Welcome to Joizy

New Jersey has a very good Trail reputation. There's a few hills sure:

There are also many boardwalks including this one which is about a mile long:

Here's a couple Trail days, about 630pm Wed night, High Point Park NJ:

Now it's Friday at 1030 am, the monument is barely visible right of center(like yours truly):

Same day, Friday, approaching the "Stairway to Heaven"

Also known as the Pinwheels:

The previous pic was taken down below almost center, couple hours later on top, now the monument is way off over second range barely visible if at all in this pic.

I've come across some great trail magic but this ones a lil cray cray. Remember a few days ago I snapped one of two trek poles?

Never seen a trek pole at a magic site. Steve L has "God Provides" tattooed on the back of his truck with a great story to go with it. I was gonna just save the next two pics for myself but this happens too often to not share. About a month ago I lost my last of two small bungee cords that I used regularly. About two weeks ago one of the new tent stakes snapped. Well one night it's getting late and I just want to find a tent spot. I notice an overgrown side trail, take it, and in a few yards it opens to a small barely used tent site that I guessed was used during last year's hunting season. As I'm moving around setting up the tent, half buried:

And sure enough, a few minutes later, an exact duplicate of what I lost weeks ago:

Now if I could just find those marbles???

Remember this guy? I found him heading south as he's doing some flip flopping:

The first thing Deja Vu says is about how much weight I've lost. I know. I've been told I'm "too skinny". I agree but it comes with the territory. When starting I looked sorta kinda almost like this:

Well maybe possibly perhaps a little more like this:

I say "maybe perhaps possibly" because whoever that is in the mirror can obviously not be positively identified. Ewwwww, hence reason #17bII why I needed this hike, drastic times drastic measures.

So I've gone from a 36 tight to 32 loose. We're burning 4-6,000 calories daily people! Think of how hard that is to replace, even if you sit on the couch with someone handing you the food all day it's pert near impossible to replace. Well I've had two things happen.

A. If I take the pack off and turn sideways I actually disappear:

See...I'm standing right there on the foot bridge.

2. I'm already getting post hike celebratory dinner invitations! Only question there is if I should plan to bring my sheventy shix pic shlide preshentashion that I've shaved down to 2 hoursh and fitty sheven minitsh.

Ja have fun reading that? There are at least a couple commonalities among single season through hikers I've read about when the Trail is finished, weight gain and depression. I've got a most excellent counsellor, more friends than I deserve and a schedule coming together nicely to keep me as busy as ever for the latter. Idle time is not a friend to ole Sparky. As far as weight gain, I'm looking forward to replacing about 20lbs.

"How ya like them apples":

Talk about a rock n a hard place:

What a relief though, got my mojo back including appetite, energy and 4-5 steppers without hesitation. "What's a stepper you say?"  DOD waited till I was about 40 when he taught me what a stepper is. Remember there are at least two by products from lactic acid, one is sore muscles the other is the same as from beans or broccoli. The stepper is how many steps you can take during release. Eights are great and I'm pretty sure I've had a couple tens but sometimes it's hard to know for sure unless you started counting right away. Now a word of advice as I can sense some eagerness and know that some of you have the kind of cake job that affords the opp to read this while pretending to work. Don't attempt the stepper on the way into work nor during the lunch break, wait till you leave for the day to avoid having an accident that you may have trouble with.

Well speaking of pain and trouble perhaps I've kept you long enough for now:

Be well.

New Pennsylvania Postal Code

Happy Days are here again as we say bubbye to Pennsylvania! I understand the 50 States have only 2 letter postal abbreviations but think we shud change PA to PIA as it pulled no punches to kick my butt. One hiker called it the gauntlet.

The new boots purchased in Maryland already need repair tx to the boot wreckers. The start of "knife edge".

Hiking along around 7pm I came across Fern Gully. As I reach into my pouch to grab the GoPro camera (given by friends at the go away party in April) I suddenly spot the crown of a black bear on the trail heading my way:

I saw him first. As I grab my phone for a quick pic he looks up and we make eye contact. It's fascinating how much "eye contact" means and transmits. Anyway, we look at each other long enough to know and to acknowledge. The bear literally sits down right on the trail. He sat so hard and with such attitude that he jiggled from his butt to his head essentially saying "my home, my trail my homie!" As I'm trying to mess with cameras from video to pic he stands up:

I yelled "HELLOOOOO YOU'RE BARE!"

He drops and runs in shame. I'd much rather come across another bear vs a rattler or copperhead.

Obviously one of the AT trailblazers had a warped sense of humor to include this climb out of Lehigh Valley:

Along the way I noticed I wasn't the only one praying:

Sure enough, the last hiking night in PIA it's about 730 and I'm moving to find a tent site which are sparce. Then fall #10 happens. This was one of those half hour falls where it feels like although you're falling at 32ft per second squared you have time to read a short thriller. It was a backward fall which I've noticed is the big difference in the time space continuum of falling science. The backward fall is the vortex fall. When falling forward your eyes are actively communicating with your brain sending out appropriate alerts and responses. In a backward (blind) fall it's all about memory, speed and hope. The teeter backward starts with "uh oh is this gonna happen?" "Was there a backstep avail?" "I don't know I wasnt planning on a back step!" "We're going down, it's a definite" "can we turn?" "No, can't see, no footing!" "Okay drop the poles, stick out the hands and butt(or lack thereof)"....BAM/SNAP!!!

Snap? What snapped? Was it the last line of patience with this State? No that snapped last week.

Two almost immediate and universal reactions to falling. 1. Look around to see who saw, no one all day so don't bother. 2 Try to get up, this can be dangerous if done before a good self assessment of damage. Nevertheless that's how we do, rolling around like a turtle on its back, kinda flailing trying to gain a purchase among the boulders.....SNAP!! Snap? What the heck snapped now?

Snap #1 was one of two new trek poles purchased after Harpers Ferry before PIA. Snap #2 one of two crocs. Nice, real nice.

So you get the idea about PA, except the ending, what a wonderful last 24 hours, absolutely wonderful. On Sat night I tented behind a church in Delaware Water Gap PA one door down from The Deer Head Inn. I had heard of this place and its reputation for attracting big name classical Jazz acts. Oh man Tony C, a totally tight quartet brought back fondest memories. Then before hitting the trail on Sunday, a very talented classic guitarist at brunch:

Then across the street for desert, a real milk shake with the steel cup and all. Can u see the little kiddies table in front of the fireplace? Puleeeez!

U.S. Know what this river is?

It's the Delaware! 

Whoda thunk NJ could be this pretty?

And look what we have here:

A glacial lake in the hills! Reminded me of another beautiful glacial lake (technically both are ponds) in Huntington!

And sure enough, as I'm hiking around it, listening to my Sunday playlist comes one of my all time favs and a fav of Marettas as well:

Enjoy:

In and Out of the Woods

Pennsylvania has the dubious distinction of having the worst part of the trail. On the map it looks great like yeah let's pack some 20 milers:

The reality is that the trail is covered with what are called "boot wreckers":

Boot wreckin ankle turnin mess:

And I understand the worst is yet to come:

But I guess we gotta take the bad with the good right? Jagged, all sizes and shapes, hard, I know most rocks are hard, very slow to navigate. On the way down into Duncannon I had a great ankle turn, I've lost count of these. My ankles became cankles and not from fat back in Georgia.

Climbing up and out of Duncannon I had my 9th fall. Each of the 9 reminded me why I'm glad I never put my hands in the pole straps; so I can let go and break the fall. In this fall tho I banged my already sensy big toe so hard I thought it either broke or popped the nail inside the boot. As if these 2 injuries weren't enough I got heat exhaustion accompanied by 3 days of "intestinal distress" which still lingers as most food is boiled
and dehydration.

All said it could certainly be much worse. Big Deal told me about a girl who started out in Georgia. On one night she had 2 wild hogs barrel thru her campsite. The very next night she had a bear sniff the entire length of her tent. The very 3rd night she wound up in the hospital having been bit by a black widow. Nice bug. He didn't know if she made it back to the trail. He also told me that last week Smoky Bear (hiker) woke up losing it from both ends. At the hospital after 3 bags of saline he had to have a spinal tap, diagnosis yet undetermined.

Rocks are hard and heat is hot huh? I also have come to almost believe a story told about a guy last year. I heard this story back in May as we've been discussing PA ever since. Not just rocks but the bugs, swarms of mosquitoes, flies and gnats in addition to the crawlers if u sit for a minute. Apparently a man of means was so overcome by bugs on the trail that he used his satellite phone to get airlifted off, which he did. Well I may not have the means but I do think this was probably the best $3 investment so far and it comes with its own bug taunting sarcastic "try to get me now" look each time it's donned:

So while limping across the rocks and planning moves I come across a town called Hamburg PA. Do you know what's in Hamburg PA? Awwwe that's cute that u said hamburgs, actually there are and they were delivered by Red Robin (which was a darn good burger if u ask me). Delivered where you ask? Well to my leather couch ya "silly billy with meatball eyes". Leather couch? Oh yeah for in Hamburg PA is Shangrillameccacenter. 

Cigar International! "International" 2 story superstore with an estimated stock of 45- 50,000 cigars including their distribution center. Yours truly has been a member for a couple years since neighbor buddy Todd clued me in. Now, I'm guessing some are saying (and I think I know who you are) "errr I thought u were only having 1 cigar per border". Well I want you to say that again, out loud with this face as that is how I would repeat it back to you:

Not a lot of flowers any more:

Lots of mushrooms, which I will show you in another post, lots of green:

And more green, Maryland btw:

This was a very cool trail magic left in a very cool mountain spring:

I'm still finding some great campsites. This one on top of a hill including constant bug away breeze and complete with Flintstone furniture:

This is Boiling Springs where I understand Michael J Fox had visited a week before with his daughter who may be attending Dickinson College:

Still plugging away:

Though not as fast as I thought. There are two others out here in my 20-30 hiker bubble that are my age. One day last week, all 3 of us were limping, I wonder???

Naaaa 

Brighter days are coming:

I hope you all are doing well. I'm guessing between 40 and 50 are reading the blog and I understand why it's more comfortable to check in elsewhere. Stay on guard and keep lookin up: