Date: 2016-05-25
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: Mountain Top Deli
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: broken clouds

Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don't. I caused my problems today. It's taken me a while tonight to grow up a bit and realize it but I'm at peace with tonight's challenges. It's somewhat rare for me to not push myself out here. Yesterday was an exception where I embraced what realistically could be hiked and accepted it. Yesterday was a great day. Last night I came up with a plan to hike 23.9 miles and get to Mountain Top Deli, a place where I can get a hot meal and then take them up on their offer and tent behind their store. It sounded like a pretty good plan. Yes, that's a lot of miles in New York where you never know if the hiking will be torturous or easy. I knew it was going to be one of the hottest days out here too. The trail today was primarily the kind that required selective foot placement either on rocks or around rocks. This type of trail doesn't enable me to hike with any momentum or speed. Today's hike also had numerous ups and downs hidden within AWOL's elevation profile. I didn't stay at RPH shelter but did speak with Smudgy Cheeks, who was staying there. Smudgy Cheeks said RPH was nice and he already had gotten pizza delivered there. The shelter did look nice as I went by it. The climbs after RPH shelter were grueling late in this hiking day. The last one right before Stormville contained many switchbacks. I really needed them at that time. Blues Brother completed today's hike in 9 1/2 hours, 3 hours less than it took me.So, what went wrong today? It all fell apart after we ate pizza from the store next to Mountain Top Deli. There's a nice lawn with a picnic table behind Mountain Top Deli. AWOL's guide says hikers can tent there and I called and confirmed it. But once I got there, I was informed that the pizza owner complained and tenting wasn't allowed there. Instead, an area "down the street and around the corner" was where we could tent. That sounded okay and we ate and talked at the picnic table. As darkness approached, we left to hike to tonight's camping area. What seemed easy originally was confusing to say the least. We found an empty lot between houses in the neighborhood, but we weren't certain this lot was where we should be. Blues Brother had plenty of trees to anchor his hammock but I had virtually no flat places for my tent and had to find them around debris that had been left here over many years. The stores closed at 8:00 so I hadn't left any time to go back and ask if we'd found the right place. It was extremely muggy at 8:30 so being as tired as I was, despite having eaten food and drinking cold sodas, made for a lousy way to end this day. Poor Beth. I called her in the darkness after setting up my tent. I was in a foul mood because Blues Brother told me to turn off my light when a neighbor drove in next door to the lot we were staying in. I've done some things, like hitchhiking, while hiking the AT that I've never done before, but tenting in an area that is potentially trespassing certainly isn't one that I'd ever consider. And yet, here I was. I hadn't given myself enough time to make certain where I should stay and hadn't given myself enough time to setup and settle in. This hike has covered many miles, but I'm still learning some tough lessons due to my own choices. Came out this morning. Blues Brother & I saw the camp field. It was green and flat. It would've been perfect. One foot in front of the other; tomorrow is another day.