My dad approached me and wanted us to plan a backpacking trip with him and his friend Tim, who just happens to be the father of our good friend Chelsey. So, Andrew and I picked a hike that would suit us, Alex and Chelsey, and my dad and Tim. We wanted a solid hike that would give great vistas but without the too strenuous a climb; we didn’t want to deter our friends from future trips! Andrew had a great pick: a loop around the Sunfish Po
nd. This rather large body of water is located in the Delaware Water Gap area on the New Jersey side of the river. It just happened to be the first hike that his dad had taken us on 2 ½ years ago. We haven’t stopped hiking since, so we figured it would be a good choice for them. Andrew even tailored it further to incorporate a cool vista that we hadn’t had the chance to check out our previous time. We set up the meeting time at my parent’s house for about 8 in the morning on Saturday. We then packed out gear into the two vehicles and were on our way. We were at the trail by 11. We saw a lot more cars in the parking lot than was anticipated. But a good hike will draw the crowds, especially with picture perfect weather and a shorter distance. We honestly were never on the trail with inexperienced hikers so we were unsure what to expect. We took to the trail and only had to make one stop to adjust equipment. We soon were half way and decided to make lunch. Only then did we find out that my dad had basically brought a “grocery store” of food. It was great how he just kept pulling different cheeses, cookies, and sardines out of his food bag to share. The trail was rocky but in
about 2 hours of hiking at a steady 2.5 mph we were at the campsite by 3. We decided to hike a little further since it was so early and go see the pond. It was beautiful. We just sat and enjoyed the view. We then hiked up the side ledge and found a camping spot. We started setting our stuff down when a ranger came up the trail. He strictly said that there was no camping allowed so we made our way back to the designated campsites. We were trying to choose a good site among the area when that same ranger came up to us and made it clear that no campfires are allowed. It was getting chilly and that was something we had been looking forward to doing; it was pretty ridiculous. We were sure he wouldn’t check up on us though, so we still had the thought in the back of our minds to make one. We selected a large camping area and started the set up process. We all had our tents up, or in my dad’s case a hammock hung, in about 45 minutes. It was great seeing how fast Alex and Chelsey were getting into the whole experience with us! We were in the process of gathering stones and logs to sit on and started playing a card game. We were still thinking about starting a fire at some point when the already infamous ranger came by and made it clear again that no fires would be allowed.
It was dark at this point and we all had on all our layers and still a bit chilly. So we were a little angry at the guy for not letting us get warm. He even went as far as saying, “Some people just can’t get away from the tradition of making a camp fire” as he was walking away from us… pretty weird. We finished out the night getting somewhat warm eating some chili. We hung up our food (to deter bears) and hit our sleeping bags. The night went by quickly and we all stayed pretty warm. Over breakfast the next morning we decided that finishing the loop and enjoying a vista would be a great ending to the weekend. It was a few extra miles but well worth it. We definitely made the right decision. The view of the Delaware water gap was just beautiful. We stayed there for awhile for the great photo opportunity and then made our way down the steep trail. We had an encounter with a snake, but it was very docile when comparing it to the last snake we saw on the BFT, although plenty big. The cooler weather seems to calm these reptiles down. We reached the bottom of the mountain and our cars were in sight. Tim and my Dad took one car on the fast route home. We drove Alex and Chelsey home and stopped at subway on the way to complete a great hiking weekend with good friends!!
nd. This rather large body of water is located in the Delaware Water Gap area on the New Jersey side of the river. It just happened to be the first hike that his dad had taken us on 2 ½ years ago. We haven’t stopped hiking since, so we figured it would be a good choice for them. Andrew even tailored it further to incorporate a cool vista that we hadn’t had the chance to check out our previous time. We set up the meeting time at my parent’s house for about 8 in the morning on Saturday. We then packed out gear into the two vehicles and were on our way. We were at the trail by 11. We saw a lot more cars in the parking lot than was anticipated. But a good hike will draw the crowds, especially with picture perfect weather and a shorter distance. We honestly were never on the trail with inexperienced hikers so we were unsure what to expect. We took to the trail and only had to make one stop to adjust equipment. We soon were half way and decided to make lunch. Only then did we find out that my dad had basically brought a “grocery store” of food. It was great how he just kept pulling different cheeses, cookies, and sardines out of his food bag to share. The trail was rocky but in
about 2 hours of hiking at a steady 2.5 mph we were at the campsite by 3. We decided to hike a little further since it was so early and go see the pond. It was beautiful. We just sat and enjoyed the view. We then hiked up the side ledge and found a camping spot. We started setting our stuff down when a ranger came up the trail. He strictly said that there was no camping allowed so we made our way back to the designated campsites. We were trying to choose a good site among the area when that same ranger came up to us and made it clear that no campfires are allowed. It was getting chilly and that was something we had been looking forward to doing; it was pretty ridiculous. We were sure he wouldn’t check up on us though, so we still had the thought in the back of our minds to make one. We selected a large camping area and started the set up process. We all had our tents up, or in my dad’s case a hammock hung, in about 45 minutes. It was great seeing how fast Alex and Chelsey were getting into the whole experience with us! We were in the process of gathering stones and logs to sit on and started playing a card game. We were still thinking about starting a fire at some point when the already infamous ranger came by and made it clear again that no fires would be allowed.
It was dark at this point and we all had on all our layers and still a bit chilly. So we were a little angry at the guy for not letting us get warm. He even went as far as saying, “Some people just can’t get away from the tradition of making a camp fire” as he was walking away from us… pretty weird. We finished out the night getting somewhat warm eating some chili. We hung up our food (to deter bears) and hit our sleeping bags. The night went by quickly and we all stayed pretty warm. Over breakfast the next morning we decided that finishing the loop and enjoying a vista would be a great ending to the weekend. It was a few extra miles but well worth it. We definitely made the right decision. The view of the Delaware water gap was just beautiful. We stayed there for awhile for the great photo opportunity and then made our way down the steep trail. We had an encounter with a snake, but it was very docile when comparing it to the last snake we saw on the BFT, although plenty big. The cooler weather seems to calm these reptiles down. We reached the bottom of the mountain and our cars were in sight. Tim and my Dad took one car on the fast route home. We drove Alex and Chelsey home and stopped at subway on the way to complete a great hiking weekend with good friends!!
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