Hike #108
The group at the beginning, Resort Point.
Hike 108
9/21/3
It had been quite some time since I had done the Wind Gap to Delaware Water Gap hike
along the Appalachian Trail, and I had thought doing the hike in the opposite direction
might be better, only using the Table Rock spur trail at the beginning, which I had never
done. I have always wanted to make my hikes unique, covering different trail for each
trip.This time we would finish in Wind Gap, and begin at Resort Point, on the foundation
of the great Kittatinny Hotel, and make our way southwest. Joining this time were Skyler,
and Rich and Eric Pace. Rich planned on turning back at a certain time.
Entering the trail head at Resort Point PA
Lake Lenape on the AT in PA
Around Lake Lenape, PA
Lake Lenape
Table Rock Trail
Table Rock
Table Rock
Table Rock
Table Rock
Side woods road from Mt. Minsi Fire Road
At the top of Mt. Minsi, old fire tower site
Utility line view near Totts Gap on the AT
We left Skyler’s car at Wind Gap and mine and Rich’s at Delaware Water Gap. Beginning
at resort point, we checked out the ruins of the old fountain that was behind the hotel, and
the spot where the Caldeno Creek flowed through the kitchen, with more foundations.
We soon made our way uphill along Caldeno Creek to Lake Lenape and walked around
the north perimeter, passing little lake creatures along the way. The unmarked trail took us
behind the lake across a berm and an old bridge of some sort with another overgrown
pond, then along the south shore. Though there was no trail heading uphill, it was obvious
a route people had been using, so we ascended steeply.
We soon reached a small ridge, which had a nice winding path uphill leading to Table
Rock, with limited view, but still very interesting. Remains of gates were drilled into the
stone, signifying this may have at one time been a popular viewpoint for tourists.
We continued along the rock and downhill to Minsi Fire Road, which we used to ascend.
At Rich’s request, we followed another woods road to the southwest which too us past a
weird rock piling, and out toward a creek. We turned back before reaching it’s terminus.
Before we reached the top of Mt Minsi, Rich turned back. Skyler, Eric and I continued to
the top, with terrific clear views. We had to wait a while for Eric to catch up with us.
The trip southbound on the AT was pretty free of incident until we passed the Wolf
Rocks. At this point, Eric started falling far behind. Skyler and I would stop to wait for
him, but when he caught up with us, he would lay down. We decided that we would let
him catch up, but not stop, but he reacted by laying down as soon as he could see us.The
next option was to make sure we could hear him, but not let him get within sight. This
worked for a bit, but soon after we answered his calls on one occasion, he did’nt call back.
It turned out as soon as we would answer his calls he would lay down. We did not know
what to do, and it was getting dark fast.
Our solution for this problem was to walk far ahead, and when he called out, not to
answer. This seemed to be working, as Eric would not stop, thinking he was alone in the
woods. He would scream “Mike?...MIKE?....HELLOOO???!!!....HELP!!!” wiith screams
and grunts in between. After crossing the Blue Mountain Water Company Road, Skyler
and I hid out in the Mountain Laurels and waited for Eric to pass us. He walked by,
pausing to scream every few seconds. We had to try our hardest not to laugh histerically!
Eric had a flashlight out, but Skyler and I were able to see well enough without one. We
continued behind Eric for some time until a turning rock or breaking stick made enough
noise for him to hear and he turned around and saw us. I at first convinced him that he’d
passed Wind Gap and that we had come back to get him, but that did’nt last long.
We continued on our way soutbound, soon to find a young man walking the AT alone. It
was getting very dark, and he was looking for the Delaware Water Gap. It was lucky that
we found him, as he had gone far and might have been in real trouble if we had’nt come
across him. We led him back down the mountain to a group of his friends. One of his
posse had started uphill to find him, but we led him back as well. Skyler and I chatted with
them for a bit. Skyler told me this guy’s girlfriend seemed really into me, and that I took
my shirt off at just the right moment...I did’nt realize it, but in retrospect that must have
been pretty funny, as I was still in pretty good shape at the time.
We said our goodbyes, and Eric had been talking about McDonalds for some time, so we
stopped at the McDonalds in Wind Gap for some much needed nourishment. Another of
Eric’s quirks is that he won’t order anything on a burger. Totally dry, no ketchup, no
nothing. He ordered two, but could only finish one, so he gave the other to Skyler, who
scarfed it faster than I had ever seen a burger consumed, after which he exclaimed “That
was the most unexciting burger I’ve ever had!”. Yet another interesting hike to add to my
museum of recollection.
At the Wolf Rocks along the AT in PA
Photos by Mike Helbing, Rich Pace, Eric Pace, and Skyler Jermyn
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