SUNFISH
Boone
and I got up ahead of everyone else on Sunday morning. Fortunately, my bruises from Saturday’s
tumble down the steps weren’t too bad.
My right leg was tender, but I was able to walk. Of course, whether I was able to manage a
full days hike on rocky, mountainous trails remained
to be seen.
I
was hoping for a reasonably early start, as I had a long hike planned in the
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
In my pre-trip research, two destinations there had caught my eye. One was Mount
Tammany, which is a rugged peak on the New Jersey side of the Gap. The other was Sunfish Pond, a glacial lake
high up on the slopes of Kittatinny Ridge. I could’ve done two separate, shorter hikes
to each destination, but that seemed weak.
Instead, I planned out a loop route that would combine them. The information on some of the trails was
sketchy, but one website suggested that the loop was 14 miles. This was a little more than I wanted to do,
but I decided to go for it anyway.
The
drive only took an hour, which was a joy since I’m used to driving at least 2
hours each way when I’m hiking near home.
The trailhead was a little unusual, in that it’s located in a rest area
along I-80 (albeit one without facilities).
There were only a few cars in the large parking area there when I
arrived. Despite my best intentions, by
the time I organized my gear, made lunch, and hit the trail, it was 10am.
My
plan was start with Mount Tammany and hike from there to Sunfish Pond. There are two routes up Mount Tammany – a
steep, rocky 1.5 mile trail and a gentler, 2.5 mile route. Since this was already going to be a long
hike, I opted for the direct route.
Aside from being shorter, this approach had one other advantage. It didn’t take me past the sign indicating
that pets must be on leashes. After
Saturday’s leash-related disaster, I was inclined to let Boone run free as long
as I could. In truth, I wasn’t sure if
the leash requirement applied to the entire area, or just the other trail
(which is also the AT).
On
the way up, I quickly discovered that my achy, bruised thighs did not respond
well to steep grades and big steps. The
discomfort was tolerable though, and I climbed upward, scrambling a bit through
the worst of the rocky areas. Before
long, I reached a ridgecrest,
and the first views of the hike. Here, I
was able to gaze out over the Delaware River cutting through the Appalachian
Mountains. This is the water gap itself,
where Mount Tammany and Mount Minsi (in Pennsylvania)
form the portal to the gorge.
From
there, I resumed the climb, before finally leveling off near the top. Just before the summit proper, I noticed a
side path running down a spur ridge. On
a whim, I decided to follow it. I
descended a fair distance, which was a little annoying since I was loosing the elevation I had just gained. It was worth it though, as I eventually
arrived at a point with a great view.
The vista was similar to the one I’d enjoyed earlier, but it was a
broader view higher up on the mountain.
I paused there for a few minutes to take in the landscape and watch some
raptors (or more likely, buzzards) soaring on the thermal currents above the
gorge.
After
my break, I climbed back up to the trail.
Moments later, a large group of backpackers approached, coming down the
mountain. They saw Boone before me, and
their reactions were amusing. One
exclaimed, “look, coyotes”, and moments later, another shouted, “there’s a
deer”. I’m guessing these guys must
spend most of their time in the city.
I
reached the top a few minutes later. The
actual summit was a bit anti-climactic, as the views I’d seen earlier were
better. I didn’t linger, but continued
ahead on the blue-blazed trail. This
path loops down to the AT and back to the trailhead after 2.5 miles. However, after a short distance, I turned off
on the unmarked Mount Tammany fire road.
The fire road was more of a trail than a road, but that was fine with
me. It provided an easy, flat stroll
along the Kittatinny Ridge. The ridge walk was pleasant, as the bare
trees offered continuous views of rolling farmland to the south.
After
a mile or so, we caught up to two guys heading the same direction. As I passed by, they casually asked if I knew
if we were still on the blue trail. This
was an alarming question, as I’d left that trail a full 30 minutes
earlier. Apparently they had blundered
past the junction, and were just now beginning to realize that they had missed
something. I directed them back the way
they had come, amused that I was providing directions, even though I was
hundreds of miles from home and had never been there before. I guess they were lucky I had come by – if
they’d continued on, they would’ve gotten a much longer hike than they had
originally planned on.
I
hiked on in solitude for a couple more miles, before reaching a junction with
the Turquoise Trail. I had been watching
closely for it, as it would’ve been a bad one to miss. I turned left, and descended through open
scrub forest and lots of blueberry bushes.
After a descent through the headwaters of Dunnfield
Creek, I briefly joined the Sunfish Fire Road.
A few minutes later I was back on a footpath, approaching the far end of
Sunfish Pond. I arrived at a nice
overlook of the pond just in time for lunch.
I settled in there for a lengthy break, and relaxed in the abundant
sunshine, listening to the water lap gently against the shore.
After
lunch, Boone went for a brief swim in the icy water. I was just packing up when an elderly man and
his son came by. The older man looked
like he was having a tough time, and his son asked me if I had any salty snacks
he could have. Unfortunately, I had just
polished off my bag of potato chips. I
gave him a granola bar instead, and we parted ways. I wished them well, but it seemed like they had
also tackled a longer hike than they had planned.
From
there, I skirted the pond before joining the Appalachian Trail. I followed the AT back towards the trailhead,
walking along the lakeshore for perhaps a mile or so. This was tedious in places, as some sections
of trail were extremely rocky. Once at
the far end, I took in some final views of the pond before embarking on the
last few miles of the hike.
A
few minutes later, I spotted the first snake of the year. It was only a Garter Snake, which was
fortunate, because Boone tried to attack it.
I pulled him away, but the encounter concerned me. What will happen if the next snake we stumble
upon is a rattler?
The
next 3 miles were a dull plod down a rocky trail. The only interesting thing was the many
people I encountered along the way. I’d
seen only a few people in the morning, but the hordes were out now. Eventually I was forced to leash Boone. For some reason, he had taken to attacking
people’s walking sticks. He stole one
flimsy one from a young boy, and promptly snapped it in two! Fortunately, his father thought it was hysterical.
We
eventually reached Dunnfield Creek, which is a lovely
cascading stream. Although spring had
yet to arrive, evergreen trees, vibrant moss, and dripping Rhododendron made
the little gorge appear lush and alive.
We rejoined the blue blazed trail near here, and followed it and the AT
back to the trailhead. The parking area
was a very different place than the one I had left at 10am. Every parking spot was taken, and others had
been invented. An overflow parking area
nearby was also nearly full. I was more
than happy to give up my spot, and hurried back to Jackie and Tony’s. Christy and
Jackie had spent a pleasant afternoon shopping, and that evening, Tony cooked
us a wonderful dinner. We enjoyed a few
more beers that night, but restrained ourselves a bit, as Jackie had to work
the next morning.
My
first hike in New Jersey was a good one, with nice views, a natural lake, and
even some solitude. Best of all, the
weather had been absolutely spring-like.
Unfortunately, the forecast suggested that it wouldn’t last. A chilly rain was expected on Monday,
followed by a couple days of snow!
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