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Highlight Hiker Blog
Appalachian Trail: Cows and West End
October 13, 2020
It had rained for more than 12 hours and I was antsy inside the house. The hubs was in virtual meetings, and the kids were in virtual school, so I was being virtually silent... and if you know anything about me, it is that I don’t “sit” well. I like to be doing something: be purposeful. I’m not much on sitting. Then it hit me, ‘Wait! I have all this new rain gear! I’m going hiking in the rain!!!’ And I left the quiet house so fast you could practically see the smoke coming off my heels.
I have a few little short trails at the very edges of NY/NJ Trail Conference map #116 to finish up, and one of those corners is in the far west corridor of the Appalachian Trail. I also had an itsy bitsy piece that I couldn’t cross with The Dog in the Pochunk Boardwalk region. So off I went on the long drive to Vernon Township. Blissful that I had an opportunity to see how my new Oboz, my new Osprey, and my new rain jacket would hold up in the…
It stopped raining as I pulled into the parking lot for the AT.
It was still chilly, damp, and the ground was squishy and wet soooooo…
Off I went!
First, I picked off the bit of trail I missed in Pochunk, which was the dairy cow pasture. That was awesome. The fluorescent rain jacket I was wearing attracted quite a few bovines, and I was a fan favorite in the pasture. Lots of mooing, and some curious cows approached to check me out. I didn’t disturb them, I let them do their little moo-cow thing. I just observed them walking, sleeping, easting grass, mooing, pooping. Not in that order, of course.
It was great! How many times in your life can you hike through a field full of dairy cows?? Not very many. BUT YOU CAN IN NEW JERSEY!
After my short walk on the Bessie Boardwalk, I headed west and joined the AT on the western edge of Pochunk Boardwalk. From there I did a short out-and-back of 1.5 miles. Like most AT road crossing, you end up having a steep climb into the mountain range, and that was the same here. I gained more elevation in a 1/2 mile here than I did in the entire 7 miles I did at Allaire State Park!
The terrain wasn’t particularly turbulent, though there were a few sections that slowed me down. But I took my time to soak it in (get it? Rain? Soak it in?). I leapfrogged down the trail with a couple who were hiking from Waywayanda State Park to Delaware Water Gap with their dog. I think that dog would have been happier were it hiking to a sofa in their living room, but some people like to take their four legged companion everywhere they go. Anyway, this dog wouldn’t stop barking. But it was a howling kind of bark. Scared the crap out of me the first time I heard it. Cute dog. Nice couple but truthfully I think the lady would also have been happier hiking to the sofa of their living room.
The hike in and out went quickly and I was back at the car and headed home. The sun began to wink at the earth through the breaking clouds, and the roadways began to dry. It was a nice way to spend a too quiet afternoon.
So, without further ado… the photo journal! ENJOY!
Pochunk Boardwalk, Dairy Cow Farm
Parking is available at a turn off on Rt-94 in Vernon (just a tiny bit south of Heaven Hill Farm). I was so excited to be here that I completely forgot to take a picture of the parking lot. But not to fear, there is plenty of room for 8 - 10 cars. It fills up quickly on the weekends, in which case you're better off parking at Canal Road North.
She was like a greeter at Wal-Mart standing there next to the wooden steps leading into the pasture.
Looking south from the entrance gate
That's the dairy farm to the north of the entrance gate
The boardwalk elevates you off the ground, but can't keep you safe from the cow patties!
I liked the color of this cow. Pretty brown cows in every direction.
A some pretty black cows, too. This lady was not apologetic about the Boardwalk.
She was udderly large and in charge!
She started across the boardwalk...
... and then stopped short. I had to wait for her to decide to mooooo-ve on.
I made it to the end of the field section and turned around to see the cows, and Waywayanda Mountain covered in mist.
Not to worry about me... I love cows and will absolutely respect them and their previous pasture! #cowlife
There is a fall festival going on at Heaven Hill Farm, and they have some carnival rides for the kiddies, which you can see from the trail
I give you no bull: this part of the AT is one of a kind!!
Appalachian Trail, West of Pochunk Boardwalk
This is as far west as I'd been on the edge of Pochunk Boardwalk. There is enough room on the pull-off parking area for about 8 cars.
The road and the trail follow the same route for a few hundred feet.
You have to cross the road and even though it is wide, it isn't awfully busy. I imagine on summer weekends, there is more traffic.
But it doesn't take long for the AT to deviate from the road through a swampy area. The small boardwalk was very slippery after the rain.
The terrain was soft and damp, but not for long.
Very soon it was rooty, rocky single track up the hill.
The amount of rain we had watered the tree trunks and created a beautiful contrast between the dark trunks and bright yellows and green of the turning leaves.
I liked the tree on the right with the AT blaze. It was stunning!
The fleabane is still blooming
You can see the trail conference has created steps with logs, which were a bit slick after the rain.
I kept having to stop to look up! I lust loved the colors
The stone walls of the former Dutch occupation were much straightly assembled than the ones I'd seen farther east.
The rain laden golden rod drooped over the trail, bursting with color.
The rocks were all over the trail, but they didn't threaten to trip you up at every step.
I walked a little further than this woods road, which crisscrossed the AT several times in this section.
Boulders dotted the landscape the further west you traveled
The woods are still full of color from the floor to the leaves.
There is that tree again! If you look between the trees, you can get a glimpse of the misty Waywayanda Mountain in the distance.
This vine had attached itself to a tree trunk, but the tree wasn't a good host, so the vine died, and made this crazy pattern that I thought was perfect for the Halloween vibe!
Meanwhile, back at the slippery boardwalk
Even though the greenery is dying, there is still plenty of color to be found with every step.