On my second full day of hiking, I climbed up and over the Saddleback Range with its three peaks: Saddleback, The Horn, and Saddleback Junior. All three peaks extended above treeline (about 3600 ft) and into the Alpine Zone. There, specialized plants and mosses made for a dazzling display of color. The day started off socked in, but opened up to the beginning of fall foliage down in the valley.
If you go hiking or camping in Western New Jersey often enough, you’ll probably see a bear. New Jersey is home to approximately 3500 American Black Bears, mostly living in the Kittatinny region. This area provides bears with an abundance of convenient food, including unprotected dumpsters in camps and population centers. Continue reading CampingJay’s Bear Story
A few months ago it was too cold to go outdoors. It seemed like hardly a week went by before it was too hot. I’ve heard every reason under the sun why people can’t do things outside. It is too hot. It is too buggy. It is too rainy. It is too humid. Its too dark out. There are too many bears. The sun is too bright. The trail is too steep. The ground is too hard. The water is too deep. The brush is too thick. The thorns are too sharp. The truth is, for most people, nature is too wild. Continue reading Nature is too…