Day 3 of the Slack Packing Extravaganza...Stairway to Heaven.
Our final day of hiking, Stairway to Heaven is part of the AT near the northern end of the NJ trail section. The weather has become more than a little damp, though the weatherman promises a break in the weather, it never really materializes.
The trail-head is well marked (though our initial directions weren't so good), near a gravel pit, and there is ample parking. After a gentle meander through a meadow and woods, the trail climbs rapidly, and is steep enough to require stone steps which form the backbone of the Stairway to Heaven. As the stairs switch back and forth along the slope, we make good time in altitude gain, and we soon find ourselves at the summit of the trail.
Undaunted by our recent climb, we followed a side-trail along the ridge towards Wawayanda Mountain, finding decent views and a small mountain lake. Finally, we decided to retrace our steps, and descended to our cars, thus ending the First Annual Slack Packing Extravaganza.