Today I get to slackpack. What a joy, and what a difference 25 pounds makes. If you ever watched the Biggest Loser, they would lose so much weight and half way through their journey, they had to put it back on. What? They would have these arm and leg weights, belly and chest plates and then they’d have to climb hills. Each plateau that they reached, they would shed part of their old self. 10 pounds here, 20 pounds there until they were back down to the weight they were currently at. Well, today I felt like I lost 25 pounds! What a difference it makes on your feet, your legs and knees, my shoulders and every single joint in my body. I was moving up and down the trail that a spring chicken. And yes, I even passed up other hikers. That felt amazing too!

The day was pleasant. The temperature was perfect, a breeze was blowing and the sky was clear. If only everyday could be like today. But then, I’m sure of it, I wouldn’t appreciate a day like today. I was in total bliss.

Yet there is always one more pile of rocks to conquer. I saw a sign that said “Alternate Trail-Meets back to AT in One Mile”. That’s odd, why would you want to take an alternate route? Well, after about ten minutes, I found out why. There were slabs of rock that had white blazes painted on top of them. Here I go again. Climbing up Wolf Rocks was much different since I didn’t have, but 1-2 pounds on my back. I can’t say I was flying up the rocks, but I was definitely faster than my typical snail pace. When I reached the top, there was this Turkey Vulture strutting his stuff. He was facing the sun, showing his magnificent wing span to the world to see, and rotating from side to side. He was quite impressive. As I got a bit closer, he took flight and sailed through the air, so graceful and proud. What a beautiful sight he was.

I ever-so-slowly stepped down off the skyscraper of boulders. There were moments of smooth sailing, clear footpath and then, the evil rocks would return. Some hiker from a couple of days ago told me that once I was north of Wind Gap, the rocks were much less frequent. He outright lied to me. I’m still waiting for a day without rocks.

As I made my way to the first road crossing, Highway 191, I saw Not Today parking. Hey, it’s me! He was just setting up Trail Magic for hikers. He brought his grill for burgers and dogs, chips, soda and beer. I stopped and sat in a chair, had some yogurt and strawberries, drank a soda and scurried off down the trail. I still had another six miles to hike to finish off this section, so off I went.

Not Today had about 6-8 hikers that stopped by, ate lunch and thanked him for the unexpected trail side lunch. What a good man Not Today is. He runs his Hostel purely on donations. Like a Donativo, donation based Albergue that you find along the Camino in Spain. He truly feels this is something that gives him purpose. As I was talking with God today, I asked him what He wanted me to share with Not Today?

I moved along, stopped at Kirkridge Shelter, looked around and found no one. I signed the logbook and packed up my tiny little sack, and headed north. There were a few more smaller boulders to climb over and a lot more rocks.

I found a few outlooks that were splendid. In fact one was particularly pleasant as you could see New Jersey. It was such a clear day that everything was bold in color. At Mt. Minis, there was a great view of the Delaware River and Mount Tammany. It’s due north and is quite a hill indeed.

The trail dropped pretty drastically into Delaware Water Gap. Another vista overlooking the lazy Delaware River with kayaks and Sandy beaches. Looks like a great place to take a Zero. Walked passed Lake Lenape, which has lily pads, ducks and lots of green headed-frogs. Then was the final walk into town.

Delaware Water Gap is rich in history with much of the French and Indian War played out here. There is a huge Dutch influence and is surrounded by the most densely populated areas in the US. Hence the reason this place is a hub for tourists. Yet, it still has the charm of a small town with lots of shops, bakery’s and the longest running Jazz Club in America. I hit the bakery, and bought a 10-Berry Pie, huge Heirloom Tomato and a Georgia Peach. All I needed.

Not Today and his friend took me back to the Hostel. I took a shower again! Two days in a row, that’s magical. We all sat around the fire, as Not Today BBQ’d. He’s quite the host. I cut up that big ole tomato and grilled some onions. The Burgers were stupendous.

Not Today shared more about the house. His Aunt worked at the Retreat Center behind the property. It hosted Korean Presbyterian groups and was a spiritual center. He would come and help his Aunt with Hospitality, cleaning and bedding. When she moved to Orange County, he was able to acquire this 5 acres homestead and started hosting hikers. It’s a work in progress but he is right where he needs to be. We talked about his spirituality. I told him that when I was talking with the Jesus today, that he said you were honoring the Lords path for your life. That you are right where you need to be and God sees him and loves his heart!

As we mature, it’s always a blessing to know you are helping others, doings God’s will and being appreciated. Not Today is on his spiritual journey, right here, right now. What a blessing he is to so many.