Neverending Summer

If only I had the means to make a go of nonstop Summer fun. Chase the sun on the horizon, wherever it takes me on this continent. There's still some juice left to this Summer though! This, despite the fact that you have to hear a handful of times each day that the demise of Summer is moments away. No, there is still a lot to do, and plenty of decent weather to do it in.

Local hike in Delaware Water Gap, a spot known as Dianna's Bath

Walking the "stepping stones" path in  Del. Water Gap 

The days are getting shorter in a very noticeable way, however. The trips we take at this point are candidates for "last of the season" affairs. It's mid-September, and it feels like there hasn't been that much outdoor fun this Summer. And then I start going through photos and find that it's truly the opposite. That's a big part of why I write these things.

 Glen Run Nature Preserve

DWG Loop

As we get into late August, there's a discernible change in lighting in my snapshots. Most of my rides are in the evenings, out of necessity. Like a low-fidelity time-lapse, the light slants more and more as we go. I'm just now beginning to pack my lights, and had to fire the helmet mount up two days ago.

Trailhead pack-up at Glen Run

There's a distinct lack of kayaking in this post. Something's gotta give during a frenetic 2nd half of Summer. That's for another post that you'll see here soon, as the paddles were hoisted for a trip to Raystown Lake. I'll leave this post with a few more evening shots and the first appearance of bike lights this season.

 DWG Loop sunset

Glen Run Preserve 

How quickly the sunlight drops, not 20 minutes from the photo above 

SG38, AKA Camelback

Short hiking the "Home Loop"

Jump out through the garage door, walk a few minutes on some asphalt and land on the Appalachian Trail and take it from there. It's great to live in a spot where I can make that happen, and that's exactly what Tara and I did today after shooting out of work early to take a quick hike in the March 60-degree weather.

It's just under 3 miles door-to-door, passing Lenape lake (a rather small pond, really) after hopping on the trail at Mountain Road and taking you up along the Appalachian Trail in its southern direction. You follow the AT for a short distance, overlooking the Delaware River and Route 80 as they both squeeze through the Delaware Water Gap to your left. Below are a few photos from that section.

After a short walk, you bear right at a junction that has you pass a swampy area on your left. You are heading toward Caledonia Creek, and you make a right turn at the next junction, essentially when you hear the creek just nearby. You walk a bit more downhill, take a left at the next junction and shortly after duck off a side trail on the left that places you face-to-face with Diana's Bath, loosely placed as a series of small waterfalls and pools. It's a cozy spot, surrounded by Rhododendrons and the sound of the creek rolling over rocks and down long slabs of rock.

It took us about and hour today to make the loop, and that's with a meandering pace. Just get outside, the season is here, so enjoy. No longer are we stuck with darkness upon getting home from our day jobs, and there is more adventure than any other time of the year to digest ahead of us before we get our next dose of Winter.

[gjn]