That's Nice, You're Going Backpacking... Um, WHERE?

(Map courtesy of Tripleblaze.com)

. As I had mentioned in the last posting I've been section-hiking the Appalachian Trail each of the past 15 years. The trips run several days , generally sometime between early May through late August, and cover 30 to 60 miles. I've hiked about 815 of the AT's 2178-mile length. I'm in no rush, so at this rate there will plenty of new trail miles left to enjoy for a long time.

. This odyssey has brought me through six states, and next in line would be southwest New York. However this summer it was advantageous to skip ahead to Northern New Jersey. The chief reason was that one of my usual hiking partners has a brother there who could offer his home as a pre- and post-trek "base camp" and get us to and from the Trail.

. When I begin to tell people about the upcoming backpacking trip I can see that their minds immediately go to glamorous destinations like El Capitan, the Sierras, Smokies or the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. The reaction to the utterance of my actual destination is either that it is oxymoronic: "Backpacking? New Jersey?!" Or in the case of the more knowledgeable ones, "Is there actually someplace to backpack in that state?" I love blowing their minds. Yes, New Jersey and the other densely populated states through which the AT runs -- Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York -- each have a scenic and very backpackable corner within their boundaries graced by the Appalachians. We have the preceding generation to thank, who had the foresight to fight for preservation of hikeable lands before they were eaten up by ever-encroaching development.

. I have to admit to having to overcome misimpressions that I, like many other people, initially had about the open spaces of that state. But my confidence in the AT founders was amply rewarded.