Mohican Center
I am filled with guilt this morning. Admitably the bunks at the hostel are far too short and narrow. They also had no dividers between different sleeping spots. True, Caps isn't mad. Still last night I kicked him in the head several times. Not only that but I sat up at some point to reajust my sleeping bag and when I grabed for it in the dark I felt something round and fuzzy, Caps' head! The was just not enough space for a 6' foot tall person!
I took it easy this morning hanging out with the other hikers and packing. 
I went to get breakfast at the town diner and that took much longer the expected. I took my time to enjoy breakfats but the diner was a bit of a walk so I when I got thaere I stuck around the area and called my family who I hadn't talked to in over a week. I also picked up a quart of fresh stawberries to munch on.
When I got back most of the other hikers had left already but Shadow had come into town. Someone had left some caulk in the hiker box and I put some on my water bladder to see if that would work as a patch.
Finlly I took care of business at the PS and headed out.
The tail followed I80 to get over the Delaware River. 
It was a bit unnevering walking the bidge when a heavy truck rolled. The bridge would shake so much the I would stumble a little in my steps. I think the bridge must have swayed at least 1/2" or so. The AT continued to follow the river on the other side and then turned north and climbed the ridge line. About 3 miles from the road is Sunfish Pond, a very very popular spot so the trail was wide and beaten flat allowing me to make pretty good time on the 1000' elevation gain.
Sunfish Pond is well deserving of it's reputation. It is
around 1/4 mile across and is teaming with life. 
Around it are tight banks of blooming mountian laurel. In it are small fish and the most massive tadpoles I have ever seen. They are so big at first I thought they must be a fish. They were 6 inches long and over an inch wide at the head. Tehn I saw what they grow up to. With a croak that started me I spooked a massive bull frog the size of my first. The pond had many little clearings on the shore 3 feet wide that one could look through and as the AT made its way along one side I hiked slowly looking around at each view. The tadpoles and bull frogs swum off at the sight of my shadow. Some of the tadpoles had started to grow legs. The views from the shores were awe inspireing and I hated to leave.
The trail past the pond got much rockier due to the less traffic I assume. At a creek crossing I managed to catch a leapord frog. Then it was just easy miles into the Mohican Center. The AMC is usally is usually the club that manages trail in NH so I am surprised to see them this far south. I hear this is their southern most outpost but I have no idea why they are here. Still they do give through hikers free camping and have water so I stoped in. There I bought a sandwitch met up with Caps and McGyver at the tenting area. We are having a good time, McGyver and I are helping Caps drop some pack weight though I am not sure I was much help as I am a little extreme with my weight cutting.
NJ has been great today. There were several senic lakes and outlooks. The trail is still rocky but the rocks are mostly rounded or smooth so they don't hurt much to walk on. If this is a preview of what is to come then I am going to have a great time here! I think it is all due to the glaciers of the last ice age. Wolf rocks on the PA side of the Delaware are thought to be the southern most point the glaciers reached on the AT and the transition is obvious. The rocks are smoother, there are numerous small lakes and ponds, and the tops of the mountians spot smooth rounded surfaces, not the shatered jumbled blocks south of here.
I suppose this is a good time to write about PA. All in all PA leaves me confused. The forest are certianly beautiful, I saw some great small wildlife though I saw not much of anything bigger than a squirrel. The people were very nice and at no point has the trail been flater than in PA. Some of the shelters were pure luxury. However the rocks, especially in the last 100 miles were relentless and punishing. My feet were in near constant pain and rarely could I look up to enjoy a view for fear of triping.
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