Date: 2015-06-23
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Southfields/Tuxedo, NY
Miles today: 9.9

6/23, Southfields, NY, Tuxedo Motel, 9.9Toughest nearo yet. A nearo is a day when for whatever reason I hike near a zero, nearo. Today was a nearo but all around me hiking today agreed it was a tough section. The reason for my nearo was to rest from the higher mileages of the past several days, and pick up my next resupply. The real catch is that I don't really need supplies but I need to retrieve the box and do something with it, and rest. I headed out of the shelter at 7 this morning after saying goodbyes to Sweet Eyes and the others. The most interesting fact about last nights crowd is that by the time the nearly twenty people hiked in to the shelter an tenting areas, it was nearly a fifty fifty split of men and women. There have been many women hikers but until last night they were significantly out numbered by the men. By this time though all are seasoned hikers and all are part of the class of 2015. Neon had decided to take a rest at the same stop I was making so we headed out to hike the short distance together. Neon is a 62 year old endurance athlete who has run many marathons including New York and the Boston several times, as well as a couple triathlons. The most encouraging thing for me is she reminds us all that hiking the AT is an endurance challenge like no other. As we headed up trail we noticed right away the extreme humidity and unusually high temperature, low 70's, for 7 am. I have taught myself how to hike without my glasses in high heat conditions because of the constant need to wipe sweat from my face and eyes. Today was one of those days. There were no major climbs today but several 500 ft ups and downs just to keep it interesting. Along with that there were several straight up rock scrambles, without yesterday's extension ladder and many times when the forest was very open and the next trail marking blaze was hard to find. By the time we hiked a couple hours we were already feeling the effects piling on toward physical exhaustion. At the end of the hike, around noon, we neared the final descent into the gap to reach Hwy 17, where we would begin he final road walk 2.4 miles into town, hoping someone would pick us up. It is illegal to hitch hike in New York but drivers can still stop and offer a ride. Trail magic today was exceptional and included gallon bottles of water at each road crossing, of which there were 5, and some fresh apples in a cooler near one of them. The apple came at just the right time for me and made me realize that much of my fatigue was due to a small dinner last night, and restless sleep in the heat of the shelter. I was drinking a good amount of water, Gatorade, and MIO fit with electrolytes but had neglected the need to eat, thinking town was coming soon. After the apple I ate some more trail mix and snacked a few more times over the next hour. When we reached the road we walked about 200 yards when Todd, a local landscape company owner, stopped on the other side of the road and asked if we needed a ride to town. Sure we said, so we crossed and hopped in. This is where it is good for me to be with another hiker. My yogi skills are OK but Neon rules when it comes to yogiing. She struck up a conversation with Todd right away and shortly asked if we could buy him lunch. He said sure but suggested we get our motel rooms first and stow our gear. He drove us to the motel, waited for us to get settled, drove us to lunch and pointed out the ice cream shop before we left town. Two malts and a cone, and two hours later, we were headed for the motel for the rest of the day. We learned that Todd is a local hiker who enjoys providing trail magic to hikers in June when most of them pass through here. He had lots of the usual questions for us but as always we were glad to answer, what foods are you carrying, how much does your pack weigh, etc.? Once back at the motel I needed to track down my package and decide what to do with it. I hiked in here with three and a half days of food still in my pack so the best thing was to mail it forward four days, knowing I will be able to supplement my food with many of New York states hot dog stands and such right along the trail. Logistically though by the time I retrieved my box, from the Post Office instead of the motel, the post office was closed. I asked the desk clerk if he could mail the package for me and he didn't seem to understand what I was saying. Fortunately we were rooming next to another trail angel. Mark, AKA Wombat, is a future thru hiker who works in New York city three days a week, commuting from this motel each day, then driving home on the other days. He was helpful when our take out dinner arrived with no utensils, providing some plastic ware he stores for this purpose. After the desk clerk turned me down I asked Mark if he could mail it for me when he gets home tomorrow. He agreed and then gave me his contact info in case I need anything in Northern Connecticut while hiking through there. Yep, the trail once again reinforces my basic belief that people want to help others and will, when given the right opportunity. Tomorrow Neon and I are hiking 14 miles to a shelter stopping short there because it is the one shelter where the New York skyline is visible at night. Our forecast here is for a perfect, low humidity day, so I am looking forward to a pleasant walk. The anticipation of each days hike is returning as I move closer to Katahdin. I also know I will have the opportunity to rejoin Ironman Bill and Just Pete in a few days when they return to the trail from New York City. As our plans come together once again we will be able to consider finishing this adventure together over the next few weeks just as we discussed was possible several months back when we split at Hot Springs. Silverback