Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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July 21, Blue Mountain Lakes Rd - mile 1291.5

A new day & a new state! So far, I have nothing but the best to say of New Jersey. It's still rocky like PA, but the trail is quite level once it reaches the ridge and the views seem to be unending.

Tony walked me across the state line this morning when he dropped me off, since it was a relatively short hike on the bridge across the Delaware River. It was a nice feeling to have him hike just a mile or so with me. As always, it's hard to see him leave, but I had the excitement of a new state to look forward to, so I was over the blues pretty quickly.

One problem Jersey is having is with water. I passed two springs today that were dry & I needed the water. I was starting to get nervous when a small stream appeared on the trail & so I filtered up what I needed just in time. On my way to our camping spot tonight, I met a local on the trail who said the pump here appeared to be dry, which then made me really nervous! I was nearly dry as it was & I knew I couldn't make it through the night & seven miles up the trail tomorrow morning to the next water source. So I just said a prayer & as always, it has all worked out. When I got here, I met "Slow" of "Slow" & "Steady" and she said her husband (Steady) was down at the pump at that very moment to see about water. Not only that, she promised to share their supply if he was successful. He returned within a few moments with just over a gallon of very rusty water (no one cared!) & they insisted on sharing it with me, to spare me the 1 mile round trip walk to get my own. So we promised we would all stop by together in the morning to get what we needed for tomorrow - especially since the pump is a three-handed operation. I continue to be amazed by the generosity of humankind on this trail!

We also saw our first glacial pond today, & it was gorgeous. WOW! Crystal clear with lots of little fish & noisy frogs in it. I'm looking forward to more of these beauties as we head north.