Date: 2006-10-02
From: Rt 20, Pauling, NY

To: Near Shenandoah Tenting Area, NY
Miles today: 18.6

I was the first one up at the Moosie's Spa And Fine Eatery, so I went out and put on a pot of Starbuck's, then went in and took a shower.Mrs Moosie got up, then Mrs Gorp woke up. I was enjoying my coffee and packing up the few things I had left to do.Mrs Moosie made us some egg, sausage and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, then she made a batch of brownies with nuts for us to take with us. She is one of the nicest people I know...thanks for everything Mrs Moosie. :-)))Moosie had to leave for work in NY City, so I said goodbye to him and thanked him for having us over for a few days. It was great to get to walk with Moosie on the AT again.We finished packing, then went to the PO and mailed my bounce box. We then headed out to the trailhead at Rt 20 near Pauling, NY and after taking a few pictures, we thanked Mrs Moosie and I got a nice hug, then at 9:30am, we started climbing the steep hill up towards Telephone Pioneers Shelter.We passed by the side trail to the shelter without stopping. We kept climbing until we got to Cat Rocks.We stopped for the view, but didn't stay long. It felt good to be back on the Trail and just walking.We climbed West Mountain, then walked by Nuclear Lake. I was surprised at how quickly we got there.Dorito caught up to us near there and walked with us until we got to the top of a hill, then he walked on.It wasn't long until we caught up to Superstar. She was walking along and you could tell she wasn't in a particular hurry, so we walked with her for a short while, then hiked on.We crossed NY Rt 55, then Old Rt 55 before getting back into some nice woods.I was walking down a steep area that had lots of big, fat acorns on the ground. I took my eye off what I was doing for just a second and I went rolling. I was staying on my feet almost like skiing, but one foot caught something and it threw my off the trail. I landed on my side and scraped up my right leg some. I wasn't hurt a bit, but I'll be more careful when I'm walking on marbles. :-)))We kept walking until we got to Morgan Stewart Shelter. We stopped for a snack and to sign the register.I found a 16 ounce beer in my pack. Mrs Gorp said Mrs Moosie made her put it in my pack. That's the one person who wouldn't get in trouble for packing extra weight in my pack. :-)))I new my pack had been leaning to one side, so I figured there was something in there that didn't belong.Mrs Gorp had a good laugh while still blaming the whole thing on Mrs Moosie, then she drank most of the beer....all 16 ounces!!!We walked on with Mrs Gorp behind my giggling. We crossed over I-84 before heading back into the woods.We came up to a father and son in camoflage. They were both carrying shotguns and walking north on the Trail. We stopped to see what was in season and found out that turkey season opened yesterday.We kept walking until we got to Rt 52, then we walked a half mile to Danny's Pizza and Mrs Gorp got a chicken parmisan and I got a pizza.When we were done, we walked next door to the grocery and resupplied with a few things. I also got water from an outdoor spigot.Mrs Gorp had to use the restroom, so I started talking to Jeff, a scout leader who happened in for a sandwich. Before long, Jeff offered to drive us back to the trailhead. :-)))It was already 4pm and we still had 6 miles to go to get where we wanted for the night.We climbed Hosner Mountain, then walked under the Taconic Parkway before stopping at RPH Shelter.Slo Jo and Tim were there. They were doing a short section and walking north. Dorito was also there and wondering what happened to Superstar. We hadn't seen her since Morgan Stanley Shelter.I signed the register and we walked on. It was getting late in the day, so we just climbed the next mountain and when I found a large flat spot, we set up tents.I was eating and it was already dark out when a bunch of coyotes started yipping. They were really close too. :-)))I'm up to 105 leaves today. Mrs Gorp yelled out to me earlier today and informed me that she now has one leaf. She couldn't stand watching me have all the fun. :-)))