Mount Tammany, January 12, 2013, Worthington State Forest

Mount Minsi, from Tammany Summit

Although the state doesn't have any 4,000-foot mountains, there are some very picturesque outdoor areas in New Jersey. The Delaware Water Gap is one of them. The Appalachian Mountain Club, or AMC, runs their Mohican Outdoor Center here, offering programs, tent sites, and cabins to its members and providing a nice jumping off point for section hikes on the Appalachian Trail.

Mount Tammany, named for a Lenni Lenape chieftain, is one of the two prominent peaks in the Water Gap, offering nice vistas across the Delaware River to Mount Minsi - its partner peak on the Pennsylvania side. In the winter months, when the White Mountains and Adirondacks become less accessible, Mount Tammany is a good option for an ascendant outing. It is wise to hike these trails early, as they get heavy use. The off-season is definitely the time to go. Early morning hiking in the winter, though, means a chance for ice on the trails and fog-enshrouded summit views.

We encountered both. Snow-covered with sporadic ice patches, the rocky trail called for yak tracks or microspikes. We had neither. The red dot trail up to Mount Tammany is short and steep, covering about 1,200 feet of vertical rise, followed by a gradual, but rocky, descent down the blue dot trail. Despite the conditions, it was certainly not impossible.

We made it to the summit fairly quickly and enjoyed a leisurely lunch on some brand-spanking new (in a sense) trail seats that K had re-purposed from a feed back we found down in the Pinelands.

Nothing better than a dry rear end on a cold day in the woods.

Feed Bag Turned Trail Seat

Peak: Mount Tammany
Elevation: 1,526 Feet (Gain: 1,200)
Distance: 3.5 miles, circuit
Route: Red Dot Trail; Blue Dot Trail; Appalachian Trail
Conditions: Dense Fog, 40 degrees F

Into the Fog Hole