Date: 2017-07-26
From: West Mountain Shelter Tent Site

To: Franciscan Way/Graymoor Spiritual Life Center 
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: scattered clouds

7/26West Mountain Shelter Tent Site to Franciscan Way/Graymoor Spiritual Life Center 13.4 miles Total Miles:  1410.2I slept well and woke up at the usual 6:10 am.  I hit the trail at 7:45, excited about making it to Bear Mountain State Park.  The trail was quite good with lots of ups and downs, but few obstructions. Soon I was hiking along an old, abandoned asphalt road with a stone retaining wall along the left shoulder.  I imagined families of years gone by motoring along this road in their Model Ts, headed for the Hudson River and the zoo.  The trail abruptly left the roadway and started up a steep embankment.  I stared at what I saw in disbelief.  The trail up the hill consisted of expertly crafted stone stairs. The stairs wound their way up the rock face even spiraling at times.  It was a work of art and made climbing the ascent as easy as climbing a staircase. Some of the steps displayed the grooves where the stone had been drilled and then split. Once at the top of the ridge line, this manicured trail continued toward the Perkins Memorial Tower at the summit of Bear Mountain. There were areas where the stones had been laid like cobblestones to provide better travel through muddy conditions.  Along the way, I passed the 1400 mark, noted by the number spelled out in small stones in the middle of the trail. I recalled the time, half the distance ago, when the 700 mile point had been spelled out in a similar way but with flower petals.  I soon reached the tower, an impressive stone structure with viewing windows along the top.  Unfortunately, it was closed for renovation.  The view from the top of the mountain was spectacular,  and the sky was clear and bright.  You could easily make out the New York City skyline in the distance. One of the many day visitors took my picture as I posed in front of the skyline.  It was here that I discovered the answer to the mystery of the vastly improved trail conditions. In conjunction with Americorps, the state of New York is making huge renovations in the Appalachian Trail in the vicinity of Bear Mountain State Park. A 0.3 mile section was blocked off by orange, plastic construction fencing, with a temporary bypass along the road. There was a large sign explaining the renovation, which included before and after photos of a rocky jumble transformed into a neat and tidy staircase.  It was here that I met Piper, the first southbounder I have met who started at Katahdin.  We chatted a bit about our experiences and about upcoming trail conditions before heading our respective directions.  Upon leaving the bypass, I hiked a short section of more normal trail (probably next year's project) before returning to the new, improved trailway. As I approached the State Park, I found informative signs about the improvements lining the trail.  The process of splitting the rocks and maneuvering them into place was explained in text and photos. My favorite addition are "coping stones." According to the sign, coping stones "keep people . . . away from potentially dangerous drop-offs, providing a sense of safety."  I laughed as I wondered where my coping stones were while I was clinging to the overhang above the Lemon Squeezer or scaling the rock face above the Lehigh Valley. Actually, these improvements within the park make a great deal of sense and will open up this section for the use of many more day hikers. The trail work is beautifully done, and I wish I had been able to spend more time studying the informative signs and displays.  I just hope that no one gets the mistaken idea that the entire AT is a well-constructed, well-maintained walk in the woods, complete with coping stones to help soothe hikers' anxieties.  I stopped at the food stand and lunched on a tasty cheeseburger with fries, a Pepsi, and a grape Gatorade. You usually request a color, certainly not a flavor, of Gatorade, and I had asked for a blue one. The grape flavor was quite tasty. After lunch, I followed the trail with Hessian Lake to my left and the picnic area to my right. The trail then goes by the swimming pool and enters the Bear Mountain Zoo. The zoo consists of numerous displays of animals, along with different ecological systems, such as bogs, glades, and fern groves. The animals on display are all native to the area. All of the raptors are birds that were injured and would be unable to survive in the wild. When the trail passes the bear display, it is at its lowest elevation of 177 feet above sea level. Had I not seen my bear yesterday, I would have to say that the first bear I saw on the AT was lying in a hammock surrounded by a flock of vultures. I believe the vultures are present on their own accord,  feasting on Purina Bear Chow, and not part of the zoo's official roster. Something set the coyotes off as I walked by (I didn't think I smelled that bad) and the din lasted several minutes.  Proving that zoo keepers can have a sense of humor, there is even a utility pole on display, complete with its own informative sign. Sooner than I really wanted to, I left the zoo to continue on my way. I met Boomer and Red Eye on the way out. Jason and Maple soon joined us as well, and we hiked across the Hudson River over the Bear Mountain Bridge.  The rest of the day's hike was uneventful, with some relatively steep elevation changes under normal conditions. One section was so pretty and so easy to hike that I perhaps for a little carried away and started twirling my trekking poles like batons and singing 76 Trombones out loud.  Fortunately, my spontaneous display of unbridled silliness did not last long, but the happiness that fueled it remained. I soon heard someone else loudly singing, and met Road Runner, my second southbounder from Katahdin. I was surprised that he was not wearing earphones but was simply singing spontaneously as I had before.  We talked awhile and then moved on.  I stopped at the AT market, located right by the AT on Highway 9, ate dinner, resupplied for four days, and chatted with fellow hikers.  It was then a short hike to the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center to set up camp.  Owned by the Franciscans, they allow hikers to camp on their ball field and provide water, a shower, porta-potties, and a pavilion with electricity. Another wonderful example of support for the trail and its inhabitants.  There is quite a bunch of us tonight,  but things quieted down at hiker midnight. Today was a very full day, as I knew it would be. Tomorrow looks to shape up as a day to simply hike. Only time will tell.