May 27 Unionville, NY/ Liberty Corners Rd, NJ to Wawayanda Shelter, NJ 13 miles

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What a place to stay! We started to roll out of our bunks about 6AM. I went up stairs to find Bill working on breakfast with fresh coffee ready. More good conversation and food to match. By the time Dick finished picking people up last night there were five of us at his home for the night. All five were at the breakfast table for omelets.

There is a third guy who helps the Mayor, Butch. Yesterday while I was showering he took CC to Glenfield, NJ to pick up our next food resupply. This saved us having to do a 1.5 mile detour off the trail to get our box. Butch does shuttles for some of the hikers. Today he will run a guy into the next big town so he can replace his water filter. All too soon it was time to load our stuff in the car for the ride back to the trail. We said our good-bys to Dick, hefted our packs and started up the trail at 8:30.

Yesterday we walked around a wildlife refuge. There were some 20 swans a bunch of geese and we even saw a muskrat swimming near the shore. Today we started up the trail just outside that refuge. Overcast skies threatened rain and a medium wind pushed the trees around as we climbed the trail’s first incline. One thing about the maps for NJ and NY we have found lacking. The elevation profile we look at to judge how much climbing we have for the day, stink! What looks to be an OK day turns out to be a smoker. Today was one of those smokers. The climbs aren't that long but they are steeper than expected. Topping the first hill last night’s shower and soap were a moot point, I was soaked in sweat. CC had shed at least one layer of her gear also. Wild roses are blooming filling the trail with sweet fragrance.

After climbing over a couple mountains we arrived on the edge of the Pochuck Estuary. This is the location of the longest raised boardwalk of the AT, one mile long with a fine suspension bridge. Crossing this wetland we were able to get real close to a muskrat lodge for a good picture. Yesterday I tried to get the same shot with a swan nest atop the lodge, but couldn't as the distance was too great. There were tall yellow Iris growing next to the walk and we got some good video along this section.

Clearing the boardwalk it was nearing lunch. The Mayor had told us about a place just beyond the swamp that was hiker friendly with fresh ice cream. Nearing CC said it might be a bad idea to go there as it was a garden place. We took pictures of a water feature she liked and toured the plants getting ideas for home. Good thing we are walking or the visit would have cost a bundle.

After our lunch and treat it was up Wawayanda Mountain. A 940' climb in one mile of trail, the rock cliffs were imposing to say the least. Thankfully the trail designers were kind with short stair steps, many switchbacks and lots of flat spots to take breathers. We lost the trail in one area for a few minutes, but soon recovered from the error. We took a few minutes to mark the correct trail for the guys coming up behind us. More video was shot climbing this stretch. The damage in this area from the past few winters ice events is getting worse as we get further north. Many areas along the trail are littered with tree tops and limbs making off trail walking very difficult. Along our walk today we saw a deer and a fox both at close range.

We made the shelter at 4PM, not a bad time for all the stops we made to take pictures and mess around. This shelter has no water source like the last one. We had to walk another half mile out to get water at the Park HQ, then the same distance back to the shelter before we could start supper. After we were back for maybe 15 minutes two of the guys who stayed with the Mayor last night came walking in. They had stopped in town for a mail drop and had extra goodies! Desert tonight was chocolate chip cookies. It wasn't Bill's fine cooking but it was better than just our normal meal. Tomorrow we will leave NJ for good and start on NY. 1351.8 miles of walking and we finally get into our own state.

Patrick, Deborah Mooney aka OD & CC
All Who Wander Are Not Lost

OD and CC have been marking their path with a GPS using SPOT Satellite Messenger and can be tracked at the following link. It keeps track of their last 7 days: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0GzkzKZdmy7ngYeKQAlt24bTBTBUIKFmd

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