Fall foliage fever (Oct. 12: Appalachian Trail / Delaware Water Gap)

A sign points the way on the Appalachian Trail in the Delaware Water Gap.

On Monday (Oct. 12), my dad took off work so he and I could spend the day together in the outdoors. As I stated in my last blog post, I'm at my parents' home in Mountain Top this week while on vacation. I decided to use some of it to look for fall foliage in different areas of northeast Pa.

However, when dad and I were trying to figure out where to visit, we were making as much progress as the Legislature on the state budget (too soon? If the budget stalemate weren't already more than 100 days old, then maybe). Finally, he suggested a location I didn't consider: the Delaware Water Gap.

Known formally as the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the Gap in eastern Pennsylvania consists of 70,000 acres of woods, streams and lakes and includes 37 miles of the Delaware River bordering both Pa. and New Jersey, according to the National Park Service. Originally, I planned on sticking to locations in northeast Pa., but I've never been to the Delaware Water Gap. In addition, a portion of the Appalachian Trail -- the nearly 2,200-mile behemoth stretching from Georgia to Maine -- runs through the Gap. The A.T. has been on my bucket list for a while, and my dad also seemed enthusiastic about attempting a portion of it. I figured the Gap and the A.T. had some great vantage points to view possible fall foliage, as well, so we settled on a trip to the Gap.

The drive there, about one hour from Mountain Top to the Borough of Delaware Water Gap, offered some gorgeous red and yellow trees along Interstate 80. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like pulling over on a busy highway to take photos, so you'll have to use your imagination as to what the scene looked like. I promise I have pictures later on.

Though I can't promise they'll be as entertaining as this one.

Before we got started, we stopped at a small mom-and-pop store for lunch. Simply called "Apple Pie Bakery," the store offered dessert pies, pot pies, doughnuts and sandwiches. Outside the store that day was a barbecue complete with smoked pulled pork sandwiches and half-chickens with sides like coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni salad and beans. Dad and I munched down on some barbecue to "build strength" (we just wanted to eat homemade barbecue, really) and left. Before getting in the car, I noticed three vibrantly colored trees surrounding the cookout area: one red and two others with a mix of yellow and orange.

The Apple Pie Bakery in Delaware Water Gap Borough

The trees at the store and along Interstate 80 gave me some hope that Dad and I would be in for a color show during our hike.

After leaving the store, we found what we thought was a trailhead for the Appalachian Trail, got out of the car and started our journey. The trail started out flat and stable, but we came across an area with a small pond where the land and water had virtually no border between them. Worse yet, the trail wrapped around the pond right at the water's edge.

Not wanting to puss out just five minutes into the hike, we tenderly walked through mud while trying not to go for a swim in the process. At the same time, we had to make our way around brush and low-lying branches.

After a few minutes of meandering, we finally reached another dry, flat portion of the trail. It was shortly after that we both felt dumb. It turns out the trail we were on wasn't the Appalachian Trail, and additionally, there was a flat, stone road not far from our car that led right to the true trailhead. We pretended that the past five minutes never happened and started our journey anew.

The Appalachian Trail started as a flat dirt trail that eventually became rock-filled and hilly. We progressed along the hillside of Mount Minsi, which borders the Delaware River on the Pennsylvania side. After about an hour of hiking, Dad and I reached an overlook that provided a view of the river, Mount Minsi to the right and Mount Tammany to the left. The view was remarkable, and it made the hourlong hike, sweating and heavy breathing worth it.

The Delaware Water Gap, with Mount Minsi in Pennsylvania to the right and Mount Tammany in New Jersey to the left.

Dad posing in front of Mounts Minsi and Tammany.

Me just wanting to show off my newly grown beard.

As great as the view was, it disappointed me in the respect that it lacked fall foliage. I saw more red and yellow along the interstate than I did on two large mountains

We decided to move on for about another half hour past the overlook. Other hikers told us there was a second overlook further up the Appalachian Trail, but Dad and I started to get tired, and we still had to make the return trip. While going back to the start location, we came across one or two places with some fall foliage, but overall the trees around the Appalachian Trail are still holding on to their green.

A small red tree stands out among several green ones.

The trip was a bust as far as fall foliage was concerned, but the Delaware Water Gap and the Appalachian Trail both contained some of the nicest views in Pennsylvania. I'm sure in the next few weeks, the mountains surrounding the Gap will be glowing with fall colors. In the meantime, I'm looking into my next trip for this week. I hope to have better luck at my next location.