Well Hello, Mid-Atlantic States

Thanks, first off, for reading this!

We are currently in New Jersey!  This afternoon/evening/tomorrow morning are staying at a Hiker Hostel @ St Thomas Episcopal Church in Vernon, NJ.  It's a sweet little set-up they have for hikers with laundry, shower and kitchen, and it's....DRY!  As I write this (Preston) I'm in my moderately damp rain gear while my hiking clothes are in the wash.  Abbey and I made it all the way through New York without any rain at all (which is not a good thing when you rely on rain for streams and springs...) until the last very 2 miles.  Then it dumped.  We were lucky enough that the rain stopped when we got to the state line to take our picture before unleashing another round of rain that lasted on and off until we were back on the trail this morning.

Let's see, a recap.

New York was a Smörgåsbord of terrain. One moment we'd be in some of the most beautiful pastoral landscapes with rolling hills and cows, yes, cows on the trail, and the next we'd be on a rock scramble with the reminder that we are actually Climbing Mountains.  Then of course, throw in a train Station to NYC on the trail and some crazy highway crossings and then perfectly groomed trails and boardwalks, and you've got New York.

Some interesting things that happened in New York:
-We slept 30 feet next to said train tracks to NYC and laughed the first 1/2 dozen times it blew it's horn and blew our rainfly around
-We dealt with cow pies as an obstacle
-We hiked through a Zoo, while following the white blazes
-Crossed the Hudson via the Bear Mountain Bridge
-Had many encounters with Peregrine Falcons flying within 10 ft of us
-Had to carry 6+ liters of water at a time as there were no water sources for 12 miles...
-Got to have lunch at a gas station while following White Blazes
-Saw our first Rattlesnake (about a 4 ft long one)
-Walked out of the woods only to be encountered by a day-hiker saying: "Is now a good time to open up that Watermelon?" and then giving us more than 2/3rds of it.
- We got a taste of Jif Chocolate Silk, yes it's soooo good that it deserves to be on this list.  We can't wait to actually get our hands on a couple jars.
-We resisted the urge to actually go INTO NYC, though we tried and failed a couple times...long story.

So now we're officially through our 1st Mid-Atlantic State, and into our second.  NJ should be a 4 day endeavor or so, and then into PA, a uniquely challenging state.

We're 835 miles done.
In our 7th State, 1/2 the states!
Getting closer to that 1/2 way point of 1,091.4

As always, thanks for your love and support.

-P & A