another overnighter: a bug's life.

[JV3]

after a snow-less winter i'm sick of the all-brown landscape so i was happy to see green this time.

my senses were on high alert since i spotted this tiny caterpillar-looking thing.

the all-night heavy rain didn't stop until early morning so when i got to the woods the slugs were still out well past sunrise.

i saw a lot of these millipedes - from wikipedia, specifically "Narceus americanus, an American species from the Order Spirobolida".

i've cut back on pack weight, i'm now at 31 lbs for 3-days/2-nights with a 20° f rated blanket inside.

bear poop? it was the size of a muffin squished down.

one of my go-to tinder for the winter is now on summer vacation.

no clue what insect this was but it had insanely long legs!

the first time i saw this tree was in late fall so the whole time i thought it was already dead...amazing to see the will to live.

it wasn't long before my pack and the rest of my gear were covered by these little guys.

this tree lived a hard life - it was covered with those holes.

the only cutting tools i brought.

i wandered around camp most of this trip, just photographing everything that caught my attention.

the ground was soggy so i went for a sure fire tinder, cedar bark, and found this well camo'd moth.

after a few minutes of poking him with a stick he finally moved to a different spot and gave me the stink eye!

 

[JV3]

stuffed some cedar bark in my pocket to dry.

another favorite tinder, beech leaves, are on vacation until the fall.

it's ridiculously easy to start a fire with birch bark (they're all over here), i didn't even bother making feather sticks or gathering small twigs...i went straight to pencil-sized.

first boil with my new titanium pot.

probably the ugliest looking shelter i've done so far but it did survive 20 mph wind gusts that day though!

phallic symbol...and then some.

a tiny spot of red in a sea of green definitely caught my eye from a ways back so i zoomed in to the max.

it turned out to be leaves.

these were way down near the ground.

curious looking squishy pods on a base of a tree next to the stream...i'm thinking insects that have long since hatched?

time to play with the shutter speed.

 

[JV3]

a very unwelcomed visitor to my camp.

part of the weight saving...i got so preoccupied with taking pics i didn't even cook the spam!

someone asked me how i keep the rain from coming through my poncho's hood so here goes...i twist the hood around and wrap the excess material around it (like some people do the mushroom thing/turning one inside-out with a pair of socks to keep them together) and then i wrap the drawstring cord around that.

do the first part of a shoe lace tie (i keep forgetting the names of my knots, i just know how to do them).

instead of doing the 2nd part of the shoe lace tie, just use the cinch cords to lock it in place.

very secure but still very easy to do/undo even with thick winter gloves on!

anyway, this was the next day while walking back out.

it took me forever standing still for this crow to finally come out of hiding so i can photograph it.

some really old trash off trail.

this shoe reminded me of that thread about the suicide forest in japan awhile back...gave me the heebie jeebies. i'm glad i spotted it on the way out instead of in!

looks like someone's been using some of the trash for target shooting.

anyone know what this plant is? what caught my attention was that it's hollow like bamboo...the living part next to the dead part. it's only a tiny patch of it though so not enough to harvest in the winter to experiment with a make-shift insulation/bed.

spotted this chipmunk on the main trail munching on something but he quickly retreated into his home when he spotted me.

stand still for a minute or two and they usually poke back out.

once he saw that i was still there he quickly retreated then a minute later poked his head out from a different hole...sneaky guy!

some are very twitchy but some are complete opposite, like this butterfly who was flying around in front of me while i hiked out, seemingly trying to get my attention...so i stopped and he literally lands within 3-4 inches of my left foot.

reminds me of one of those make-up brushes girls often use.

i didn't see that many flowers on this trip though.

i spot this blob way up high on the tree and i zoomed on it and took a pic, not knowing what it was. it wasn't until i got home that i was able to see that it's a bunch of caterpillars gorging themselves.

 

[JV3]

i planned on doing a 2-nighter on this trip, the 2nd night being on the appalachian trail right next to a lake but i seriously overslept so i day-hiked it instead.

the world famous white blaze.

what a slotty tree

bear corn (someone told me it's bear corn because bears like to munch on it when they come out of hibernation...and well, it looks kinda like corn) - it's a parasite: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conopholis_americana

a trail maintenance member sure was chainsaw-happy that day.

at the highest point (also the half way point to the lake) i spot the lake so i turned back around...i'll overnight there next time.

going back down the rocky section...kinda wished i had my mountain bike with me! i'm not sure if they are legal on the appalachian trail though.

tree graffiti just pisses me off!

i'm happy to know i'm not the slowest that ever hiked the appalachian trail!

birch tree burl...kinda makes my skin crawl looking at it that close.

back to the trail head sign.

near the parking lot i see this rainbow-looking beetle swoop down, nab another bug, and started munching on it.

that's a bug's life...the end

 

[DOC-CANADA]

JV3 said: anyone know what this plant is? what caught my attention was that it's hollow like bamboo...the living part next to the dead part. it's only a tiny patch of it though so not enough to harvest in the winter to experiment with a make-shift insulation/bed.

More pictures would help, but probably Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum).

Doc

 

[crossada]

Really enjoyed your photos! Another great trip report too.

 

[Stickman]

Another cool trip report J. Do you ever get over to the western side of north jersey, in the mountains along the Delaware for instance? There are some great areas there, really on both sides of the river, some with historical interest and others just great to explore...waterfalls, small mountain lakes.

 

[kvaughn]

Defenitely Japanese knotweed. VERY invasive. I'm seeing much more of it here in the last 10 yrs. It will completely take over most environments I've seen it in. We cut it down and use a small paint brush to apply herbicide to cut stumps--KV

 

[Sufler]

Seven Lakes? Bear Mt. Park? I used to 'shroom gather there years ago.

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Great photos and write up

Thanks for taking the time Bro

 

[Humppa]

I´ve always wanted to go the Appalachian Trail. I like your pics and have strengthened me to do that trip, though my wife wouldn´t be glad doing this trip.

Kind regards

 

[JV3]

More pictures would help, but probably Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum).

Doc

thanks, doc! several people have confirmed it is japanese knotweed...it turns out it's a really nasty invasive plant!

Really enjoyed your photos! Another great trip report too.

thanks!

Another cool trip report J. Do you ever get over to the western side of north jersey, in the mountains along the Delaware for instance? There are some great areas there, really on both sides of the river, some with historical interest and others just great to explore...waterfalls, small mountain lakes.

thanks! i've thought about it since i already have the trail maps but i haven't tried yet since i don't know where to start. i started hiking in high point state park and stokes state forest and the appalachian sections there and honestly harriman & bear mtn just blows them away with the scenic views and elevation changes so much so that i'm afraid to check out other nj trails now in case i just end up wasting my time (and gas money!) again...but if you have recommendations of which specific trails to try then i'm open to trying them...reco's on primitive camp sites are nice too!

Defenitely Japanese knotweed. VERY invasive. I'm seeing much more of it here in the last 10 yrs. It will completely take over most environments I've seen it in. We cut it down and use a small paint brush to apply herbicide to cut stumps--KV

thanks! i guess i should let the trail maintenance crew know that a patch exists there in case they don't know it yet.

Seven Lakes? Bear Mt. Park? I used to 'shroom gather there years ago.

yes, close to seven lakes drive...'shrooms, the edible kind or this kind that gives you special powers?

Great photos and write up

Thanks for taking the time Bro

thanks, dr. bill!

I´ve always wanted to go the Appalachian Trail. I like your pics and have strengthened me to do that trip, though my wife wouldn´t be glad doing this trip.

Kind regards

thanks! nj has a ton of shopping malls, you can drop her there while you hike harriman has a lot of lakes so she won't feel like she's in the deep woods all the time.

 

[6shooter]

Always entertaining, thanks for all the trip reports :thumbup:

 

[DOC-CANADA]

JV3 said: thanks! i guess i should let the trail maintenance crew know that a patch exists there in case they don't know it yet

Of course, you can always eat it.

Doc

 

[Sufler]

yes, close to seven lakes drive...'shrooms, the edible kind or this kind that gives you special powers?

Depends which ones you pick up I guess.

 

[dakine]

Chipmunk adobo? Love the pictures, just got a DSLR partly cause of all the cool pics on your posts

 

[retzius]

Beautiful photos! Great bokeh with some of those shots. What is your photo gear setup?

 

[JV3]

Always entertaining, thanks for all the trip reports :thumbup:

thanks!

Of course, you can always eat it.

Doc

knotweed salad with crispy fried spam bits sprinkled on top

Chipmunk adobo? Love the pictures, just got a DSLR partly cause of all the cool pics on your posts

thanks! yeah, they are fast little buggers...one of these days when i run out of spam

this was the first time i took a dslr to the woods actually (only a month old). all the overnighter pics before this one was taken with my iphone 4 actually...send your dslr back, get the iphone and send me the difference instead as a thank you for saving you all that money

Beautiful photos! Great bokeh with some of those shots. What is your photo gear setup?

thanks! it's a nikon d90 with a tamron 18-270mm lens...i had to google "'bokeh"...i'm a cell phone camera guy, hehehe.

 

[Stickman]

J, regarding hiking in the hills on either side of the Delaware, no question that you will not have the views that the Hudson River provides by virtue of its size. The Kittatinny range is a more compact experience along the Delaware. But there are numerous small lakes/ponds found among the ridge lines on both sides of the river which are fun to explore and see many types of wildlife. It would be futile for me to attempt to give directions, but if you are interested we could meet up near the Water Gap (route 80) and I could show you on maps. I know the gas prices are a factor and it would be about 1-1/2 hours drive for me...not sure where in Jersey you would be starting from. Anyway, if interested just PM me, if not keep posting the cool trip reports.

 

[JV3]

J, regarding hiking in the hills on either side of the Delaware, no question that you will not have the views that the Hudson River provides by virtue of its size. The Kittatinny range is a more compact experience along the Delaware. But there are numerous small lakes/ponds found among the ridge lines on both sides of the river which are fun to explore and see many types of wildlife. It would be futile for me to attempt to give directions, but if you are interested we could meet up near the Water Gap (route 80) and I could show you on maps. I know the gas prices are a factor and it would be about 1-1/2 hours drive for me...not sure where in Jersey you would be starting from. Anyway, if interested just PM me, if not keep posting the cool trip reports.

thanks but yeah i'll probably stick with harriman for now then since my trips consist of overnights for now and i already know where to go and lots of spots i haven't overnighted yet...if you're up by here i'll show you around - i explore the seven lakes drive area/southern tip of harriman mostly.