Category: 2018 Appalachian Trail

I did not want to get up today, but Bunny insisted. I did not want to head over to the other cabin to eat, but Bunny insisted. I did not want to use the privy today, but Bunny insisted. I did not want to shower today, but Bunny insisted. I did not want to pack up today, but Bunny insisted. I did not want to leave the cabin, but Bunny insisted. I did not want to hike today, but Bunny insisted. I didn’t want to hike far today, and finally, Bunny quit being so pushy and agreed with me. 

We enjoyed our little cabin on the Housatonic River immensely. This place is, without a doubt, our favorite place we have stayed to date. By the time we rolled out of bed (at Bunny’s insistence) at 8:30, Kaos had already been gone a couple of hours. I grabbed a cup of coffee and the empty wine bottle to take to the recycling and headed to the other cabin where the peasants were staying. “Wine for breakfast?” was the only comment I got. If only Bunny would have insisted on that one. 

Needless to say, we didn’t get started until almost 11:30. We walked through the woods to get back to Bull’s Bridge. We were finally back on the trail after a zero.  We usually have a hard time getting going the day after a zero, but now we were going to make some time. “Bunny Tracks and Easily Forgotten, if you keep walking that direction, you’re going to miss the magic.” I couldn’t tell who it was, but we were willing to backtrack a few feet for some magic.

The voice turned out to be Pilgrim who we haven’t seen since the day we left Delaware Water Gap. The magic turned out to be beer, Cokes, cookies, and chicken nuggets. We dropped our packs and chilled a bit. It’s always nice to be polite. We also got to meet several more sobos, the real kind that started at Katahdin and don’t wear “depends” to keep from getting up in the night. 

Delay a lot, I can do.  Delay forever, I cannot. By the time noon rolled around, we had to get hiking.  I tried to get Bunny to stop for some lunch, but she’s turned hard as nails and said we’ve got to hike. If Karen had said to us this morning, “I’ll give you a $1 discount if you want to stay another night” I would not be hiking now. The sound of the river had too much draw for me. 

At the first overlook when most of our climb was done, I was able to convince her to stop for a break. While we were sitting having some snacks and Gatorade, a group of students from Western Connecticut State University showed up at the overlook.  They were part of an outside adventure class on a day hike.  I asked how far they were going.  This was it for them, just turn around and head back to the cars at the road we had started at. They asked if we were thru-hiking.  When we said yes, they had a few questions for us which I gladly took the time to answer. No amount of hiking progress is more important than a child’s education. The minute they left, Bunny insisted I get my pack on and start walking. 

A little after 2, we ran across another couple heading north.  Baby, and his girlfriend, Elizabeth had already hiked 10 miles today to our 4.  We talked about possible camping spots ahead and where everyone might be headed. Bunny had toned down her goal from 18 miles for today to about 14. I didn’t think I had another 10 in me. 3 maybe, but only if it’s Bunny’s idea.  

Luck was on my side. We ran across a pretty crappy section of trail going downhill. It was a boulder field that would have fit in the perceived image of PA. I can see now how PA has gotten its reputation as Rocksylvania. Everyone keeps talking up the 20 or 30 rocks in the state trying to outdo everyone else’s tall tales of rock woes. Truth of the matter is, the trail has been pretty easy since Rockfish Gap in VA (the start of Shenandoah).  Now all the babies cry about an 800’ climb like it’s something tough. This is how the Whites in New Hampshire have been built up to the mythical Great Wall of the AT. 

I could hear Bunny sighing behind me.  It was getting close to 4. I had to use just a little squeak to get the hinge oiled. “Can I have an Aleve? My ankle is hurting.” The hook is in and just needs to be set, just a little yank… 

“It’s getting late and I’m feeling a little tired. Maybe we should stop at the shelter and tackle the ledges when we’re fresh tomorrow.”  I had to acquiesce. “That’s probably for the best.  We can get caught up on the blog. I had really wanted to get the 18 miles in, but if you’re tired, I don’t want to push and run the chance of you getting hurt.”  I can’t lose.  I’ve given into her desire, shown concern for her well being, and laid down just a little guilt. Someone call the “husband of the year” selection committee. As long as Bunny doesn’t proof this day’s entry, I’m golden. 

We made it to camp and had the tent set up before 5. I organized all the food while Bunny set up the air mattresses. When she came out to give her input for supper, I opened a big bag of M&Ms and let her eat freely. I didn’t count a single M tonight. For an appetizer, we had hummus and pita chips (compliments of Alice) and an entree of Knorr Parmesan noodles with chicken, followed by a dehydrated ice cream sandwich for dessert. We were in the tent by 6:30. Tomorrow, we’ll get up and get that 18 I wanted to get today. I’m a patient man. 

 

EFG

My favorite zero up to now was the day we slept 18 hours in Branchville, NJ. Today, we had to get up a little after 7 so we could eat before Karen took us into Kent. It was hard to get up because I was hypnotized by the sound of the falls outside of our bedroom windows. 

We’ve heard that the lady at the laundromat is quite strict with hikers. Word has made it down the trail that she chewed some guys out last week that were sitting in their underwear with a towel wrapped around them. Karen and Cliff loaned us clothes so we could wash everything we had at once. The laundromat had great Wifi, so we ended up sitting there for a couple of hours after our laundry was done. 

While sitting there, I checked my email and made a few calls concerning gear.  My Merrell boots are coming apart prematurely. They have agreed to replace them and send me a new pair up the trail. They have already done this once for Bunny. We’ve talked to other people having similar problems with their boots. It seems like they are having “glue” issues. I really like my Merrell Moab’s. This is the third pair I’ve had and the first that have fallen apart so quickly. They fit my feet without having to break them in. I’m glad they are working with us to fix the problem. Like Big Agnes, they have great customer service. 

Olympus is a completely different story.  Their customer service sucks and I’m through with that company. The camera I bought just last year has a board failure and they want an unreasonable amount of money to repair it. I’m better off buying a new camera that put a large amount into a discontinued camera. I’m not surprised Olympus is steadily loosing market share. They had a decent product but pay no attention to after sales or customer service. They are a dying company and already dead to me. 

The biggest item on our agenda today was to get the food package Alice had sent us. She had originally sent it to Fort Montgomery, NY but it got sent back to her. We learned today that they had a temporary worker that didn’t know anything about the AT and general delivery for thru-hikers so he screwed a lot of people up.  

Today, we had no problem getting our package at Annie Bananie’s. While we were going through the package trying to decide what we were going to carry with us and what we were going to ship forward, the driver that delivered the package yesterday came in.  He recognized the box that he had to man handle yesterday. He started talking to us about hiking and what all we had in the box.  He was concerned that we were not going to be able to carry all the weight. We assured him we weren’t going to.

Open a Christmas present, and everyone wants to see. While we were sorting, the woman we had met yesterday when we were leaving the shelter came in.  She asked if we had made it before the storm and if there was anything she could do to help us out. This was Julia. 

Julia lives in Florida but has been coming up to New England to spend her summers for the last 15 years.  She does trail magic and maintenance almost everyday she is up here in the summers. Today was no different. She drove us to the post office so we could forward our extra food up the trail and then drove us to the library so I could print out a return form for a smartwool shirt that has worn out before it’s time. 

Julia is probably going to retire this year and is thinking about how she can slack herself and hike the AT. She asked a few questions about how we do things on the trail.  I’m sure she will be hiking the trail next year.  She saved us a lot of town walking and carrying of weight around.

We met another sobo, Oracle. He started June 4. While we were talking to him, Nonna and Freeman (formerly known as Swiss Family Robinson) walked up. We all talked for a bit until we got a call from Karen.  She was picking up another hiker, Bungie, and wanted to know if we were ready. We had just talked to Bungie and had agreed to meet at the Wine and Spirits store to be picked up.

Every shipment from Alice includes the fixings for “Cowboy Pizza.”  Bunny and I sat on our deck finishing the beer we had bought yesterday and contemplated making the pizzas. The only way it was going to happen was if we both worked on them together. She wouldn’t buy my argument that I do all the cooking on the trail.  We are getting better each time. 

Sitting on the deck and drinking our last beer, we heard a knock on the door.  Karen knew we were going to be sitting out so she decided to come down and join us.  She just started the hostel a couple weeks ago. Chad the Dad was one of the first to stay here and that’s how we found out about it. Karen is a nurse (we are running into more nurses that any other profession out here). She’s now a school nurse and has the summers off, that’s why she started the hostel—extra free time. 

Earlier, we had invited Iron Fist and Bungie to join us for a drink on the deck. They came over and we all watched kayakers on the river. Karen came back a little later and said more hikers had come in.  Ultimately, we had another 3 hikers join us on the deck: Duckie, Tiba, and Kaos. Everyone agreed, the setting for our cabin was ideal. I’m going to hate to leave. 

EFG

We didn’t get the rain that we were hoping would cool everything off. That meant we had a miserable, sticky night. We had thought we would sleep in, pack up in the rain, and walk 5 miles to South Kent. On the bright side of things, we also didn’t have any college prep bears. Our food was safe and we were packing up dry gear. 

We had been told repeatedly that it was 100% chance of rain for Tuesday. When we called last night to make reservations at Herman’s Cabin, Karen told us it was going to rain all day. People were getting storm warnings on their phones about flash floods from heavy rains.  When we stopped at the pump on the way out of camp, a day hiker came up and warned us about impending rains and flash floods. I looked up at the clear blue sky and thought of the winter when I was driving 5 days a week to Mt Vernon, IL. The National Weather Service predicted 19 winter storms that didn’t happen and had no warnings at all for 7 that did. I was pretty sure we could make it 5 miles before any rain might materialize. 

The trail has turned into a torture walk.  Once again, it was unbearably hot and muggy with bugs swarming all over us.  I had to put in my ear plugs again to maintain my sanity. We only had one mountain to climb over today, Ten Mile Mountain.  As the name implies, we hiked 2 miles to get up and over it. 

I’m not sure where everyone has gone. There were four other hikers at the shelter last night that left before we did. The only person we saw today looked to be a barefoot flower girl from the 60’s walking toward us once we crossed into Connecticut. 

The other significant thing that popped out today was flowing water. CT is full of it. We crossed several streams and walked along a trout river that I could easily picture in Montana.  We noticed a cabin on the other side of the river and took a picture through the trees thinking that it could possibly be the one we reserved for tonight and tomorrow night. 

Our destination for today is at mile 1460. That is the 2/3 point of the entire trail (Appalachian Trail is officially 2190 miles in 2018).  That means that if you take all the effort we have put in up to now, we only have to put in an additional one half of the effort we’ve already spent. Half effort is my wheelhouse. Katahdin, here we come. 

By the time we reached the road leading to Bulls Bridge, it was starting to cloud up a bit. It was still sunny though. We did our half mile of road walking to the General Store.  We dropped our packs and went inside to get some food for lunch. And then a pint of ice cream…each. Finally, some drinks for our cabin since we were staying in the night. 

The final 1/2 mile to Herman’s Cabin (that doesn’t count in our mileage) was a road walk along the shoulder of a highway. We were a little afraid we might be in the wrong place because it’s all NPS land. Karen and Cliff’s property is surrounded by National Park lands. Karen greeted us as we walked up the drive. She showed us around and took us to our cabin on the river. The same cabin we had taken a picture of from across the river 2 miles of walking ago.  As soon as we got in the cabin, it started to rain.  

It rained for about an hour, but not terribly heavy. Bunny immediately took a nap. It is a great location with the river flowing just outside our bedroom river. The National Weather Service has nailed it once again.

EFG

I’ve been having vertigo and dizziness for the last couple of weeks. I’m sure it is related to the heat in some way. This morning, I fell while trying to get out of the tent. I rolled and took out the corner stake and almost took the whole thing down. There were two people standing there watching the whole thing.  I thought I heard Achilles say “Did you see that? She shoestringed him.” 

I’ve been asking it the wrong way when I talk to Bunny. I’ve said “I’m dizzy in the mornings. What could it be?”  To which she’d respond “I have no idea.”  I should have asked, “If your son, Sam, called and said he was dizzy in the mornings, what would you suggest he try?”

Foolishly, I asked again today and she replied “I don’t know, maybe a brain tumor.” I had just asked if all her crap was out of the tent and she wasn’t happy with the tone of my voice when I asked it, so I think that’s why I got the tumor response. Or maybe it’s the state of American medicine. If you ask a medical student “I heard hooves outside my window.  What could it be?” 90% will respond “zebra” because that’s the most exotic and exciting answer. No one wants to look at a simple boring problem. 

I think I’m having low blood pressure and when I sit up too fast, I get dizzy. I’m sure it’s related to the heat and hiking since that’s all we do every day. I’ll have to look into this tumor thing in a few years. In the mean time, I guess I’ll go back to my old fish oil regimen and look into more electrolytes. 

Today, like every day since we left PA, it was hotter than hell.  We were sweating like mad and we’d only been walking 10 minutes (granted, we could try to get up and get going before 9, but who are we kidding? That’s not going to happen.) we both agreed that we need to stop until it gets cooler.  We could take one of the side routes into Pawling, NY in 3 or 5 miles and find a diner to sit in until the heat passes. Instead, we decide to shoot for route 22 in 8 miles where there’s a food truck just off the trail. It’s not rocket science, yet we don’t get it. 

I have made it a rule to stop walking whenever my fingers are around my ears, eyes, or nose. It only makes sense.  There are lots of tripping hazards in the trail and a finger aimed towards the brain through a skull opening represents a deadly weapon.  I don’t want Bunny to have to bring people into see me and say “He’s a vegetable but his sinuses are the clearest they’ve ever been.”  You’d be surprised how fast a finger goes up the nose when a gnat flies in and gets caught in snot. The wiggling is quite intense. 

We walked around an unfortunately named Nuclear Lake. We really wanted to get in because we were so hot and miserable and the geese looked so cool and happy, but there was no good access that didn’t go through potentially snake infested growth along the shore. We even ran across a turtle in the woods looking longingly at the water but he wasn’t willing to risk the reeds and cattails. 

The next option was to stop at a shelter for a snack. As soon as we turned in, we saw the stream, which is the water source for it, is bone dry.  Since we were both out of water, there was no point heading in.  There was supposed to be another source in a quarter mile—also dry. We had a road crossing in less than a mile. We could hope that some angel had left a water cache at the road. 

Better than a water cache, by far, we found magic with Side Track and Somewhere. Normally, they sit out here a week earlier than this, but they have just Gotten back from a cruise in Norway. We got soda, Gatorade, and water as well as salty chips and a banana. Somewhere just has to complete the 15 miles to Katahdin to finish the AT. SideTrack had to give up because of back issues. They are both retired IBM employees. While talking to them, we got to meet our first true sobo, Mr Hiker, who started on May 26. 

After we got cooled off, we decided to push on the final 2.5 miles to Roseanne’s truck. It took about 50’ of walking before it felt like we hadn’t stopped at all. Once again, we were completely covered in sweat and every flying bastard within a hundred yards was buzzing our heads. I decided to hike with my ear plugs in to stop the buzzing in my ears. It worked pretty well for me. I couldn’t hear the bugs, but I also couldn’t hear any birds, or Bunny calling for a break, or Bunny complaints. It was total success. 

We got to the food truck in time to eat with the Swiss Family Robinson (which is Mona and Freeman) and Blessings (from Germany). Just like last year, we were the only two people that didn’t speak German. It turns out that Mona speaks 4 languages. We really need to work on language education in this country. Blessings just had an order of fries and suggested Bunny and I split an order and possibly a burger. We shined as Americans and demonstrated to the skinny German what gluttony looks like. We had both completed the half gallon challenge (which he wouldn’t even attempt).  We ordered a burger and fries, each as well as milk shakes and iced teas. I’m not sure if his look was amazement or disgust, but he’ll not easily forget my name. 

I wanted to get going, because all the food was making my stomach gassy. As soon as we got away from the truck and walking, all hell broke loose. And don’t let Bunny tell you it wasn’t both of us. I was so bloated that I couldn’t tighten the waist strap on my pack when I put it on.  With each “outburst” I was able to tighten it a little more. We had six miles of walk, fart, tighten, repeat. Important safety tip, do not over tighten or farts can easily turn into sharts. 

We both ran out of water before we made it to the shelter. Every stream crossing was dry, dry, dry (or disgustingly stagnant which did tone down the thirst).  We made it to the shelter with enough light to find a spot, set up the tent, and make a run for the water pump to rehydrate. To save time getting ready for bed, I decided to not hang a bear bad tonight. The local library in Dover has set up “loaner boxes” for books along the trail for hikers (day and thru). I’ve heard bears were getting smarter, but I wanted to see how smart. I put our food in the library box. If a bear wants to read a little, I’m willing to give him a snack. 

EFG

The rain got us bad. Bunny was scared because of the lightening and thunder. I tried holding her to comfort her. She was covering her eyes and shaking. I have no idea what kind of trauma had to happen to make her so deathly afraid of storms. Since I was holding her, I wasn’t by my side of the tent to feel the rain coming in. I didn’t realize it until I saw water on the screen so I dropped the door. The damage was done. 

About an hour later I had to go out and it was still raining. I reached for my umbrella on the backside of my pack and stuck my hand in an inch of water. Our tent was flooded. We didn’t know because our Big Agnes pads are 4” thick. We were on two pad islands. There wasn’t anything we could do until morning.

My pack was completely soaked. My dry sacks were not on the outside, but I had hopes for the contents. Our pads were wet on the back. To top it off, it was still raining while we were trying to pack up.  We just threw everything in our packs and headed to the concession/bathroom area. 

There wasn’t a lot we could do.  I opted to forget about my woes with a porcelain visit. See how a simple thing like a toilet instead of a privy can brighten your day. We ate a little breakfast and headed on. If the sun comes out, we might dry some stuff later. 

A couple of miles into our day, we met a sobo. I still haven’t met a true sobo this year.  By that, I mean someone who started on Katahdin this year and is thru-hiking. They should be getting close to us by now, so I ask everyone I pass. This girl, Highlander, was from Scotland and only had a few weeks on the trail until she was going to meet her sisters in NYC. She did tell us that RPH Shelter was having trail magic all weekend. She had gotten there in time for lunch yesterday and decided to stay for supper and breakfast as well.  No food tastes as great as free food prepared by others. We said goodbye with purpose. I told Highlander to remember, “there can be only one.” She said she knew of two others on the trail and she was on it. If decapitated hikers start turning up, I know why. 

We got to RPH Shelter a little after 11. Achilles and Peppermint were already there snacking. This was really a work weekend for members of the shelter supporters but they would feed any thru-hikers that were around at meal times. Not a problem, lunch was at 12 and we could graze until then. I had watermelon, a banana, chips, Gatorade, and a couple of Cokes until the burgers and hotdogs were broken out. I topped it all off with a huge salad. I wasn’t really done, but Bunny was, so off we went. 

During the two and a half hours we were there, I met Ralph Ferrusi, the founder of Ralph’s Peak Hikers, who saved shelter from being tore down. It’s the policy of the National Park Service to tear down all structures on acquired lands. Ralph though that was stupid, and convinced them that it was an existing shelter, thus saving the house. Ralph hiked the AT 45 years ago and is the 311th thru-hiker of record. The wanderlust that drove him to hike the AT, is also what has driven him and his wife to visit over 65 countries around the world. 

I also met Woodchuck from PA and gained a lifelong friend when I defended the trail there. We are the only two people who think everyone else are crybabies when it comes to rocks. When we left the shelter, they were still trying to find out what I’ve been drinking. 

We had heard more about the microburst of May 15 while we were there. The entire storm only lasted 15 minutes. The work weekends this year are all dedicated to cleaning up from that storm. We did enter a 2 mile section of downed trees (not 20 miles as some have hallucinated) that saw almost every tree of size all lying upturned in the same direction.  The power of nature still dwarfs anything man can do. (All right for the science deniers, I mean in quick short bursts. Mankind has had an effect on the climate. Yes, the earth routinely heats up and cools down.  We have increased the height of this sine wave of change. Climate change is real and we don’t know the long term changes yet.  I’m sure the earth will return to normal once it rids itself of the plague of locusts currently consuming it.  Pleasant thoughts.)

I was nearing heat exhaustion but Bunny kept pushing. I wanted to stop after 10 miles and go camp at a deli down a side road—warm meal, possible even a beer, and free camping. Not on the little lady’s agenda. We’ve got to make up all the time I wasted at RPH Shelter. (I do seem to recall someone, other than me, sitting in a reclining yard chair, drinking cold drinks, and eating free food, but I can’t quite place the face.)

We got into Morgan Stewart Shelter at 8 with almost everyone already in bed. We set up tent to dry and went to shelter to cook and get everything ready to put in the tent after it dried a bit. Everything was soaked. It was a nice thought to dry stuff out, but it didn’t work. No one was staying in the shelter because of the mosquitoes. We ended up just drinking a little water and having a peanut butter wrap before getting run inside by the hordes. 

The mosquitoes were terrible to the point that I was willing to quit. I didn’t let Bunny know this because she would jump at the chance. I was just mentally and physically wore out. I threw up a bear bag before I joined her in the tent. Everything was still wet. It’s not a great joy sleeping on wet pads in a wet tent when your body is wet from sweat and your legs are chafing from being wet and rubbing together all day. We won’t have a chance to dry out for another day or two. Thank god I’m man enough to not be constrained by sexist roles.  I’ve got my Vagisil and I’m glad of it. 

EFG

It eventually cooled off for some good sleeping…if only I didn’t have to get up 5 times through the night. Bunny must have been sleeping pretty well because, in the morning, she complained about me getting up 3 times and keeping her awake. 

We were camped next to a couple from Switzerland.  He hiked from Georgia to Delaware Water Gap, PA last year and he’s going to finish the trail this year. She’s only here for 3 weeks of hiking and then he’ll be on his own again. We need to exchange names if we run into them again. Their English (which is much better than my German) is not too strong so they feel a little shy. I can completely relate from our experiences last year. 

For lack of better names, the Swiss Family Robinson was up and on the trail by 6. Bunny woke up while they were packing up so I feigned deep sleep to discourage any thoughts of early rising.  Once the danger passed and she fell back asleep, I made my 5th trip out. We were the next to last out of camp at 8 (a very respectable early start for us). 

Hiking east of the Hudson is better so far. We have some actual dirt trails without large quantities of rocks. The trail is still riddled with PUDs. Even though smaller PUDs, they are still PUDs. I don’t know if there is one sadistic trail designer in NY, or maybe it’s the nature of living so crowded, but the AT can not physically be routed over any more rock piles in this state (unless they start airlifting in more boulders—doh, I shouldn’t have given them that idea).

It wasn’t that hot, but it was very humid. With the high humidity, the next stage of the Apocalypse continues—mf’ing mosquitoes and gnats. The bugs and humidity really slowed us down. With only 80 degree temperatures , I guess that just confirms the old saying I’ve had to live with all my life—“it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”

We tried to out maneuver the heat by taking a long lunch in shade next to a parking lot that had a water tap. Even eating slow didn’t take as much time as we hoped it would, so we took a nap, too.  This was so nice to find an area relatively cool without bugs bombarding us. The little bastards are starting to drive me crazy (more?).

I like to dip my shirt and buff in cold water to help cool off on days like this.  We came to a flowing stream (one of very few we have come across in NY). I remember having a dream one time that I was swimming in a pool that was so warm that I could tell when someone peed in the water because it was cool.  That’s how warm this stream was. I’d have been cooler if I just peed on my bandana and wiped my head down. Unfortunately, I’ve committed to only peeing my pants; I don’t want to start any bad habits on the trail. 

There is plenty of history along the trail here. George Washington ordered that all troops be inoculated for small pox. We passed the location of the Hempstead (coincidentally, the most common misspelling of my last name) Huts where parts of the Continental Army and Inoculation Station were housed from 1776-1779.  Not too far from there, we also passed a built up mining road which was used to transport raw ore across the valley. 

Strong winds on May 15 took out lots of trees. Several hikers have warned us of a long section of trail (up to 20 miles by some sources) where all of the trees have been blown down. We’ve entered the down tree obstacle course in Fahnestock State Park. 

Bunny finally found the side trail to Canopus Lake and left me in her wake in the name of “making it to the concession stand before it closes.” We did make it before it closed but only after they shut the grill off at 5. We had to settle for appetizers of Snickers Ice Cream bars, chips, and cold drinks. With the edge off of our hunger, we could concentrate on preparing our Knorr cheesy spirals and Spam for the entree with Peanut M&Ms for dessert.  Of course, it started to rain half way through the meal.  We finished dinner under the awning of the bathroom building (not in the bathrooms, Bunny didn’t want an indoor dining experience. 

The free campsite for hikers was on the backside of a rather large parking lot. In between spells of rain, we made the trip to the campsite and set up our tent. The Swiss Family Robinson was next to us once again.  Since we had already eaten and more rain was threatening, we went to bed early. Storms started a little after 9. Bunny started to freak out when the lightening started and she refused to take Benadryl (we used to regularly knock Nutiket, my dog, out during storms became she would get so agitated. She didn’t react 1/4 as bad as Bunny does so I thought Benadryl was a great solution so we could both sleep). There’s not many other tools in my box…I need a hammer. 

EFG

Since we had stayed up past midnight (the actual one, not the hiker one) we easily slept until 8:30. We weren’t really concerned because we had planned to hike a short day and spend tonight at a monastery.  As long as we live through the day, the monks will watch over us tonight. 

We woke up Starburst so she could join the three of us for breakfast. Going into the cafe this morning was like walking into “Cheers”.  The women remembered us from yesterday. I even ordered my usual, got my coffee, and sat down.  After we got done eating, Bunny and I headed back so I could shower and pack. Everyone else had already done so. 

I was the first to throw my pack in the truck.  I can be efficient when required. It helps that I’m super organized and load my pack the same way every time. I went and knocked on Starburst’s door to let her know we were ready. She was sound asleep. When she came out, she had drool on her chin.  Mizman weighed his pack and it was 40#. He had been bragging about how much he had reduced his pack weight since we first met him in February. When he started hiking, he had a 65# pack and wasn’t carrying a tent. 

Grandpa dropped us all off at the Bear Mountain Inn.  Starburst is nobo like Bunny and me, but Mizman is a stinking sobo. Mizman decided to walk with us through the zoo before backtracking and heading up Bear Mountain.  This way, he could relive the good old days when he was normal and walked with people every day. 

Bear Mountain State Park is a gem. I’m flabbergasted that there is so much wilderness so close to the largest city in the USA. There are 3 state parks right next to each other that are much larger than the greater NYC area. Why more people aren’t out here enjoying all this beauty is beyond me, but I guess it’s for the best.  Otherwise, the trail would be even more crowded. 

Mizman, Starburst, Bunny, and I all entered the zoo together.  The trailside zoo is a rehabilitation zoo for injured animals. If the zoo weren’t here, every animal in it would surely be dead. There were a couple of 3 legged foxes, some coyotes, and a scraggly black bear that knew he had it made.  He would lift his head and look at passers by then roll backwards to get an “aww.”  We easily spent an hour exploring the exhibits and cages. During the course of things, we lost Starburst but she had ran into Norvegan so we assumed they just went ahead. 

It was great to not only get to see Mizman again, but to spend a couple days with him. He is probably the most positive and happy person I have ever met. What I appreciate most about him is that he gets my jokes—an obvious man of quality. The three of us sat on benches near the north entrance of the zoo munching on some fruit and chatting until it was Mizman that got up and wished us safe travels. Then he walked off. I turned to Bunny and said “we’ll see him again.”  A minute later he returned. He had started off in the wrong direction. 

Bunny and I headed north and crossed the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge. This is the oldest and first suspension bridge in the USA.  Other than the wind blowing Bunny’s hat off into traffic, nothing exciting happened. We didn’t even get the opportunity to stop a jumper.

By the time we got into the woods on the east side of the Hudson, we had already travelled 1/3 of the distance we had planned for today. Chad the Lad (it doesn’t feel right to call him Chad the Dad since Shea is not walking with him and he is 4 years younger than Bunny) had told us that NY gets a bit less challenging after Fort Mongomery. Foolishly, we trust and believe him, but he was telling the truth. 

It was an easy walk up St Anthony’s Nose.  (This is the first mountain and not a giant sleeping beside the river.) The 3.5 mile walk through the woods only had a minor moment of excitement when a rattlesnake crawled in front of me and started rattling. The snakes have become as exciting as the bears when we run across one. The first time is a huge adrenaline rush. The second time is a little exciting. By the 3rd time, I just motion to Bunny to get her camera, there’s a (bear, rattlesnake, Bigfoot, you choose) in the trail. 

Now we begin the deli hopping portion of the AT. Almost every day from here until the end of CT, we will pass a Deli in the afternoon. Today, it was the Appalachian Deli and Gas. I’m assuming gas station and not a food byproduct. We went in and Starburst and Norvegan were sitting there. They had followed us through the zoo but didn’t see us double back to sit with Mizman. They headed out trying to catch up with us. Silly girls, everyone knows that if you want to catch up with us, you only need to sit down until we catch up to you. We have a strict no passing policy that we adhere to at all times. I can’t recall ever passing up a thru-hiker in the 5 months we have been on the trail. 

We ordered supper from the grill and did a bit more blogging.  I also got caught up on some emails that needed attention. Namely with Merrell since I’m trying to get them to replace my boots. I just bought the pair I’m wearing before Shenandoah and the soles are falling off. I generally love my Moab’s (this is my third pair I’ve bought). They fit my feet without having to go through a break in period. 

It was only another half mile of trail until we got to the turn for the monastery. They have been providing free camping to thru-hikers for decades. There is a fresh water spigot and port a potties as well.  Bunny and I took a wrong turn and walked a little further than we needed, but we made it in well before dark. We set up camp and chilled a bit before turning in while it was still light out. We’ve stayed up way too late with a Mizman the last two nights and are worn out. He stays up regularly past 10 even when hiking. 

EFG 

Today is the 5 month anniversary of us starting the AT. To celebrate, we took a day off. We thought we were pretty generous with our zero days in the first half of our journey—23. Since the halfway point, we’ve only taken 5. Mizman has taken more than 50 total. 

We took a leisurely day with Mizman going to eat breakfast around 9:30. I was famished and ate breakfast and lunch both before I started to fill up. When we got back to the motel, Grandpa gave us coupons for free sundaes at his son’s ice cream store then drove us into town.  We did our grocery shopping before I made the mistake of calling Olympus to try to get my camera repaired. I’ve been without my camera for over a week in case anyone is wondering why you haven’t seen any of our beloved selfies. 

On the way to the ice cream shop, we stopped by the Post Office and sent my camera in for repair. I think I’ll end up having to buy a new camera, but it’s worth a try. Maybe a sundae will calm me down. Ice cream seems to do the trick these days. Once again, we achieved ice cream nirvana. 

Before heading back to the motel, we stopped by a McDonalds so I could fill up on iced tea. It’s hard to find plain unsweetened tea without lemon anywhere else. I mentioned to Mizman that I might be interested in getting some lightweight cotton clothes to sleep in before I went to the bathroom.  When I came back, he was outside getting me clothes from a woman he met inside. Mizman is a charmer and talker. He got me 4 t-shirts from a total stranger. If he had been a salesman, he’d be rich beyond all of our dreams. 

I didn’t realize we were right next to West Point Military Academy in Highland Falls. This must be new cadets week because parents were running all around town on a scavenger hunt (while their kids were signing away there constitutional rights).  I often over analyze things and look back on mistakes I’ve made in life. It’s hard not to when you are a mid-50s male that is unemployed and homeless. I had the opportunity to go to the Air Force Academy and turned it down (I had an uncle who was a Col in the AF that had some pull). If I had gone, I could be a retired mid-50s male that is just homeless. The big difference would be an income. 

The day of rest and reconnecting with Mizman was just what we needed to get reenergized. Since he jumped north and started being a sobo, he has managed to run into most of the people we all know in the last month. He gave us some bad news: Play by Play has gotten off of the trail, but Pit Boss is continuing on. We don’t know the details, but we were very sad to hear. Most of our early friends are still around and are getting into Vermont. We are starting to be surrounded by the April bubbleheads.  

We did meet a new hiker when we got back to the motel. Starburst started on McAfee Knob with her mother in May. After she gets done on Katahdin, she’ll flip down to GA and end up on McAfee Knob. Her husband is supporting her this year and she’ll support him next year when he thru-hikes. 

This would be a strange set up for me. Bunny and I have been together continuously on this trip (except for the 10 days she went back to MO when her dad was ill). I felt lost without her with me. Sometimes we want to kill each other, but we spend way more time together than most married couples ever do.  We are together to the point that neither of us knows what it’s like to be alone, yet we still get along. Ain’t love grand?

EFG

We got up at 6 to make sure we got our pads and quilts put away before any rangers showed up. That way we could say “Oh, we just got here and wanted to eat breakfast before the showers opened. I think we went to a lot of trouble for nothing, no one showed up.  

Truth of the matter was Bunny had another bad night of sleep and wanted to get to a hotel for some quality sleep.  It was a cool night, but Bunny was out of her comfort zone sleeping “illegally” next to vending machines with an occasional passing car. I slept like a baby with the white noise of the compressors keeping everything cold.  It’s funny, she’s “Five Finger Bunny” last year lifting goods everywhere we went in Europe, but put up a “no camping” sign and she turns into Mother Teresa.  

I liked the spot, so, by the rules of marriage of which we abide, Bunny hated it. We had toilets two buildings over which we used vigorously (at least I know I did).  I’m guessing Bunny did, too, since she wouldn’t allow herself to fart all night with a stranger present.  We had fresh water we didn’t have to filter. We had picnic tables with fewer bugs than normal. And, if we wanted, we had overpriced ice cream we could have after our breakfast. 

We filled up our water and started walking back uphill to the trail hoping some galant ranger would pick us up and save us the walk. The only rangers we saw this morning were knobheads.  Add an extra 1/2 mile to our trail miles listed above. 

I wouldn’t say the trail was better today. It was more of the same—zig zagging from rock pile to rock pile. The term “PUDs” was created thanks to the overzealous trail crews in NY. A PUD is a pointless up and down. We’ve had just under 40 miles of PUDs so far and we’re not quite halfway through this state. 

We decided to take a break at the William Brien Memorial Shelter. When we got there, it was pretty trashed and the nearest water was almost a half mile downhill. Homey don’t play that.  I think the trail maintainers have given up on the shelters this close to NYC. Too many locals come out and party without cleaning up after themselves. One shelter had comment after comment in Guthook about an overflowing privy.  The maintainer obviously read it because he brought a shovel out and leaned it on the side of the privy. Bunny still used the privy, but I opted for digging a hole (and everyone should know by now how much I hate to dig poop holes).

Most of the road crossings the last few days have contained water caches. There are some generous people looking out for us. They are buying gallon jugs of water in the hundreds. I’m hoping they do refill them to save money. I’m sure they know how much the hikers appreciate all their effort. 

There was a sign up advertising Long Distance Trails Crew working on West Mountain and Bear Mountain. The work they are doing is simply amazing. They are cutting local stone right on the trail and making steps through the boulder fields. This has been the first really engineered section of trail we have come to. It was so much easier on our ankles. I might even be able to do pistols by the time we finish the AT. 

On top of West Mountain, we got our first sight of Hudson River. While we were admiring the view, we got a call from Mizman. He’s decided to stick around in Fort Montgomery for another day to spend some time with us. We told him where we were thinking of staying.  He said he’d work out a deal for us and arrange for a shuttle if we knew what time we might arrive. 

Climbing up Bear Mountain, we hit another milestone. We passed the 1400 mile mark. The astute reader might notice that I say “we” when in fact, Bunny has skipped 80 miles of trail (she’s quick to point out its only 78 miles). I know she will make it up, so I say “we” on all mileages, so back off of Bunny’s butt everyone. She’ll make it up, or we will yo-yo the trail—I’ll let that be Bunny’s call. 

After West Mountain and all the way over Bear Mountain, we had a beautiful walk, but very hot.  We got an extra mile of trail on Bear Mountain alone with all the zig zags over rock piles and through elm tree forests. It was on new, manicured trails most of the way (or so we thought). After the tower on Bear Mountain, we found out what a manicured trail really looks like. 

The trail crews have done a staggering amount of work building the trail coming down Bear Mountain to the zoo. I just can’t imagine a better natural trail than this one. They have cut over a thousand steps out of town he rocks on the mountain. And this trail is built for heavy use being 4’ wide most of the way. This trail will still exist long after the last skyscraper in NYC has fallen.  

Most European countries require 2 years of public service of all high school graduates. I think this needs to be a requirement here, as well.  Get the kids away from video games and put them in real world situations away from their families. Give them the choice of military services, public service, trail building, etc.  There’s plenty that needs to be done. Let these kids see a bit more of life before expecting them to make a career education decision. A little delay in college graduation isn’t going to make a difference if it’s universal. 

Climbing up Bear Mountain took forever.  Maybe it was the heat.  Maybe it was the winding trails that allowed us to see every single rock pile on the mountain (and there are lots). Maybe it was seeing all the snakes which somehow reset Bunny’s odometer to zero each time when she froze. (No poisonous snakes today, just rat and black snakes, but a few well over 6’ in length.) on second thought it was the winding trails. A few times we walked 1/4 mile to go over a PUD only to see the trail we were on 1/4 mile back only 50’ away. It’s maddening. 

We stopped at the top of Bear Mountain to eat our meager lunch and get some Cokes from the vending machine.  There is a tower up there that is open to the public and priced right for me—free.  The tower was only 5 stories tall but it was built like a bomb shelter. There are a couple of floors dedicated to the history of the area and then the top floor is a viewing deck. On a clear day, you can see NYC. Today was kind of hazy so we could only see a couple buildings. 

Coming down Bear Mountain is where we ran into the spectator trail.  We met a man that lives in the town just across the Hudson and he was very proud of the trail. He thinks, and I agree, Bear Mountain should be a bigger draw than anything the city has to offer. When we got to the bottom, we gave Grandpa a call for ride to Bear Mountain Bridge Motel (BMBM). He told us where to go. I offered to add another BM to the pile. 

 

Grandpa has only had the motel for a couple of months. He and his wife are managing it for his son, who also owns an ice cream shop in town. Grandpa picked us up and Mizman was in the front seat with a beer and an iced tea for us. We haven’t seen Mizman since April 9 when we left him in Damascus. Now he’s a sobo. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but that will have to wait until showers. 

EFG

It’s confirmed, we will not be sleeping in a shelter again until we have a hard frost to kill all the mosquitoes. I still don’t know what the hell Noah was thinking when he saved the species. I don’t think I got two hours of sleep, total, last night. I know Lee and Zeric fared a bit better from their snoring. I’ll cut them slack since they were both Bernie supporters. 

Bunny gave up at 5:20 and said “let’s get going.” I didn’t need to be told a second time. Lee got up at the same time that we did so we didn’t have to quietly pack up. The 5 of us left the shelter before 6:30, and it was already hot. We were pouring out sweat before we even had a mile of trail done. This is when the trail becomes much more of a mental challenge than a physical one. There’s no doubt Bunny and I can hike—the challenge has now become hiking in heat with next to no sleep, bugs constantly swarming in your face and ears, and not killing each other or quitting. 

I can’t complain because it will get Bunny rolling so I keep my misery bottled up and calmly deal with my problems (like I always do and no one appreciates the effort it takes to keep quiet—woe is me). I will admit I enjoy hearing Bunny cuss at the bugs. I have a low tolerance for insects buzzing my ears and if I get upset, Bunny wastes no time in telling me to calm down. It’s great to see her patience taxed to the point of madness.  I tell her to calm down, it’s just a few bugs, then I run far enough ahead that she can’t slap me with her walking sticks or hit me with a rock. 

The first water is only a mile and a half away. It’s down in a tree covered gap and the air is easily 20 degrees cooler down there.  The Ohio boys are already there filtering water. They are separating the frog water from the good water when we arrive. We sat down on the bridge and talked about some of our trail experiences with them. I think 5 days is their limit. We’re just 144 days past that. 

Leaving the stream, we see the ideal camping spot we should have hiked to yesterday. Hind sight is 20/20. There were 3 other thru-hikers there and they said the mosquitoes were bad, but, at least in a tent, you can lock them out.  Just after the spot we should have stayed at, we came to a waterfall that Stickers had left this comment in Guthook about—“I can piss a bigger stream than this sorry assed falls.”  I can almost agree if he had added “after not drinking any water for a week.”

The heat was oppressive at best. I was feeling faint and getting weaker with each step. Of course, this made Bunny happy to think that I was miserable and might pass out or die—she’ll use any excuse to quit the trail at this point. We passed a beaver dam on the end of a lake.  I was ready to fall in (or pass out).

New York has made the decision to route the trail over every rock pile on the ridge.  As a result, the trail zig zag’s back and fourth. The only thing this accomplishes is pissing off the said hikers. Maybe 20 years ago, there might have been views from these piles. Today, the trees are so tall that there are no views. We end up walking 3 times the distance to bake our asses and feet on blistering rocks in full sun. New York is on par with New Jersey right now. 

Finally, we enter Harriman State Park. It starts off with a road walk and then a short section of trail through weeds before we come to a parking lot to find…Hummingbird who greets us with magic pickles.  We had lost so much salt in our sweat that we had white streaks on our clothes from where our sweat had dried. We needed salt and the jar of giant dill pickles helped (along with the chips and Gatorade). When we left her and Godfather 20 minutes later, I was feeling the best I had all day. 

Upon getting to the top of our first climb in Harriman, the trail was absolutely gorgeous. We were hoping that since we were in a state park, the trail might be a bit better maintained.  It was not as rocky, but it still liked to meander over every rock pile on top of the mountains. We knew we had to cross Seven Lakes Road ahead. When we got high enough, we understood the road name. The lakes in Harriman are nestled in the mountains and are tempting blue treasures. We were almost diverted to one, but decided to stay the course and head to the shower house at the beach. 

There is also a famous rock formation we had to pass before the next shelter, the Lemon Squeezer where the hiker IS the lemon. Bunny was slightly apprehensive because the only part of it we were familiar with involved crawling through a small rock overhang (snake filled cave in her mind). This turned out to barely slow us down but when we came out the other side, we were in a small intersection of rock walls where the trail headed out through a crack between two cliffs. It was cool in here and not too buggy, so we plopped down for a short break.  After a few minutes of rest, Godfather caught up with us.  He went out of the courtyard first and through the crack. The trick is you have to take your pack off and push it ahead and up on the ledge before you.  He got up there and offered to do us the favor of lifting our packs up for us. That was all fine and dandy, but now we each owe The Godfather a favor that he can ask at any time. It looks like we might have to kill someone in the future. 

We decided to skip Fingerboard Shelter because of recent bear activity. Chad the Dad had texted us earlier telling us to not stay here. We had also heard through the trail grapevine that bears had gotten some hiker food last night. We held out hope for showers and a swim at the state park beach. Passing the area around the shelter was slow going because I was hobbling and Bunny was picking blueberries. It was easy to see why bears were hanging out around this shelter with nothing but blueberries on top of the mountain. 

Only the bathrooms were still open when we finally arrived. The beach and bathhouse were under lockdown for the night. Bunny wanted to just grab water and head back to the trail to find a camping spot before complete darkness but I was done. My feet were shot and I needed food before I could think of anything else. I had never intended to leave this area once we got here—we’d find a place to stealth camp or sleep in some sort of picnic area. I didn’t have the energy to carry water and hike back uphill to the trail. We ended up sleeping in the vending area which was a covered section of building adjacent to the bathhouse. One other hiker, Mule, stayed there with us. 

EFG