Hitting the High Points of Jersey

Wandering off into the foggy unknown...

Today we walked 11.5 miles further into New Jersey. We started early, and were greeted with thick, wet, cold fog. I'm starting to think that New Jersey just has one weather setting: dreary. It's a bit of a shame that the day was so yucky today, because our hike included the highest point in the state of New Jersey. The view from the wooden platform located at this auspicious point is supposed to be quite spectacular. But I was lucky to see far enough in front of me to keep from tripping, much less far enough to enjoy any sort of view.

Highest Point in New Jersey, view not included.

The hike itself was pretty difficult. Not because the terrain was steep or strenuous, but because everything was soaking wet. I think New Jersey must not drain very well. Most of the trail had standing water on or around it. Parts of the trail were literally flowing like little creeks. Everywhere we stepped was packed with mud. It made for kind of tricky and slow walking, but it was a new kind of adventure, that's for sure.

About to trip and fall in some New Jersey mud after traversing some mighty, post-thunderstorm, New Jersey rapids.

After climbing up to High Point, most of the hike was flat or downhill, with one or two short ascents to climb over hills between roads. Going downhill when everything is slippery and wet is actually harder than going uphill. We took our time so that we didn't fall and hurt ourselves, and after a few hours, by the time we were winding down our hike, the sun came out a bit and the fog lifted and it actually ended up being a pleasant day. The end of the hike was full of these really neat boardwalks that someone really spent a lot of time building. They make a clear, dry path through some very swampy terrain, and without them, hikers would be knee deep in muck for about two miles worth of this section of the trail. The swamp is just starting to bloom, so those bits of the hike were really beautiful. By the end of the day, my socks were soaked and I was pretty filthy from all the mud we'd waded through, but otherwise unscathed. I think it will be a few more days before I get my "Trail Legs" back, though.

Jersey Swamp