Date: 2007-08-03
From: On the road

To: Hemlock Springs Campsite
Miles today: 2.2
Weather: few clouds

Friday 3 August 2007 Day 140The bus made up some of the time lost at South Bend by not stopping at Elkhart and skipping the 20-minute meal break at a travel plaza further down the road, and we pulled into Cleveland about 3 1/2 hours late. It looked like we might make up some time getting out of Cleveland, but instead of an hour break there, we spent 1:23. By then I figured I'd have trouble making connections in New York City to get to the trail, but there was a late bus out of the Port Authority I could make, and still be able to hike up a couple miles.We had a 30 minute break scheduled for Milesburg, PA, and the bus driver told us to be ready to go in 15. Great! We'll pick up some time! I dashed into the store, picked up a snack, and got back on the bus. And sat for 45 minutes while the bus driver disappeared. Bottom line, we pulled into New York City's Port Authority at 3:45 pm instead of 11:25 am.After grabbing my pack, I found the ticket counter for the bus north to Bear Mountain and discovered that the late bus only ran on weekends. I hated the idea of spending an expensive, wasted night in Manhattan, so I sat down on the floor (no benches in the Port Authority--there are better facilities on the AT) and pulled out the state map and bus schedule I had with me. Turns out there was a bus that ran up through Harriman, NY, just a few miles west of the Hudson River, and hopefully, an easy hitch east on US 6 to Bear Mountain. I stepped up to the ticket counter looking for a ticket on a bus leaving in an hour, and discovered I was in time to catch a 4:15 bus. I got the ticket, found the correct departure door, got on the bus and was on my way after 28 minutes in New York City.I was a bit nervous about the stop I wanted, as there was an arrow down through it with no arrival time. I annoyed the bus driver by asking him about the stop at Harriman, but he assured me he would stop there, and sure enough, he did. I had a nice ride with my overloaded pack sitting on my lap.We pulled into the Central Valley Park & Ride at 5:15. I walked over to Big Mike's Pizza for a slice, called home from a nearby laundromat, and headed up to US 6. I caught a ride about 20 minutes later that dropped me at the foot of the Bear Mountain Bridge over the Hudson River. I adjusted my pack, called home again, and about 6:50 pm started over the bridge and up the hill at the east bank.About an hour later, getting dark, I reached an opening listed in the data book as Hemlock Springs Campsite. According to a sign, the campsite was off the trail, but I liked the trailside opening better, so I pitched the tent, leaving the fly back as it was very hot and humid. A couple minutes later it started to rain, so I pushed everything into the tent and pulled the fly over. I crawled in and the rain poured down. In about the time it takes to fill a kitchen sink, my pad felt like it was floating on an inch of water. The floor inside stayed pretty dry, and luckily the storm only lasted 15 or 20 minutes, and when the rain stopped, the water soaked into the ground, leaving me and my sleeping pad dry.Day 140--2.2 miles; cumulative 1,147.3; average 8.19