06 APPALACIAN TRAIL BACKPACK
DELAWARE RIVER TO
ACROSS THE HUDSON RIVER
Mountain Club of Maryland members Andy Buttles and Dan McQueen completed a 7 day 109.6 mile backpack from the Delaware River Water Gap across New Jersey into New York across the Hudson River from September 7 - 13, 2006. Fighting 3 days of excessive heat and dehydration they recovered in the cooler weather to finish early. They climbed a total of 20,640 feet and descended 19,630 feet.
September 7, 2006 Thursday Drive to Hudson River and Backpack South
I had loaded my 23 pound 10 ounce (with no water) 3000 cubic inch backpack and resupply into my car last night. I drove from Columbia at 5:47 a.m. through light traffic and patchy fog north on US-29. I headed east on I-70 to the Baltimore Beltway I-695 to I-83 north into Pennsylvania. Just north of Harrisburg I took I-81 north to Scranton where I drove east on I-84. I entered New York and took exit 2 at 10:20 where I was to meet Andy Buttles between 10:00 and 10:30. Andy was not there by 10:30 so I resolved to wait one hour. I began reading and Andy arrived at 11:32 before I finished the chapter. He had a run into traffic slowdowns twice due to construction and had a leaking heater hose which delayed him
We drove to Unionville, NY where Andy dropped his car off at Tim’s Auto Repair. We stopped in Sara’s for lunch of a vanilla milkshake, tuna melt and potato salad for $11 including tip. Despite asking several people no one seemed to know where the Appalachian Trail (AT) was located. We gave up trying to find the trailhead figuring we could find the town from the trail when we returned. We turned north on NY-284 to east on US-6 which merged on and off NY-17 a freeway and then the Palisades parkway to it’s end at the Hudson River bridge. We crossed the bridge and turned left on NY-9D a short distance to parking by the AT.
It is hot with temperatures in the mid to high 80s as we start backpacking at 2:30 south on the AT. We crossed the Hudson River which is very scenic and entered the AT zoo at 124’ elevation the lowest point on the entire AT. The trail is very confusing here and not well marked so we wandered a bit through the zoo. We saw beaver, bear, coyote, owls, eagles, hawks, snakes and every creature you might see on the AT. With the help of a ranger we were able to exit the zoo and start the long 1.75 mile hot climb up 1100’ elevation gain to Bear Mountain at 1305’ elevation. There is a great overlook on top and it is crowded with tourists. Everyone wants to talk to us including people at the zoo, a girl and her family from the Philippines and a local with his 81 year old father. We finally escape down the mountain before we start climbing again up a mountain that is not as high as Bear Mountain. I climb up to a rock ledge with a grassy patch next to it and another great overlook at 1200’ elevation. Since it is 5:30 we decide to dry camp as we are carrying 3 liters of water each. We are short of our goal for the day but we won’t find a better campsite. We covered a grand total of 6 miles in 3 hours and 13 minutes climbing 1830’ vertical while descending 980’ in 2 climbs.
Since I started well hydrated, we didn’t go very far and it is getting late I decide to skip my hydration process. I enjoy some raspberry ice tea, linguini Alfredo with Cajun turkey and coconut pudding for dinner. Some people pass with dogs and then through hikers Lumps and 2 Step arrive. They ask if we mind them sharing the space and we readily agree. They are a delightful young couple from Greenville, SC. Tonight is a full moon and there is a lunar eclipse which we want to see from our high perch. We all promise to wake each other up to see the eclipse but nobody does as we were all tired and slept through it.
September 8, 2006 Friday Backpack Bear Mountain to Little Dam Lake
I got up at 5:59 packed up and took down my tent. It is already warm with the temperature to rise into the high 80s today. There is a beautiful sunrise from our high perch. The sun is lavender, pink and then orange as it rises through the misty valley below and wispy clouds above.
Our young through hikers are already gone as we continue our hike south on the AT at 6:45. I am snacking on Gorp in lieu of breakfast. This saves time and weight when you consider the food and fuel required to cook it. I’m drinking raspberry ice tea which is a mistake because I’m not getting enough salt and electrolites in this heat. I sweat profusely all day so that my clothes are wringing wet. A small pool of sweat forms in the bottom of my pack as it leeches through the pack wall next to my back. We find our friends at a stream filtering water so we stop to fill up to 3 liters of water each which I treat with iodine pills.
We thought New York would be relatively easy hiking but we are finding it rather difficult and slow. It seems we are constantly going up or down on a rough trail with many house sized rocks. Nothing is that difficult but collectively it is difficult. Other through hikers are saying the same thing as they are having a hard time making 20 miles a day like they expected. We stop for lunch. I have two tortillas, about ¼ pound of cheddar cheese and salsa verde with 3 chocolate chip cookies.
By mid afternoon I am beginning to struggle in the heat as I am dehydrating. I can’t ingest enough liquids and am not retaining any as the salt is depleted. My pack straps are turning white. On day four we have a 20 mile day plus a shuttle planned so we want to make up some distance to reduce the mileage. We stop at Little Dam Lake 750’ elevation at 4:15 to fill up on water. I am totally spent so we decide to camp. We have made up yesterdays 1.5 mile shortfall and our planned 15 miles today but did not cut into day four’s 20 miles. Today we hiked 16.5 miles in 9:30 averaging 1.74 miles per hour climbing 3930’ while descending 4210’ in 8 climbs.
I am so tired I have difficulty setting up my tent as I need to rest after setting each tent peg. I boil a liter of water and start my re-hydration process. I drink 2 cups each of Asian beef soup, hot chocolate and beef bouillon. By the time I finish I’m beginning to feel almost okay. I’m concerned about recovery and being able to continue the hike tomorrow. I cook and eat potatoes, beef and butterscotch pudding for supper washed down with a lot of ice tea. We are camped in a heavily wooded hollow so it gets dark early. I’m in bed by 7:45 hoping the long rest will help me recover. As it is cooling down and I am cooling, I bend my legs to slip into my silk sleeping bag liner. Both legs lock up in severe cramps. I must have yelled out as Andy called over asking if I was alright. After a few minutes when the cramps released I answered yes and fell asleep.
September 9, 2006 Saturday Backpack to Long House Creek
I awoke with a start at 6:19. It is late so we hustled packing up and taking down the tents. I am feeling okay but really flat and drug out. I am really thirsty and concerned about hydration. I mix a liter of half strength Gatorade adding a teaspoon of salt. It is a bit cooler today but still warm. I am determined to pace myself, drink plenty of liquids and avoid getting in an overheated anaerobic state.
Surprisingly we got started at the same time as yesterday 6:45. We had a lot of ups and downs over the first 8.5 miles but the trail was good, none of the climbs were very long or steep and the weather was cooler in the morning. I consciously drank frequently and set a moderate pace all morning. I arrived at lunch in fair shape having drank most of the Gatorade.
We emerged from the woods onto NY-17A elevation 1200’ at 11:39. I spotted a sign that said fruit stand 150 yards. Andy outraced me there to discover that it was open and there was an adjacent creamery that opened at 12:00.What a morale booster. I purchased a tomato, apple and
two peaches for $2. We joined Miss Cool 50ish at the only picnic table in the shade. Miss Cool is through hiking the AT for the second time. I devoured the tomato and a peach with the tortillas, cheese and salsa. The creamery is now open so I bought a butter pecan home made ice cream cone with about a pint of ice cream, some of the best ever, for $4 including tax and tip. I noticed they had home made root beer so I returned for a bottle of root beer for $1.09 and again very very good. I filled my empty water bottles and was ready to go by 1:00. I am refreshed, hydrated and my confidence has risen
Although it has warmed up considerably the temperature has moderated from the last two days. We are hiking on a good trail along a ridge 1200’ to 1400’ elevation for several miles. The humidity is down and we have a cooling breeze. Our plan is to camp near Prospect Rock about a half mile short of the New York and New Jersey border. We get into a series of house sized or larger boulders and think we have arrived at Prospect Rock. We pass a couple and the lady says that the border is just ahead. A few miles later we enter another series of boulders and then half a mile later come to the painted border on the rock. We now know where we are. We are both feeling okay and decide to proceed to Long House Creek in New Jersey to camp where we will have a good supply of water. We come to a small creek but it is rocky, not flat and unsuitable for camping. We fill our water bottles and decide to dry camp at the first suitable site. We proceed over a ridge about a quarter of a mile to a crossing trail and decide to camp there at 4:53. Today we hiked 16.8 miles in 10:08 averaging 1.66 mph climbing 3230’ while descending 2690’ in 6 climbs.
I am tired and not feeling great but am okay as I set up my tent. I have held my own today with hydration and electrolites levels okay. I boil water and start my re-hydration process. We hear thunder and see black clouds approaching. It is soon raining but with little wind. I have to cook the cheddar rice and Cajun turkey in the tent vestibule for the first time. Despite checking the tent to make sure it doesn’t overheat, the low heat 1/5 ounce home made alcohol stove works fine and the tent stays slightly warm to the touch. Since it was still raining I had to eat my meal with vanilla pudding lying down like a decadent Roman. It stopped raining but since it is overcast and we’re in the woods it got dark early and I was asleep by 8:00.
September 10, 2006 Sunday Backpack to Unionville, Shuttle and Resupply
We are up at 5:43 and it is semi-light which makes packing up a little more difficult and slower.
We leave camp at 6:28 and soon come to the Large House Creek with a 50’ walking wooden suspension bridge across it. The temperature is way down in the 60s and will rise only to the low 70s. It is a very comfortable hiking day. We have a 0.75 mile 400’ climb followed by a mile long 500’ climb within the first 5 miles. We then descended steeply 700’ to a marshy 3 mile wide valley with the Walkill River running through it. Virtually the entire trail in the valley is boardwalk connected by a couple of large wooden suspension bridges and a few bog logs. This had to cost millions of dollars to build and is very impressive. Andy and I really picked up the pace across this valley. We went over some hills and then came to another long flat stretch. There were marshy areas and lakes as we walked around them on dykes again setting a good pace. After a few more small hills we came to Lott Road at 3:35 0.6 miles from Unionville. We hiked 20.5 miles in 9:07 averaging 2.25 mph climbing 3110’ while descending 3760’ in 5 climbs.
Andy had hurried ahead hiking to Tim’s Auto Repair to pick up his repaired car. We stopped at Sara’s again and were disappointed that it closed at 3:00. Andy drove north on NY-284 to US-6 east. We spotted Bradley’s Corner Diner and stopped for an early supper. I charged a vanilla milkshake, tossed salad and a chicken quesadillas for $16 including tax and tip. Several miles down the road after US-6 merged with NY-17 I realized the waitress did not give my credit card back to me. We hurried to pick up my car across the Hudson River on NY-9D and I hustled back to the diner by 6:20. My credit card was laid on the counter next to the cash register. We continued back to Unionville where we left Andy’s 1983 Camaro at the Lott Road trailhead. We continued in my 1996 Mazda 626 southwest on NY-284 which changed to NY-565 and then US-206 to Newton, New Jersey. We got room 7 at the Econolodge for $72.80. We cleaned up and re-supplied our packs with clean clothes, food and fuel. We had to pay a late visit to the local Dairy Queen or DQ for a root beer float at $3.05. I was asleep by 10:00.
September 11, 2006 Monday Backpack Delaware River to Crater Lake
We were up by 6:00 and went to 6:30 breakfast of orange juice, milk, bagels, cream cheese and jam. We continued southwest on US-206 to I-80 west to the AT parking on I-80 just short of exit 1. The parking lot is large with several hiker’s cars parked there. There are Spot-a-pots there as well
We start north on the AT 300’ elevation at 8:20 along Dunnfield Creek on the vertical 1300’climb out of the Delaware Water Gap. It is cooler than yesterday, the trail is wide and smooth, the slope is mostly gradual and the scenery is great but it is 6 miles long. At 1382’ elevation we walk a mile along the rocky shore of glacial Sunfish Pool one of NJ’s seven natural wonders. It is a pleasant walk and we move surprisingly quickly to the ridge top at 1600’ elevation. We will follow the ridge all day between 1400’ and 1600’ elevation with a couple of 200’ dips. There are beautiful views to our left of the Delaware River and Valley with endless ridges disappearing to the west. On our right are many lakes and ponds mostly surrounded by unspoiled woods and ridges, in New Jersey?
We pass many through hikers heading south. We apparently are in the middle of a group of them. We keep hearing about bears from the hikers, rangers and locals. There is abundant wildlife and birds are pleasantly calling back and forth. The fastest snake I have ever seen about 1.5 inches in diameter and 4’ long streaked across the path in front of me. He was so fast I had no hope of identifying it. We passed a high fire tower in 73° and dropped down into a dip past Rattlesnake Spring before crossing a stream where we filled our water bottles. We immediately crossed Millbrook-Blairstown Road. Two veteran national park rangers were there and we talked to them at length. They told us about how nice the scenery was coming up on the trail.
We came to an area that prohibited camping for the next 4 miles. We didn’t realize until later that it didn’t apply to through hikers. As we approached a side trail to the Fairview Lake scenic viewpoint we saw about 20 school age kids coming out on the AT. We decided to turn in on the trail to the overlook. We decided to cook supper and then proceed to a site and camp just before dark. I ate Stroganoff and Cajun turkey perched high on a rocky ledge overlooking a large lake, forest and it is quiet, very peaceful. We soon crossed Blue Mountain Lakes Road and upon reading all the signs realized we were allowed to camp anywhere. We continued about another mile when Andy discovered the perfect camping spot. We camped at 6:35 in a small flat grassy field next to a rocky ledge overlooking Crater Lake surrounded by trees. We had hiked 18 miles in 10:23 averaging 1.73 mph climbing 3450’ while descending 2200’ in 3 climbs. I enjoyed some cheesecake pudding as the sun set on a quiet, beautiful and peaceful scene. I turned in at dusk with a slight breeze and temperatures falling into the mid 40s. It was a perfect day with easy trail and great scenery. I hardly broke a sweat, am feeling strong and am fully hydrated. I slept well.
September 12, 2006 Tuesday Backpack to Kittatinny Mountain at 35 Miles
We slept in until 6:19 before getting up to 45°. We quickly packed up our gear and tents.
We left camp at 6:59. We continued along the ridge over Rattlesnake Mountain. The trail remains good but we are doing more ups and downs. The scenery is still good but not spectacular like yesterday. We meet Lumps and 2 Step again exchanging information and enjoying the company for a few minutes. We meet a trail maintainer from the New Jersey New York Mountain Club. We tell him about the extensive and expensive bridges, boardwalks and bog logs. He says the club is rich and has so many people to draw on that they simply ask for money from the membership to fund these projects. After about 9 miles we drop about 500’ into Culver’s Gap and US-206.
It is 11:45 and next to the trail is Joe’s To Go. Joe makes the best Italian sub for $3.75. The place was busy and we talked to several friendly locals as we waited for our order. My sub with BBQ potato chips, 16 oz. of orange juice and milk plus a chocolate coated ice cream bar on a stick came to $9.25. What a treat and another morale booster. It is cool almost chilly as we eat outside.
We continue up about 600’ out of the gap and come to another fire tower like the one yesterday. The temperature rises to it’s high for the day at 70°. The trail is a little rougher, hillier and not as scenic. We have lost our motivation knowing that we have this backpack made. Consequently we both struggle a bit and don’t want to push on. We come to a stream and fill our water bottles before camping at 4:45 about 200’ beyond the stream. We hiked 15.75 miles in 9:48 averaging 1.61 mph climbing 3080’ while descending 3070’ in 5 climbs.
We are camped next to an old stone wall with a large shallow pond or swamp just beyond the wall. I set up my tent, unpack and start re-hydrating. Andy and I are relaxed feeling good and chatting about the trip. We hear a loud noise and watch a large tree several feet in diameter about 100 yards down and across the trail come crashing down with a roar taking smaller trees and brush with it. Andy investigates and says the tree is riddled with holes filled with insects, a woodpeckers gourmet restaurant. We are thankful we were not closer to it and joke about the small creatures that were near by. Andy had never seen such an event before. I cook and eat potatoes and beef with vanilla pudding. It is getting dark and we have hung our food and toothpaste in a tree. We hear a loud crack and then a big splash followed by a series of bellows of a distressed bear. After some more splashing and complaining the noise ceased. I slept well but Andy said the bear was crying periodically all night. Maybe he was love sick and got jilted.
September 13, 2006 Wednesday Backpack to Unionville and Drive Home
We were up at 6:10 to another cool day. Rain is predicted for this afternoon or tonight.
We hiked from camp at 7:01.The trail is in good shape but goes up and down between 1300’ and 1600’ very similar to yesterday afternoon. At 7.5 miles we come to NY-23 and a state park office. We are moving pretty good and decide to eat an early lunch about 10:30 on a park bench. We cross the highway and do a small climb to a wooden lookout platform for a great view of the High Point obelisk monument. High Point is the highest point in New Jersey and has a stone monument, that looks very much like the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, erected on it.
We start a long 5.75 mile downhill losing 1000’ elevation. We hike over 5 small ridges the last being 200’ elevation gain over the final 2 miles to Lott Road. We arrive at Andy’s car at 2:45 having hiked 16 miles in 7:46 averaging 2.05 mph climbing 2010’ while descending 2720’ in 3 climbs. We exchange smiling congratulations and a handshake for completing our 109.6 mile backpack in 7 days one less than planned before loading into the car.
We head straight to Sara’s for vanilla milkshake and chicken quesadillas. We head south on NJ-284 retracing our route of a few days ago to my car parked in the Appalachian Trail parking lot in the Delaware River Water Gap. We loaded our packs and other gear in our own cars. Since the parking lot is at the 1.5 mile mark and we started our Pennsylvania hike at the end of the bridge at the 0.5 mile mark, we slack packed it back to the bridge and then back to the parking lot in 35 to 40 minutes.
I bid Andy ado and drove west on I-80 across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania to I-81 south to I-83 south at Harrisburg to the Baltimore Beltway I-695 to I-70 west to US-29 south to Columbia. I ran through dense fog and heavy rain on I-81 in the Pocono Mountains. I arrived home about 9:40.
STATISTICS
| September | 2006 | Miles | Hours | MPH | Up | Down | Climbs |
| 7 | Thursday | 6.0 | 3.22 | 1.87 | 1830’ | 980’ | 2 |
| 8 | Friday | 16.5 | 9.55 | 1.73 | 3930’ | 4210’ | 8 |
| 9 | Saturday | 16.8 | 10.15 | 1.66 | 3230’ | 2690’ | 6 |
| 10 | Sunday | 20.5 | 9.18 | 2.23 | 3110’ | 3760’ | 5 |
| 11 | Monday | 18.0 | 10.38 | 1.73 | 3450’ | 2200’ | 3 |
| 12 | Tuesday | 15.8 | 9.80 | 1.61 | 3080’ | 3070’ | 5 |
| 13 | Wednesday | 16.0 | 7.77 | 2.06 | 2010’ | 2720’ | 3 |
| Total | 109.6 | 60.05 | 20640’ | 19630’ | 32 | ||
| 6 Day Avg | 17.3 | 9.47 | 1.82 | 3135.00 | 3108.33 | 5.00 |
PACKING LIST
| Equipment | Wt-oz | Clothes | Wt | Food | Wt
| Backpack | 42.0 | Bermudas | 14.0 | Breakfast (3)
| Poles (2) | 17.0 | T-shirts (2) | 26.0 | Gorp (2) | 4.0
| Tent | 24.0 | Shorts (2) | 6.0 | Lunch (3) | 4.0
| Ground cloth | Socks (2) | 9.0 | Tortillas (8) | 4.0
| Pegs (8) | 4.0 | Liners (4) | 4.0 | Cheese (3) | 4.0
| Sleeping bag | 48.0 | Jacket | 22.0 | Salsa verde 7 oz | 16.0
| Silk liner | 4.0 | Camera | 4.0 | Cookies (9) | 12.0
| Mattress | 13.0 | Log,maps,etc | Dinner (3)
| Pot & lid | 8.0 | Beef spaghetti | Food 5 lbs
| Stove | 0.2 | Potato&beef | 9.0 | Clothes 2 lb 15 oz
| Fuel bottle | 1.0 | Rice,broccoli&ham | 8.0 | Pack w poles 23 lbs. no water
| Heet fuel | 12.0 | Pudding | 6.0
| Lighter | 0.5 | Chocolate | 10.0
| Soap | 4.0 | Pistachio | 8.0
| Dish towel | 0.2 | Coconut cream
| Towel | 1.0 | Hydration
| Iodine tabs | 1.0 | Coco (3)) | 4.0
| Spoon | 0.2 | Bouillon (3) | 1.0
| Micro multi tool | 3.0 | Chicken | 6.0
| Water bottle (2) | Beef
| Toilet paper | 7.0 | Tea (3)
| Sponge | 0.2 | Soup (3) | 3.0
| Light | 7.0 | Ice tea | 4.0
| Sew kit | 0.5 | Gatoraid | 5.0
| Duct tape | 1.0 |
| Tootbrush&paste | 4.0 |
| Cup | 5.0
| Ounces | 207.8 | 85.0 | 113.0
| Pounds | 12.99 | 5.31 | 7.06
| Wear | Resupply
| Montrail Boots | 40.0 | Heet fuel | 12.0
| Socks | 4.5 | Peanutbutter crackers (2)
| Liners | 2.0 | Gorp (2)
| Burmudas | 14.0 | Rice Teriyaki&ham | 4.0
| Shorts | 3.0 | Beef Stroganoff | 4.0
| Wicking T-shirt | 13.0 | Blueberry (2) | 4.0
| Altimeter watch | 3.0 | Turkey pasta | 4.0
| Tortillas (2) | 17.0
| Total | 79.5 | Cheese (1) | 13.0
| Pounds | 4.97 | Salsa verde 7 oz
| Soup (3)
| Bouillon (5)
| Coco (3)
| Pudding (3)
| Butterscotch
| Pistachio
| Coconut cream
| Tea (3)
| |
Last updated October 6, 2006