Expierences to Remember

New Jersey Trip 2

Day 1

Today was rather upsetting and disappointing at first because the weather was horrible. Rain poured the entire day and played tricks with my vision unitl I hid behind fogged lenses. After the long ride to Ferber Lodge, Project U.S.E, we played name games to get familiar with each other. Afterwards, we ate sandwiches for lunch. Excitement grew (at least for some) as we packed our paddles and put on our life jackets.

When we arrived at the water's edge, the mist was carried by the strong current. The beach ball that we brought along somehow made its way into the water and out of sight. Daniel and Melina and I, searched and retrieved it. Most of us went far and there were a couple of people who lost control of their canoes and struggled when they attemped to go straight. It was a challenge but we arrived safely to the van.

We came back to the cabin and relaxed for a while while dinner was ready. The food was good but it did not beat the hot chocolate with marshmellows. We played UNO and BS among ourselves. The instructers decided that we would sleep in the cabin because it was still raining outside. In relief, we set up our sleeping bags and that marked the end of the day.

Day 2

Early in the morning we got our things ready for the canoe part of the trip. We filled dry bags with tents, poles, clothes, and boots. For breakfast we hiked up to the mountain and ate bagels with strawberry jelly and cream cheese. Then we got into the van and drove to Delaware River. We canoed to Lees Campground and set up camp. We ate dinner but it started to rain so we quickly ate what was left although our senses urged us not to. The trip has been good so far. However, the insects have not been a highlight for me.

Day 3

Things I Miss

1. Sleeping with an air conditioner
2. Eating without having to lick the bowl
3. A room free of mosquitos
4. Showering
5. Watching TV

In the morning everyone woke up although it took a long time. For breakfast we had oatmeal. Afterward, everyone still had a sleepy gaze in their eyes so we played a game to get ourselves moving. We packed up camp and headed out on the canoes to the van. Within 15 minutes we arrived and started packing our hiking gear and loading up the canoe trailer. We drove to the rock climbing site and had lunch. We hiked up the mountain for 10 minutes and waited for the instructor to set up the ropes.

Everyone was talking and laughing and busy being nervous about climbing. When the instructor came down, we were taught how to put on a harness and then put helmets on. Mostly everyone climbed to the top and I was the first to see the amazing view behind me. Some were resistant but ended up climbing at least half way. We took pictures and supported each person who attempted to climb and those who did succesfully also. Then we got back in the van and drove to another campsite.

When we got out, it was raining and we had to set up quickly. There were a lot of slugs that made their way into the canoes and tents. After everything was done, dinner was made and many people went into the comfort of their tents. With the fire that was getting bigger everyone came out of their tents to make s'mores. To end the day, everyone went to sleep although all of the mosquito bites were really annoying and it was hard to sleep knowing that there were hidden bugs in the tent.

Day 4

Early in the morning I woke up dreading hiking for the next 2 days. Those thoughts went away when the thought of pancakes replaced them. Camp was packed up and everyone got into the van. We drove to the begining of where we were going to start on the Appalachian Trail. I thouhgt that hiking without backpacks would be more comfortable and faster. We had a good amount of breaks and also stopped for lunch.

We started back up again and arrived at Backpacker Site a couple hours later - better said than done. Seeing all the tall grass, I was nervous about geting a tick. Camp was set up for the night and we hiked an extra mile to Sunfish Pond to get water for bottles and dinner. Hiking back we were singing with flashlights in our hands. I went to sleep and waited for the next day to come so I could get hiking over with.

Day 5

The last day finally came. I wanted to do everything as fast as possible so that we could get to the van. We hiked for hours on nothing but rocks that you could easily trip over. When we stopped, we were so high up that we could see the tops of endless trees, roads, and large bodies of water. It did not seem right and when we checked the map we realized that we got lost. We had gone farther than we were supposed to so we hiked back down and stopped 10 minutes later. One instructor went back up to the top to make sure the next trail was not up ahead.

There was a hiker that came our way, and desperate to leave, asked him if the next trail was in the direcion that he had come. He said it was under a mile and that we had passed it. Another instructor that was waiting for us at the van came to help us. She went ahead and left things behind in order for us to find the next trail. We hiked for probably another 2 hours. We heard her voice which meant that she was close by. We ran down to get to the van but met with surrounding thorns. We had no choice but to get pricked in order to get back to the van. It felt like torture but it was all worth it when the van came into sight. We had lunch and drove straight back to the city.