I had the chance to enjoy a number of different backpacks in 2022, which is something I hadn’t been able to really enjoy since thru hiking the Northville Placid Trail in 2020. I find it a completely different experience than day hiking, different even from some of the marathon day hikes I’ve done. Backpacking is less about the destination and more about the trip. In this case, I’d hiked bits and pieces of the Appalachian Trail in this area of New York, but never strung them together and realized along the way just how much I had never seen.
Over 3 1/2 days Moe and I backpacked northbound 50 miles on the Appalachian Trail from Longhouse Drive in northern New Jersey to South Mountain Pass Road just east of the Hudson River, Bear Mountain Bridge and Anthony’s Nose. Along the way we passed the Bellvale Farms Creamery (amazing ice cream), the Lemon Squeezer, Bear Mountain, and much, much more. We were joined on the hike by our friend Dillon, who was getting ready for his own Appalachian Trail thru hike in 2023!
Jeff Senterman 
What an amazing experience! Backpacking is truly a unique way to immerse oneself in the journey and see things from a different perspective. The trail sounds beautiful and it’s great that you were able to share the adventure with a friend.
It sure was an amazing trek! The Appalachian Trail through NY is stunning and often overlooked when compared to other areas that the Trail traverses. Really glad I got to enjoy this.