Day 26 - 13.5 - Appalachian Trail Railroad Station - NY - Home

Sir Winton Churchill best captured my feelings today when he said,  "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

 

Today, June 7th, is the last day of my hike for this Spring.  Sadly, I am officially off the trail.

 

The problem I had with the pain and numbness in my right thigh (Meralgian Paresthetica) has returned.  I had high hopes that the custom padded belt that Su Burdette helped me fashion would stave off the onset of the problem but that was not in the cards (Su - I can't thank you enough for your help).  The belt did its job for a period of time, but as I once again lost a fair amount of weight, and my pack began to press lower on my hips, the belt became less effective.  The decision to stop my hike was a difficult one, particularly since I was only 12 miles short of reaching Connecticut, but one that I have been wrestling with over several days.  I love being on the trail, meeting wonderful people and seeing America in its natural glory, but I must put my long term physical well being first. The episode from last year kept me in pain and discomfort for many months and I am not willing to pay that price or potenially an even higher price just to complete the trail this year.

I don't think this is the end of my AT hike, but rather a re-grouping point where I need to evaluate alternative approaches to achieving my goal.  There are still many options open to me so I have not thrown in the towel quite yet!

Well, enough of that.  Let's talk about the hike this last day and my trip home.

Mr. Sunshine and I knew it was going to be a scorcher today so we got up by 5:15am and were on the trail by 6:00.  With the low humidity and temps in the morning we were able to make fast mileage.  We reached Morgan Stewart Shelter by 7:20 and got a fresh supply of water from a hand pump well.  Very iron-like taste.  That is why we carry powered drink flavors, they help to mask the taste.

We reached Nuclear Lake about the time things started to get steamy.  I could not find my Deet (insect repellent) to save my life. It turned out that in my rush during the morning, I had wrapped it up in my tent.  Needless to say, I was a favorite target for the bugs today. 

 

The miles flew by and by 11:30, I reached the Telephone Pioneers Shelter.  Having made my decision to head home, I gave all my food supplies to Mr. Sunshine.  He decided to call it a day and let his feet rest.  I headed on down the mountain to the reknowned Appalachian Trail Raiload Train Station, one of many stops on a commuter rail line to New York City.  I guess I'm not the first to opt to come off the trail at this point. 

 

Telephone Pioneers Shelter

The walk to the train station was interesting but hot.  A lot of it involved walking through tall grass (amazingly no ticks - guess that Permetrin was working) and then through a long marsh where they are working on replacing the crude board crossing with a nice deck.  As I came out of the marsh, the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station appeared!

THE ROAD HOME - Much to my dismay, after reaching the station, I realized that trains only stop to pick up and discharge passengers on the weekends.  Seems there is always a catch that can mess up your plans, even on the AT.  I tried to get a ride to the next town but did not have any luck.  Thank goodness for my new Droid X phone that I bought just before setting out on the trail - I was able to ask it to locate a local taxi and in seconds, I had a ride.  I got to the next station down the line with only 5 minutes to spare. 

 

It took two hours to get to New York City and then the real fun began.  The commuter train pulled into Grand Central but I needed to get to Penn Station to catch the Amtrak train that would carry me to Maryland.  As luck would have it, I arrived in Grand Central right at the outset of rush hour so it was bedlam and no easy task to maneuver to Penn Station when I had no idea where I was going! 

 

Grand Central has tunnels coming from all directions and there were huge masses of people rushing about.  I asked a couple of people how to walk to Penn Station and they looked at me like I was crazy.  Everyone told me to hop the shuttle (subway) and then make a transfer.  Thinking, "OK, here goes nothing," I headed toward the shuttle.  Fortunately, I met a local at the fare card machine who offered to help me get to the Amtrak ticket office at Penn Station.  Even when we got to Penn Station, there seemed to be tunnels in all directions and barely any signs.  The place was a mad house.  My trail angel (who would have thought, an angel in NYC) stayed with me all the way to the ticket office!  I don't think I would have made it without his help.  Hikers will tell you, when you want something, you probably won't get it but when you need something, the trail will provide.  My trail luck was still with me. 

 

As we pulled out of NYC I was finally able to relax and catch up on my e-mail.  Sandy was there to pick me up at the Shady Grove subway station and we were home by 10:30pm.  Not bad.  Traveling from the AT just 12 miles from the Connecticut border to home in just nine hours.

Hot meal, long shower and a soft bed - a good end to a tough day.  Tomorrow starts my recovery and evaluation of how to conquer or at least compensate for this problem.

Thanks to all for the love and support you have given me - it is deeply appreciated.

Day 25 Monday June 6th. - 16.6 Miles to Stealth Camp near NY 52

I have never thought of deer as being clumsy, but over the last several days I have come to realize that the New York deer may need some lessons in being graceful.   Last night, around dusk, I heard from in my tent a lot of cracking of twigs and rustling of leaves.  The intensity of the sound made be think that possibly a bear was snooping around camp.  Wrong - out walks a deer who stares at our tents like they were alien beings.  Days earlier on Bear Mountain as I came around a cliff side on a narrow ledge, a deer jumped out from a little ledge to my right not more than four feet in front of me and tumbled down the mountain.  He was alright after he shook off the initial fall.

Was another hot and steamy day.  Thank goodness our starting point had nice clean potable water.  Sure makes a difference in taste.  Our first climb of the day brought us to Shenandoah mountain which has the notable feature of a US flag painted on the rock surface in honor of 9/11.  It was a great spot for a lunch break.

Lunch on Shenandoah Mountain

As the temp's continued to climb we arrived at RPH Shelter.  Nice facility.  Cinder block walls, bunks, hand pump and very few flying bugs.  Time for a hiker nap.  As the weather get hotter, many hikers will take several hours off during the mid day to rest and continue to hike after 3pm when the sun starts to decline.

 RPH - Looks nice - but has only three walls.

Tough haul out of RPH.  The mountain kind of made us feel like returning to the shelter and taking a longer nap.  The one good thing was when we reached NY 52 there was a deli waiting for us just .4 miles down the road.  Nothing like a nice hot pizza to re-energize the body.

We hiked another 40 minutes after dinner and settled for a spot just off the trail.  Unfortunately the interstate was about a mile away, so we were serenaded all night long with the sounds of big rig trucks cruising the highway.

Day 24 – 15 miles - Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park

 Hurray for Trudy the trail angel.  We woke up this morning to the smell of warm waffles.  Our laundry was dried, folded, stacked and ready for us to grab and go.  We had a lively conversation around the breakfast table and then Trudy drove us from West Point back to the trail to drop us where we left off yesterday.  What a wonderful gesture and wonderful person!

One of the many beautiful vistas on the AT

First milestone of the day, we crossed the Hudson River over Bear Mountain Bridge.  It was spectacular, a breathtaking panorama.  We could see Fort Montgomery and Bear Mountain looming over us as we crossed.  Unfortunately, on the other side of bridge, as is the case whenever you leave a town, we had to pay the price we always pay – climbing altitude to get back up the mountain ridge.

New York is an interesting place (aren’t all the stops on this journey?), it seems that as you reach many of the road crossings, if you pay close attention and you look left or right, you’ll probably see a deli!  In our case, after hiking about 8 miles, we reached a road crossing at lunch time.  There we found a gas station called the Appalachian Café and inside was a full deli that made hot and cold sandwiches.  What a treat to be able to sit down to lunch at a picnic table and have a fresh hot chicken sandwich and a cold green tea!

As I mentioned yesterday, one of the typical highlights of this leg of the hike is visiting Graymoor Monastery, home of Franciscan Friars.  The monastery has welcomed AT hikers for decades.  In the past, you could stay in the rectory building and be treated to a sumptuous meal but nowadays, you are offered the ball field as a place to pitch your tent and a picnic pavilion where you can eat.  Mr. Sunshine and I determined that visiting the monastery was going to take us a mile out of our way so we bypassed it.  We also decided to skip the Trailside Wildlife Refuge since we got there at 9am and it didn’t open until 10.  It is basically a petting zoo so no big deal.  Plenty of other sites to see!

As we pushed deeper into the woods, the wind died and we became the target of every mosquito and black fly in the area.  At the end of the day, we both looked like pin cushions and I think we’ll be eating dinner inside our tents to avoid the bugs.

Tonight we are camping at a State Park.  At least this place has a potable water well down by the road. At our current rate, we hope to be in Connecticut in 3 days.  The states are speeding by.

Day 23 – 13.4 miles - Trudy's House, West Point, NY



Trudy, Our Wonderful Trail Angel

 Today was National Trail Day so there were many interested hikers and helpers on the trail.  Mr. Sunshine and I were lucky enough to run into a wonderful trail angel (Trudy) who offered us the opportunity to stay at her house for the night.  Wow, what a shower, shave, clean clothes and a bed can do to revive you!  We will be forever grateful for Trudy's kindness.

Mr. Sunshine and I are now hiking together.  Mr. Sunshine is a 51 year old Californian who hiked a bit of the trail last year and is back for more this summer.  He started in Harper’s Ferry and hopes to make it to Katahdin this year. 

The AT's version of Disneyland



The day was full of ups and downs.  We walked over three peaks, the last being Bear Mountain.  Bear Mountain was quite an experience, it was almost like being in Disneyland!  Because it is a popular tourist hiking attraction, stone steps have been built to help you climb the mountain with gravel pathways where there is bare trail.  I found myself wondering whether I was still on the AT!  The view from the top is magnificent with the skyline of New York visible on a clear day.  It was hazy but I could make out the skyline if I squinted my eyes.  Of course I took lots of pictures which I am hoping will show the skyline.  We were tour guides of sorts when several confused/lost Trail Day hikers needed directions back to town!

Water on the trail was terrible.  Yesterday, we had to hike a mile just to find a water source and I loaded up with 5 liters just to be safe – this load is a huge weight to add to the pack.  The water was yellow, not very appetizing.  I gave the water a double treatment of both my steripen (ultraviolet water purification device) and aqua mira (chemical tablet) to make sure it was properly sanitized.  Today we added 1.5 miles to our hike to get to a State Park where we were able to get fresh water. 



A happy backpacker - beautiful weather on the AT  -
Can you see NY in the background?

  Tomorrow I will be hiking through a zoo and after about 8 miles, will come to a monastery.  The monks let hikers set up their tents on the monastery grounds and feed the hikers if there is interest.  I may or may not stop depending on the weather (thunderstorms are predicted) since I want to keep putting on the miles.  Connecticut is in my sights – I hope to cross the State line within the next 3-4 days!



Day 22 – 14.3 miles – Fingerboard Shelter



Staying In Shape To Scramble the Rocks

Today was another fair weather day which always makes for pleasant hiking.  Unfortunately, the good weather was counteracted by a brutal day along the rocks, so I am proud to have covered 14.3 miles.  It was a Herculean effort!  Rumor has it that there are only 8-10 miles of rock left ahead of me – hallelujah.  I won’t miss this part of the trail!

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, today I encountered one of the more challenging parts of the hike, Lemon Squeezer.  The rocks in this area of the trail are so close you have to take your backpack off and push it ahead of you as you thread through the rocks!



Light at the end of the tunnel



Fitzgerald (no relation to Bill) Waterfall



I did see other wonderful sights today.  I encountered the Fitzgerald Waterfall and got to see a mother turkey with 12 little ones walking along the trail.  When the mother saw the hikers, she gave out a call that caused her chicks to scatter in every direction possible.  When we had safely passed by, the mother gave another call and all the chicks came back.  There is always something unexpected to see as you’re hiking.



Tomorrow I should be climbing Bear Mountain.  If the day is clear (which it’s supposed to be), I should be able to see the outline of New York City from the top of the mountain.  Oh goodie, my favorite sight (for those who don’t know, I am not a fan of the Big Apple!).  Sunday I may have showers . . . boo. 

Nothing like a beautiful Spring day on the trail

Day 21 – 12 miles – Wildcat Shelter

Today was a good day on the trail.  The temperature was only in the 80’s and there was a breeze throughout the day.  This kept down the bugs and kept me from sweating all day.

I ran into quite a bit of wildlife today.  I woke up to a turkey trotting by my tent, saw a small copperhead crossing the trail (only about a foot long), and ran into a second turkey moseying along the trail.  I also encountered an unusual SOBO (southbound) hiker - a large black bear who was oblivious to my presence.  He was busy walking down the trail and looking down, the wind was blowing in my direction so he didn’t pick up my smell and he didn’t seem to hear me until I called out “Hey, Bear!” when he was only about 25 feet away.  I raised my walking sticks above my head into an X when I realized the bear wasn’t just crossing the trail, he was following the path of least resistance – walking the same path as I.  The bear took a good look at me and then moved off the path.  I tried to shoot a video, we’ll see if I caught anything.

Today I officially crossed into New York and climbed Prospect Rock.  There were lots of rocks along the path – I swear the designers of the trail went out of their way to make sure we have to hike over every rock.  Sometimes I had to move hand-over-hand with the full pack on my back.  Tomorrow I will tackle Lemon Squeezer, a very tight fit where I will probably have to take my pack off in order to move ahead on the trail.

Mr. Sunshine caught up to me at the shelter and we will probably be hiking together for a while.  We have 12 people at the shelter tonight so I will be tenting out so I can get some peace, quiet and sleep!  Tomorrow is a 14+ mile day if all goes well.

Will upload pictures when I reach a town where I can recharge my batteries!

Day 20 - 5.1 miles - Wawayanda Shelter

Today was a short day.  The heat (over 95 degrees) and the threat of storms kept me at the Wawayanda Shelter for the majority of the day.  The storms, accompanied with warnings of potential tornadoes (and a touchdown in Massachusetts) did not materialize - the storms blew around us.

Not much "on the trail" news to report.  Thanks to Wizard who warned me to watch the trail markings carefully.  No problems and no bears but I'm glad I knew to keep a careful eye!

I was on my own today since Mr. Sunshine needed to stay in town to get his camera repaired.  He and I are planning to reconnect tomorrow at a shelter that's about 12 miles from where I am staying tonight.  I have company with me for the night - Avatar, a 6'4" cell phone power inspector (he climbs the cell phone towers to do his inspections), Protein - a young guy who eats powdered protein on the trail, and Country Gold. 

The heat is supposed to break tomorrow and it looks like it will be beautiful hiking weather.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Pictures will be added when I reach a town and don't have to conserve my battery power!  Stay tuned!!