2004.01.30 - After leaving Ebright Hill in Delaware, I began driving through New Jersey toward High Point State Park. I was intending to camp somewhere in the area, however, when I arrived, there were signs posted all over that warned against camping or overnight parking. Slightly discouraged, I continued on Route 23 to Port Jervis, NY, where I was able to get a hotel room at the Comfort Inn for the night.

2004.01.31 - The next morning, I awoke at a leisurly 7:00 AM so as to be at the State Park gate just after it opened at 8:00. After entering and discovering that there is no entrance fee during winter, I travelled a short distance along the western portion of the park loop, turning off into a parking area for the interpretive center. I got out of my rental 4x4 and noticed that except for the brisk wind and a few cross-country skiers on the opposite side of the lake, I had the park almost completely to myself! I donned my snowshoes and headed up past a few plaques to a 1,650' ante-summit which afforded wonderful views of Kittatinny's summit to the northeast and Steeny Kill Lake toward the west. Eager to achieve double-digits in my winter highpointing agenda, I headed off after a few pictures.

Along the west edge of the roadway, I made my way toward the saddle separating my ante-summit from the true summit of New Jersey. The snow conditions were ideal for snowshoeing, and by this point the wind had died down to a much more comfortable level. After reaching the saddle, my route followed the Southwest "Ridge" along its entire crest, consisting of a ski trail and a slight bushwack through leafless shrubs and some fallen branches. Just before topping out on the summit area, the slope actually got somewhat steep with unconsolidated snow; it made for a fun finish to a very short, easy hike.

Upon reaching the summit, the wind caught me somewhat off-guard. It wasn't quite as strong as the previous morning on Mt. Davis, but it was probably a consistent 20-25 mph. I circled the base of the tower looking for the highest point, but finally decided that a slight rise north of the tower platform was the highest natural point. I set up my tripod and took my obligatory hero photos, with Jacko the Frog present as always. The views were better than I imagined, with a snow-covered marshy landscape stretching all around the base of Kittatinny Mountain. After about 30 minutes exploring the area, I decided to head back down to my car, this time via the roadway.

As I reached the standard parking area for the summit, two hikers climbed over the ridge top after hiking a portion of the AT and then bushwacking up the side of the mountain. I stopped to chat with them for a while, primarily about snowshoes (one of them was wearing the MSR Denali Ascents), but also about route choice. They both highly recommended the AT hike up from Sussex County 519, and I feel pretty well convinced that I will try this route when I return! After the conversation, we wished each other a good day, and started hiking back to our respective trailheads.

In just a few minutes, I was back at the 4x4, making for a total out time of just under an hour. Loading my gear and removing the layers of clothes, I hurriedly got in the car and moving as fast as I could; my next destination was my Aunt & Unles's house in Kings Contrivance, MD (read Baltimore), which was a good several hours away. As I was pulling away from Lake Marcia, I saw the memorial tower looking absolutely beautiful with a white skirt of snow encircling its base; the day was a good one!

Note: The pictures on this page were taken on a subsequent visit to Kittatinny Mountain, which took place on 16 September 2004. The original winter ascent pictures were lost due to a computer crash in March of 2004.