Nestled between the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania and the Kittatinny Ridge of New Jersey along the Delaware River, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area serves as an Appalachian oasis for the urban dwellers of New York City and visitors from across the United States. Gentle rolling hills rise from the river bank creating the “gap” which crests at Mount Minsi and Mount Tammany some 1,200 feet above the scenic river below. The National Recreation area offers visitors hiking, rock climbing, fishing, canoeing, and camping in an unspoiled forest along forty miles of the Delaware River. Here, the Appalachian Trail traverses the park along with a dozen other hiking trails. Our journey today is a hike into the forest to enjoy the amber, orange and fiery red foliage that marks the change of seasons from summer to fall.
Chris and I hiked up the yellow blazed trail from the Fairview parking area to where the trail intersects with the Appalachian Trail. This nearly 1 ½ mile hike included both steep climbs and level ground while cutting through a magnificent forest of oaks, maples, and hickory trees. The view was spectacular under an amber canopy of leaves accentuated with red and orange. Ferns low to the ground reached skyward in an effort to touch the sun. Fallen logs and resting boulders along the trail provide the perfect resting place – a bench for the weary, or for those who wish to admire the beautiful surroundings.
After an hour of hiking and photography our journey up the yellow blazed trail connected with the Appalachian Trail. In the middle of the forest, away from busy highways and city traffic was a busy intersection – an intersection of hikers and cultures. Here we met up with people from three different continents – visitors from Asia, Europe, and North America. Each of us from a different place, seeking the same experience with nature in Delaware Water Gap. One after another hikers made their way up the trail in a steady stream. Some stopped to visit, others carried on their own hike to the top of the trail and the peak of Kittatinny Ridge.
From the top of the yellow blazed trail at its intersection with the Appalachian Trail, Chris and I headed down the path and were rewarded with an even more brilliant view of changing colors as the sun began its afternoon decent. The backlit trees and gentle afternoon breeze made for a brilliant display as autumn leaves fell like the big snow flakes of an early winter storm. Fall was in the air and nature was in its greatest beauty. As we hiked down the trail, the hillside basked in the afternoon sun and our day was complete. We stopped the crazy frenzy of activities in our normal day-to-day life and for a few minutes we reveled in the timeless beauty of autumn in the middle of the forest.
