CIVILIZED HIKING: Mt. Tammany Loop (Worthington State Forest)

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Mt. Tammany Loop (Worthington State Forest)

Distance: 3.56 miles
Elevation: 1,191 feet

Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes moving)
Hike Type: Loop
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2024

The Hike

Legally, I must hike Mt. Tammany at least once a summer when I'm in New Jersey. I chose an incredibly humid Saturday to fulfill that civic duty, which was... a decision! I drove out after waking up in the not-too-early morning, christened the service plaza bathroom next to a man who was truly fighting for his life, and made it to the parking lot around 9:00am. It was only 75 degrees, but it was almost comically humid. There was a storm that morning which had already cleared to reveal blue, sunny skies. The parking lot was regretably busy and there were trailhead stewards greeting each car. I got suited up and started my hike past a new trailhead kiosk and IMMEDIATELLY started sweating profusely.

Right away, my lens was fully fogged up. I wrote down "extra soupy dear god," to further paint the picture. I had to remind myself that hiking culture was different on touristy popular hikes outside of New England (basically, no one's saying "Good Morning" or following other trail etiquettes). Once I accepted that I was in an unfriendly hot tub - I was officially cruising!

Cruising is a strong word... I was slogging right away. The first bit of eroded climb humbles me every time, but thankfully it leads to a lovely view of Mt. Minsi and the Delaware River.

On the shoulder that leads to the second part of the climb there were endless blueberries, which explains why I ran into a family of bears last year! I hydrated up at the bouldery wall that starts the second phase of the climb, and to no surprise, I was quickly humbled again. Thankfully, there were a few rhodondendron in bloom! I was reflecting on how I was able to do the whole Franconia Ridge with no mandatory breaks (only voluntary ones), but this little hike is what kills me (also acknowledging that I hiked the ridge with perfect weather and Mt. Tammany was in a can of soup).

As I felt the will to live slipping away, I realized that this climb is structued like a good essay. The introduction is parking lot to the base of the first climb. Body #1 is the first climb. Body #2 is the second bouldery climb (aka the hardest conflict). Body #3 is the third climb and reaching the summit. The Conclusion is the view and the ridge. The Epiologue is the return.

Speaking of which, I survived stage 2 and was now on stage 3, which is gentler but always longer than I remember. Eventually, I hit a few walking breaks that allowed me to slightly recharge my failing body. This mountain always kills me, but in fairness, this is the only mountain that I hike in ridiculous heat and humidity.

After questioning my very existence, I finally made it to the main view! Thankfully, there weren't many people up top and I got to enjoy a little alone time. The sun was shining and felt hot, so I took a short break just away from the view in the shade. To no surprise, my shirt was SOAKED. I'm glad that even though foliage has grown in in the past decade, the view is still lovely.

Continuing on now, I followed the blue trail along the Kittatinny Ridge, which was lined in blueberry bushes full of either green or squishy blueberries... tragic. Thankfully, I did find one good bush and a breeze further down.

From the junction with the Mt. Tammany Fire Road, I was officially on the descent, which had rough footing on a wide trail. I was grateful to see very few people on my epilogue, though. The further I descended, the more humid the air became (again) - to the point where I had sweat dripping off of the brim of my visor.

Soon enough I was back at Dunnfield Creek, where the air must have been at 100% humidity, if not more. There was a light fog over the creek, and I did take a moment to splash my face. I miss cold mountain water - this was nice, but lukewarm.

The final part of this hike, first on the green Dunnfield Creek Trail and then on the white Appalachian Trail, was beautiful and physically unpleasant, as I could feel the pools of sweat sloshing in my boots with every step. It felt almost as if I was hiking through warm peanut butter. Air bubbles were shooting up my ankle.

I knew I was close to the parking lot when I got that classic smell of the porta potties... at least I was done! I was DELIGHTED that even though it was an air-swamp, there were no bugs! I quickly changed, blasted the air conditioning, and made my way back to Wawa for a sandwich.