The Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail Blaze

Jeremy, Tim, and I got up early to do a day hike in the Kittatinny mountains along a 5.5 mile stretch (11 miles out and back) of the Appalachian Trail (see below). The New Jersey stretch of the A.T. is 74 miles long and I hope to see more of it in the near future ... and to lay my grubby little paws on another couple of Jeremy's home made trail mix - peanuts, raisins, and M&Ms (which is pretty much the American version of Smarties).  We made pretty good time and I managed to get back home in time to see Roger Federer destroy Lleyton Hewitt in the US Open. Trivia for the day: The Appalachian Trail, called simply "the A.T." by those who hike on it frequently, is the premier recreational hiking trail in the United States. The route of the A.T. closely follows the ridge line of eastern America's Appalachian mountain chain for 2174.1 unbroken miles, beginning on the summit of Springer Mountain in northern Georgia and ending on the summit of Mount Katahdin in north central Maine. As it winds its way through the mountains, it passes through fourteen states, eight national forests, six national parks, and numerous state and local parks. About 99% of the route is on publicly owned lands, and no fee is charged nor is special permission needed to hike anywhere on the footpath itself.