To access a topological map showing the AT route and shelters click on the Appalachian Trail Map link in "Useful Links".
Day 24/24. Wed June 6. Fingerboard Shelter, NY
Miles From Katahdin: 799.9; Miles Hiked To Date: 365; Miles Hiked Today: 38.1 (21.7+16.4)
Yesterday we had probably our most beautiful walk so far. A tremendous number of vistas and terrific weather. We did almost 22 miles, crossing the NJ/NY state line and stopping at Greenwood Lake.
We stayed at the “Avon on the Lake” - a nice motel on Lake Greenwood last night. Robert, the owner, picked us up where the AT crosses SR17A. While waiting, we enjoyed milkshakes from the Dairy/Ice Cream parlor, our second dairy treat of the day. So it was a banner day in many ways. Just after 9:00am, Brad and I made it to the Heaven Hill Dairy, each purchasing a ice cream cone and a drink. The walk to that point was extraordinary; across a beautiful marsh through which the ATC had built a board walk with wild roses, marsh grass on either side. Countless birds – red wing blackbirds and Baltimore orioles!
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| Marsh Boardwalk |
Wild Roses
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| Fitzgerald Falls |
After the creamery yesterday morning, however, we found that the hours and miles dragged. Even though the elevations aren't great, there seems to be a lot of short, steep climbs. The last few miles seemed endless as we had several views of the Lake but it never seemed to get any closer. We passed a little Buddhist shrine and placed a coin in the statue's cup reaching Prospect Rock at last.
Trailside Budda
Only the thought of reaching the town of Lake Greenwood and a motel room kept us moving. We had had several high mileage days in a row and thought we deserved a reward. So, Brad called the motel and Robert picked us up. The Avon on the Lake is a great place. The rooms are nicely furnished, with free in-room movies and conveniently located for stores and restaurants. After cleaning up, we followed Robert's recommendation and headed over to the Emerald Point Restaurant for dinner. We sat at an outside table under the awning with a wonderful view of the lake. Another big calorie meal of salad, steak, baked potato and a beer. We bought our supplies on the way back to the motel, did our laundry and dozed through an Indiana Jones movie. We were in bed by 10:30 pm but I didn't fall asleep until about 12:30. While it is great to be in town with it's comforts and restaurants, our visits are crammed with getting things done. Without a car, we obviously have to walk everywhere and it takes time to get our chores done. It is also hard to get started the day after the town day due to a kind of lethargy that sits in and the fact that we need to hike or get a ride back to the trail, making for a later start than usual. We were up by 6:00 this morning, had breakfast, bought more supplies (band-aids and snacks) but didn't get back on the trail until 11:00am.
Brad Traverses the Lemon Squeeze
Today's walk was heaven! The temperature dropped into the 70's – no humidity and we had a nice breeze. The forest here is characterized by almost garden-like understory. We covered 17 miles and are sleeping at Fingerboard Shelter with 4 other hikers: Eric (section hiker), Renaissance Man (Thru-Hiker with his dog, GoJo), Dice Man (Sam) and Hasty. They plan to go on to Graymore Monastery tomorrow, same as we. Hasty, another Thru Hiker, started in March from Springer. He said he had to get off the trail for a while because he had developed stress fractures in his feet. He said that he walked 300 miles with the fractures before finally quiting the trail until they healed. The Fingerboard Shelter is made of stone and beautifully situated on the side of an open hill.
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| Fingerboard Shelter |
Day 25/25. Wednesday, June 7. Graymoor Friary Pavilion, NY
Miles From Katahdin: 779.4 Miles Hiked To Date: 385.5; Miles Hiked Today: 20.5
We had another great hike today. The weather was mild, high 70's, with a little humidity. We started early (around 6:30) and arrived at the Monastery around 5:30 pm, hiking 20 miles. From Black Mountain, we glimpsed the NYC skyline to the south. Seeing the skyline makes us feel like we've accomplished something. It's funny but as you hike day after day, you don't get any sense of where you are in relation to the rest of the world. Every morning you get up and walk 15 or 20 miles through the woods, you have no frame of reference. You literally suffer from tunnel vision, looking back down a green tunnel of trees. You go days without passing any recognizable towns or landmarks. Today, however, we climbed to an overlook; shocked to find NYC south of us!
Bear Mountain
We had some great views today. This part of the AT is the oldest part of the AT; developed in the 1920s. It comes within about 30 miles of NYC. We crossed the Palisades Parkway, climbed Black Mountain and lunched on Bear Mountain (reminding us of the Dylan song – “Bear Mountain Picnic”) at the observation tower. Workers renovating the old stone tower offered us water. We were nearly out of water. The Handbook says water is available at the Tower, but is not. If it hadn't been for the kindness of the workers, we would have had to do without. Instead, we got our Camelbaks filled with Poland Spring water!
We were joined on Bear Mountain by a couple of Thru-Hikers we had met earlier (Renaissance Man, GoJo, Hasty, Dice, and Many Names). There's a casual camaraderie. Talk of food, blisters, and Trail Angel generosity.
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After lunch, we descended to the Hudson River, through the Bear Mountain Inn Resort (closed for renovation) and into the “Trailside Zoo and Museum”. The AT passes right through this small zoo and Thru-Hikers enter free. The zoo features regional animals such as black bear bobcats, river otter, beaver and coyote.One of the other hikers remarked later on the irony of hiking through the woods where the animals are completely free then passing through what some would see as an animal prison. As always, I felt ambivalent about the zoo experience. They did have a snack bar however. The lowest point on the AT is just across from the bear exhibit – 124' above sea level.
We crossed the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge and made our way up the steep mountainside to the Friary. There we met “Beeman”, a section hiker, and together ordered pizza for delivery! Our shelter-mates from the previous night joined us an hour or so later. In the past, the Friary welcomed Thru Hikers with beds and meals. Today, however, they cannot afford such generosity, but hikers are welcome to stay at the picnic pavilion adjoining the athletic field. This Episcopalian institution was founded in 1893 as the “Society of Atonement”. Today it serves as a religious education center and includes a number of beautiful stone buildings on 85 acres.
We called Pat, still trying to finalize arrangements to meet in NYC. I need to replace my boots again. I hope Pat knows how much we appreciate her support for our venture. All the responsibility for getting the boat ready for our cruise plus meeting our needs falls to her.
We're really excited about New York!!!
Day 26/26, Thursday, June 8. RPH Shelter.
Miles From Katahdin: 760.5; Miles Hiked To Date: 403.5; Miles Hiked Today: 18
Today was hot and humid, sultry even. By midday it was in the high 80's and seriously humid. We got our earliest start (6:20 am) and covered the trail to this shelter fairly quickly. We experienced a lot of ups and downs referred to by AT hikers as SUDS – Senseless Ups and Downs. We had no good views from the trail. We did see a few deer and a very dead vulture.
This area is close to West Point and Eric, a section hiker and former shelter buddy, is a cadet. He didn't stay at Graymoor last night but chose to instead hike on into the night. We passed him this morning sleeping by the trail. He later caught up with us and said he had planned to hike all night but got sleepy and crashed trailside. He was making for Telephone Pioneer Shelter, 24 miles ahead, giving him a 30 mile day! He really didn't hike that fast and we caught up him again at RPH Shelter just before he was heading out again. For some of the Thru-Hikers, particularly the younger ones, this is a physical test, an extreme sport event. That approach makes for a different walk from what we're experiencing.
We have stayed with Renaissance Man, Dice and Hasty now for 3 nights. They're are all Thru-Hikers. They seem to be great guys and after coming this far they all have begun to realize that they can ease up and enjoy the experience. They left the shelter this morning around 8:00, stopped for a swim in the lake we passed and still hiked 17 miles long before dark. Renaissance Man hikes with his dog, GoJoe, previously mentioned. GoJoe, an even-tempered, well managed dog, has completed 1400 miles so far! On the nights he spent with us, he curled up at Brad's feet. After I got up this morning, but before I put my sleeping bag away, he moved to the its comfort to catch a few more winks. He is a “silver” chocolate lab.
An uneventful hike brought us to this enclosed shelter near a country road and town. That means “food”! We ordered from a local restaurant, manicotti and salad. Excellent!
We continue our policy of taking advantage of every opportunity to eat well. Thus far, we've found no reason to change that policy. Food always presents a challenge. It weighs a lot and few good tasting foods last long in heat. The limited variety makes for real monotonous eating. We generally have a breakfast bar in the morning, PB & honey sandwiches or summer sausage/cheese pita sandwich for lunch, and freeze dried backpacker dinners. We favor the beef stroganoff and the garlic/broccoli mashed potatoes (adding meat when we have it). Lately we've been eating tuna from foil packets for lunch. We plan to get some individual mayo packages and make a tuna salad. Anyway, the diet is sparse and boring. Plus, it is estimated that the average Thru Hiker burns 4000 to 6000 calories a day! You can't carry enough food to make up that loss. We have also cooked Lipton noodle or rice dinners , adding meat. So when we can order out we do!
Tomorrow we head to Telephone Pioneer Shelter, poised for our meeting Pat in NYC. We talked again with Pat again tonight. She found out that we can exchange our worn boots at any retail store. Pat wants to pick us up Sunday and we can get the boots straightened out before we head to the city. Originally, she was going to check into the hotel in the city and we were going to take the train into the city. However, she's worried about handling the cat and the luggage alone. (she's coming from Ohio and has the cat with her).
Day 27/27, Saturday, June 9. Telephone Pioneer Shelter.
Miles From Katahdin: 743.9; Miles Hiked To Date: 421; Miles Hiked Todat: 17.5
Our 17.5 mile hike today proved perhaps the easiest we've had. Our track took us over hilly terrain and along side Lake Nuclear. The threatened rain never developed and we enjoyed mild temperatures and lower humidity. About 5 miles from the RPH shelter, the AT crosses Rt 52, about ½ mile down the road from the Mt. Top Deli. We couldn't resist and entered the store around 9:00 am. We ordered sandwiches and drinks. I also had a cup of coffee, the first in almost a week! Because we knew the day would be relatively easy, we took the time to enjoy our repast at a picnic table near the store.
Lake Nuclear
Back on the trail we soon came to Lake Nuclear. Near this site, a plutonium factory operated in the 1950s. Some time ago, the National Forest Service acquired the site, including the lake. Trail guides assert that the lake has been repeatedly tested for contamination and found safe. This fact was confirmed to us by an unusually large, three eyed catfish who engaged us in a long, rambling conversation. With that assurance, we took a brief swim (“doesn't the water seem a little warm?”). Still, this was the highlight of our day. The lake is pristine, full of fish and wonderfully refreshing. Brad and I had a great swim and we felt really clean for the first time in a while. After swimming and snacking, we geared up and finished the remaining 4 miles to the Shelter.
About 3 miles from the lake, we came across 2 women hiking south. We had met them at Lake Tiorate 2 days before. They had a friend take them to Kent where they began hiking back down to their car at Lake Tiorate where they had left their car. They were taking it easy, hiking shelter to shelter. We exchanged information about the trail and shelters. They asked about ordering pizza at RPH Shelter, having heard that the pizza place was out of business. We told them about the Italian Restaurant and warned them that there was no trash can at the shelter and you had to pack out any garbage unless you could get the delivery person to handle it. This inconvenient fact didn't occur to Brad or I until after the delivery guy had left yesterday evening. I ended up cutting up everything into small pieces and fitting it into a resealable bag for easy carry. This included a cardboard box, 2 aluminum deep dishes, a 2 liter Coke bottle, napkins, plastic wear and sundry items. Cutting and smashing made for a neat little package.
Yesterday late afternoon, after we ate , Renaissance Man, GoJoe, Dice and Hasty caught up with us. They ordered take out also (giving me the chance to ask the delivery guy to take my carefully packaged trash). Each of our traveling companions ordered a large pizza and a 2 liter Coke, devouring the entire feast to our amazement. In talking with Dice, we learned that he lives in Portsmouth, NH. Recently, he sold a convenience store. The store is well known to us as it was located about 2 doors down from Rosa's Restaurant on State Street in Portsmouth. He lives in Kittery. Small world! Dice and his girl plan to bike across America after he completes the AT.
Tomorrow we have only 3 miles to walk to Appalachian Trail Station where we'll see Pat again and enjoy a longed for break from the trail.
Day 28/29 June 11, Monday, Duchess Motor Lodge, Kingsdale, NY.
Miles From Katahdin: 743.9; Miles Hiked To Date: 421; Miles Hiked Today: 0
Saturday night, around 11:30 pm, we were awakened at the Pioneer Shelter by 3 or 4 hikers. They were reasonably quiet and when they realized that the shelter was occupied, they quickly left. I am not sure where they went. I thought, at first, that they were setting up tents in an adjacent cleared area, but in the morning there was not a trace of them. We got up at the usual 5:00, left at 6:20 and hiked down to the Appalachian Trail Station, arriving at 7:30.
Appalachian Trail Commuter Station
We hiked down to Tony's Deli to wait for Pat. There we bought coffee and since Pat had quite a distance to go, we ate first breakfast. A light rain fell but we sheltered under some trees on a picnic table (Tony's has no place to sit). Pat arrived around 9:30 am. After a joyous reunion we headed to the nearby town of Pawson for 2nd breakfast. After breakfast we headed to EMS and received a full cost exchange on a new pair of boots. My Vasque boots fell apart after two weeks. Vasque handled it well with a full store credit applied to any boots I chose. I did not, however, choose Vasque again.
Brad needed boots also and we bought treking poles as well. We both bought a pair of Oslos, heavy all weather boots. Brad and I were the only ones we've seen using hiking sticks and everyone swears by the poles. They had some on sale and we'll give them a try.
We had no problem getting into NYC and finding the Hotel 41 (on 41st Street...duh!). What a great spot! We're just blocks off Times Square and close to all the action. The rooms are tiny. Pat's plan for all of us to share a room was thwarted by the keen eye of Carlos, the Desk Manager, and the fact that there wasn't floor space for Brad to stretch out on. So, Brad gets a room of his own. Well, he had to share with Oedipus, our cat. I can't imagine what was going through the minds of the hotel staff. Brad and I looked pretty scurvy with untrimmed beards, unbathed, smelly bodies, backpacks, etc. And Pat, so rushed to get here from Dayton, she had just thrown her clothes into the car, no suitcases, just hangers and bags of clothes. The small rooms make it almost possible to answer the door without getting out of bed. Brad's room is just bigger than his bed!
After cleaning up, we decided to find something to eat. While eating at a nearby pretty nice restaurant, we discovered that most theaters close on Mondays, tomorrow, meaning that if we wanted to see a show, it had to be today. It was already 6:00 pm and the shows start at 6:30 or 7:00 pm. Off we raced to get tickets for “Mama Mia”. Standing room only...no way! Next, “Lion King”....sold out!!! Finally, we stopped at the Schubert and got great balcony seats for “Spamalot”. We all enjoyed it a great deal.
This morning, we planned to go to Central Park and maybe the Guggenheim Museum. Around 7:30 am, Brad knocked on our door. Oedi was acting strangely. I went up and she was scratching the air and making a heart-rending cat moan. At first, its appeared she was having a seizure or heart attack. I started stroking her and whispering. She calmed down immediately. I began to think she may be experiencing some sort of travel trauma or anxiety attack. She's never traveled before and Pat has had to transport her back and forth from RI to Ohio to NYC without a break. As long as we were with her and stroked her she did not exhibit the spastic behavior. If you picked her up or someone came into the room, she 'spazed' out again. We called our vet but they said they couldn't help without seeing her and advised us to take her to a local vet. I called one that seemed nearby and made an appointment. After talking more about it, however, we decided it would be best to get her home again.
We checked out of the 41 Hotel and Pat drove us to a motel near the trailhead. We hastily saw Pat and Oedipus off and spent the remainder of today getting prepped for an early start tomorrow.
The place we're staying at is a typical non-chain road side motel. The owner manager lives in one of the units. They don't have a laundromat but For $5 he offered to do our wash. As it turned out, he doesn't have a dryer. The clothes are hung on a line in back of the motel. Just after lunch, it began to rain and I was able to just get the clothes off the line before they got soaked.
We try to get an early start tomorrow. We're thinking about Oedipus and hope she recovers.
Day 29/30, June 12, Tuesday. Mt. Algo Lean-to, NY
Miles From Katahdin: 722.8; Miles Hiked To Date: 442.1; Miles Hiked Today: 21.1
We hiked 24 miles today but made only 21 toward our goal The motel was 3 miles from the trail head. Today's hike was quiet. No animals or great views. We used our poles for the first time. They take some getting used to but I think they really help, on the uphill particularly. Tomorrow we'll go to Kent to get fuel and some trail snacks (nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins) and have a milkshake or ice cream.6/12/07:
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