Date: 2014-07-11
From: Clarence Fahenstock State Park

To: Bear Mountain Bridge
Miles today: 20.2

2014 ¢ Day 10 (07/11/2014) Clarence Fahenstock State Park to Bear Mountain BridgeDaily Mileage: 20.2 miles on AT + 0.5 miles from campsite in state park + 1.6 mile roadwalk to hotelHours on trail: 5:50 AM to 8:00 PM = 14:10 hoursSpeed including breaks: 1.57 mphWeather: Mostly sunny, hot, occasional breezeI slept OK last night. Even with earplugs, the traffic noise woke me up several times.This is the last day on the trail for this year. I was up at 4:05 AM and on the trail at 5:50 AM. This was going to be another high mileage day, so I wanted an early start. I made my way back out of the state park to the junction with the AT. The first mile of the AT followed the slope above Canopus Lake. This was another steep sideslope with lots of rocky travel and small ups and downs. This was kind of like being stuck in purgatory, neither a flat trail at the lake¢s edge nor the ridgeline above with the possibilities of views ¢ oh well, you go where the trail goes. The trail passed by the south end of Canopus Lake. This end was much nicer than the end with the beach.After reaching Route 301, the trail became a lot easier. In fact, for a mile or so the trail followed the grade of a very narrow gage railroad ¢ hiking doesn¢t get any easier than that! For the rest of the morning the trail had just normal ups and downs. If my right foot hadn¢t been so sore, this would have been quite relaxing. I refilled on water at an excellent, cool brook just south of Canopus Hill Road. I then had lunch on top of Canopus Hill. There were a few limited views of the surrounding countryside.   I found a spot in the shade, as it was getting hot. This was not the prime spot, as that was already taken by a guy and gal. The whole half-hour while I was having lunch, the guy was on his phone. He was a lawyer or at least a recent law school graduate. He was reciting all the work he had done on legalizing marijuana in Colorado and other states. He was going 99% of the talking ¢ a typical lawyer. After a while I got the impression that this was a telephone interview for a job. When I left, the guy was still talking away ¢ again, typical of a lawyer. Overall, this was quite annoying.   The afternoon was more easy hiking. I could clearly hear the booming noises again. This must have been live fire exercises at West Point. By mid-afternoon I had reached the road crossing at US Rt. 9. As I emerged from the woods, I saw what I thought must have been a mirage. Could it be real? Yes, it was real ¢ a convenience store no more than 100 ft off the trail. This was just what a parched hiker needed on a hot afternoon. I got an ice cream sandwich and lemonade ¢ ahhhh, so good. I also got on last refill on Gatorade for the trail.This left just two climbs in Hudson Highlands State Park. The first was up White Rock/Canada Hill and the second was up the flanks of Anthonys Nose. As I¢ve hiked south, I¢ve noticed that the character of the woods has changed. There are no more birches. The high areas mostly have scattered oaks with grass in between. The final stretch was a steep drop to Rt. 9D and Bear Mountain Bridge. The bridge was a very impressive suspension bridge completed in 1924. It was solidly built with a riveted steel truss supporting the road deck. I took several pictures as I walked across including a couple of selfies. The views were stunning. I felt quite a sense of accomplishment to walk across this bridge.My AT journey for 2014 was done once I reach the western side, but I still had a 1.6 mile roadwalk to the Holiday Inn Express. The motel turned out to be just two doors way from the Barnstormer BBQ and Steakhouse. So after a quick shower, it was off to the Barnstormer for a celebratory steak dinner topped off by pecan pie a la mode. I sat at the bar and a young man sat down next to me. It turns out he was a recent graduate from West Point, who was back for a short summer assignment. His name was Shawn and he was from Kentucky. His next stop was Texas for artillery training. He confirmed that there were live fire excercises going on at West Point. He was quite an accomplished young man. I thanked him for serving our country and paid for his dinner.Tomorrow I pick up a Hertz car to get back to my car in Pittsfield, MA. I should be back in Maine tomorrow in time for dinner at home.