New Jersey

This is Luke typing from Warwick, NY, which is 1355 miles north of Springer Mountain, GA. We have just over 820 miles to go.

This will be a quick post, as we are trying to make it back on the trail soon. Also, my camera is acting up, so the pictures will have to wait.

I guess what I will take away from this section of the trail (and the trail, in general) 20 years down the road is how much I have relied on the extreme generosity of people I did not know before the trip. In Pennsylvania, we stayed with Caleb's aunt and uncle; in New Jersey, we stayed with Kevin's uncle; and now in New York we are staying with Caleb's aunt's cousin. All of these people were strangers to me a month ago, but now these people feel like family. They have graciously opened their homes to us and treated us with unending kindness. So, Larry, Kathy, Doug, Lisa, Chelsea, Tom, and Joyce -- Thank you so much! What these people have done will not headline in the newspapers, but have definitely made a positive impact in our lives.

Also, I have learned that New Jersey is not just Newark. It is a beautiful state with lakes, ponds, mountains, and friendly people. A local told us that there were more bears in Sussex County, New Jersey than there were in all of Pennsylvania and New York combined. Caleb can easily believe this stat as he was awoken yesterday morning by a bear stomping around his campsite. After a minor staredown, the 250-lb bear moved on. Also yesterday I put in my biggest day yet -- 34 miles -- but enjoyed every one of those miles as a I took more pictures than I did on any other day. Now, as we sit six miles past the New Jersey border in New York, Caleb and I realize that our old stereotype of New Jersey was wrong.

There are just under 100 miles of trail in New York and Caleb and I are trying to resupply enough here in Warwick to stay on the trail that whole time. Next time you'll here from us, we will probably be in Kent, CT.

Thanks everybody,