there was still a handle on the pump? The five bear I saw were within a half mile south of the pump/road.

Buzz_Lightfoot
07-20-2010, 12:38
The pump is there. the handle was broken off though. It may be possible to get water from it, but I couldn't do it.

Well that stinks. ): Why do people have to do those sort of things eh?

jersey joe
07-21-2010, 10:29
Well that stinks. ): Why do people have to do those sort of things eh?

No idea Buzz why people feel the need to destroy stuff out there...I do find some solice in the fact that people like Snorz do things to balance things out. In this case, by leaving a water cache at a shelter.

jersey joe
07-25-2010, 16:17
Today I took the wife and kid on a hike up the state line trail(NY/NJ state line) to the AT. Met a northbounder named "ICE". I also decided to give back a little and brought up a couple gallons of water to leave behind up on the ridge. This also gives me a reason to head back up there at some point in the next week to collect the empty gallons. Got down to the car minutes before a thunderstorm rolled in and it started pouring.

Buzz_Lightfoot
07-26-2010, 13:13
No idea Buzz why people feel the need to destroy stuff out there...I do find some solice in the fact that people like Snorz do things to balance things out. In this case, by leaving a water cache at a shelter.

Yes, thankfully it all balances itself out. That's what I tell myself when I see an example of the worst. "Not everyone is like that Al, calm down".

jersey joe
08-14-2010, 11:16
Today I took the wife and kid on a hike up the state line trail(NY/NJ state line) to the AT. Met a northbounder named "ICE". I also decided to give back a little and brought up a couple gallons of water to leave behind up on the ridge. This also gives me a reason to head back up there at some point in the next week to collect the empty gallons. Got down to the car minutes before a thunderstorm rolled in and it started pouring.
Brought three more gallons of water up the ny/nj state line trail to the AT and left the water cache. Met a thru hiker named "easy" up there who was grateful for the water. He reflected on how dry the section is.

jersey joe
04-07-2012, 17:11
I hiked from the Delaware Water Gap in NJ to high point yesterday with my brother. 43 miles in 14 hours. Great day to do a great section of trail. Not that many people out there though, which was surprising.

No bear or rattlesnakes this time but we did see a HUGE porcupine and a pretty big black snake. My first porcupine sighting in the wild and I never even realized we had them in NJ.

The handle was missing from the Blue Mountain Road pump again. I wonder if it was vandalized again or if they take it off for the winter to avoid freezing?!?

Cookerhiker
04-07-2012, 20:56
Good goin'. Even though the up-and-down isn't much, much of the terrain is rocky enough to keep you from striding (or at least me!). Surprised you didn't see bears.

Highway Man
04-07-2012, 21:27
I hiked from the Delaware Water Gap in NJ to high point yesterday with my brother. 43 miles in 14 hours. Great day to do a great section of trail. Not that many people out there though, which was surprising.

No bear or rattlesnakes this time but we did see a HUGE porcupine and a pretty big black snake. My first porcupine sighting in the wild and I never even realized we had them in NJ.

The handle was missing from the Blue Mountain Road pump again. I wonder if it was vandalized again or if they take it off for the winter to avoid freezing?!?

I guess 14 hours from DWG to NJ High Point was the hiking time, but still impressive. I did the same route several times that normally took me two and half days of hiking to reach there. I'm surprised to know the black snakes already came out from their hibernating places as it's pretty cold out there now in the mountains. Seeing bears along the trail is always one of my favorite parts of hiking or bakcpacking. The water from the hand pump tasted really bad in my 09 AT thru that I couldn't get rid of the rusty metal stench for days in my water bottles.

jersey joe
04-10-2012, 17:06
Good goin'. Even though the up-and-down isn't much, much of the terrain is rocky enough to keep you from striding (or at least me!). Surprised you didn't see bears.

Yeah, it is certainly rocky enough trail to slow you down a bit. My feet were somewhat sore from the rocks too since I wore running shoes.
I am also surprised that I didn't see any Bear out there, especially with all of the nice weather we've been having. I can't help but think the bear hunt in NJ a few months ago had an impact.