Date: 2017-05-10
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: West Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I was the first one awake. Usually I would take down the bear bags; do my morning routine of facial wipes on face, armpits and lower regions; put on anti wrinkle cream with SPF 15 and do toiletries. But today, with concern about the bear, I waited for the others to wake. I let Buzz take down the bear bags with me in attendance. No bear seen.   We discussed that someone in authority needed to be informed of the bear situation at this shelter. I said I would call the ranger when I got home. As we were having breakfast, a man came up the hill, past the water hole and toward the shelter. He had a rake in hand. He was planning to do trail maintenance by raking the leaves off the trail. We told him about the bear problem here. He seemed to know people in authority of this section of the trail. He was not hopeful about anything being done.   When I got home, I tried to talk to someone in authority. I called Bear Mountain and Harriman State Park. I was unable to get in touch with an appropriate person, though I did convey my message to people who may be able to pass the message to the appropriate person. A few weeks later, on the FaceBook Appalachian Trail: Womens Group, a woman reported one morning having her pack taken from her downhill tent while she had breakfast at the shelter. I responded with my experience and desire for a bear box to be installed at this shelter. A woman on the group said she was able to contact an appropriate person.    The original plan for today was to hike 19.6 miles to William Brien Memorial Shelter. Buzz said he could not hike that far in one day. Buzz was retired and in no hurry to get off the trail. Tag Along also was in no hurry to get off the trail. So we decided to hike 8.5 miles to West Mountain Shelter. This shelter is 0.6 mile off of the trail. I had read the view from this shelter was beautiful but did not tell Buzz and Tag Along. I was not sure it was West Mountain Shelter.   We crossed a road. Buzz had a topo map and stopped to figure out the name of the road and determine where we were on the map. I had the AT Guide by David AWOL Miller. I was in the habit of following the white blazes to the next shelter. I did not spend time trying to figure out where I was at this moment. The phone app GutHook has the ability to send/message the GPS coordinates where I was located. I incorrectly told Buzz we were at a different road than where he thought. He was discouraged that we had not hiked further.   We came to Palisades Parkway, a busy 4-lane divided highway. I had been dreading this. Years prior, I took a 5 day class at Appalachian Trail Institute with Warren Doyle. At the class, in the evening, we watched VHS tapes of people hiking the Appalachian Trail. One had a scene of a young woman trying to cross Palisades Parkway. I had driven on this road. The speed limit is 65. But this was traffic 34 miles from New York City during rush hour. No cars were going 65 mph. They were going faster. Buzz took charge. He erred on the side of caution. We were to cross together, as a group. We would not attempt to cross until there were no cars in sight. It took 5 minutes or more until there was a break in the traffic, where we did not see any cars. We crossed the first two lanes to the median.    There is a soda and snack machine in the median, 0.4 mile west. Buzz and Tag Along were thinking about getting a soda until I told them it was 0.4 mile. We could not see it from where we were. We did not go to the Visitor Center.    We proceeded to cross the next two lanes. Again we waited for a break in the traffic where we did not see any cars and crossed as a group. Tag Along wondered why all these people were in a hurry. Where were they going?  I told them I had been worried about this crossing. I was glad it was behind me.   There was another rock climb to a rock ridge. I was in the lead when I came to the side trail to West Mountain Shelter. I hiked in on the side trail. About half way to the shelter, there was a large flat spot that had been used as a camp site. I waited for Buzz and Tag Along. I half expected them to be too tired to continue to the shelter. But I was wrong. Buzz was all for continuing to the shelter.   The shelter is on a rocky trail that comes up from the valley. The view of Hudson Valley, Fort Montgomery and New York City was spectacular. All three of us were glad we had stopped here for the night, regardless of the 0.6 mile off the trail. Buzz was all about watching the sunset and sunrise from this spot.  Buzz befriended one of the people in the shelter. Finding a bathroom spot was challenging with all the rock and steep terrain.