Date: 2016-06-08
From: Graymoor Monastary, NY

To: Frahnestock State Park, NY
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

Day 4811.8 miles in 7 hoursGraymoor Monastery (1410.0) to Rt 301/Fahnestock State Park (1421.8)Weather: 70s-80s(?), hotter, sunny, slightly less windyDinner: Parma-pasta with salmon (not one of my better dinners, the base of which is a Knorr's pasta side, and mosquitos are out)Hikers: Body, assorted day and section hikers including three kids who lapped me twice yesterdayWildlife: Unknown, footlong snake slithering into the rocks Like sleeping in a shelter, tent camping close to each other means that you wake up with the early birds. And even though crows were cawing, it was the guy next to me deflating his Therm-o-rest air mattress that got me up. At 5:30. But I still managed to be one of the last people to leave. At 8. Mornings tend to be my best writing time, so I'm not trying too hard to be out by a certain time. That might change as the days get hotter and hiking in the early morning becomes more appealing. My plantar fasciitis foot pain does seem to be lessening. I¢ve done a combination Ibroprophen, ice, stretching and tape, none of which has been applied consistently. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being unmedicated childbirth, it's mostly an overall level 2-3 dull throb. I still receive the occasional level 3-4 stabbing jolt due to a poorly placed foot on a poorly placed protruding rock. I've also been experiencing a secondary foot issue¢strain on the top of that same bastard left foot. This is due to the ankle to shin-high rocks that one routinely needs to clear while lifting one¢s foot over them. Occasionally the brain gives the foot the all clear message, when clearly it's not. In this situation the top of the foot gets smacked against the rock in mid-stride resulting in an unpleasant stretching sensation. It's not bad when it happens once, but when you've done this many times, each resmacking of the errant foot hurts like the dickens. Especially when you are already compensating for the hurting plantar. But enough about my aches and pains, sonny.Today was another first. Unlike Pepsi and Poptarts, this one is a bit more in character for me. I listened to iTunes. It was a first because up until now, I had yet to plug into my music while hiking. And why today? Because New York took a page from Maryland¢s playbook and led us over a ridge, back down the ridge, then back up said ridge. Oh and Pennsylvania threw up a bunch of rocks all over the trail again today. This is getting to be so repetitious. And tedious. And irksome. But the weather is again pretty perfect. I'm a member of a few Appalachian Trail Facebook Groups. Among other things, the topic of music and playlists was discussed pre-trip. There were lots of tunes being suggested that I had never heard of, and for some kiddos, I'm certain the same would be true. Plus my taste is more of the D-minor melancholy chord¢not the kind that gets you psyched up for climbing over puked up boulder gardens. I had forgotten that I had downloaded a bunch of new songs before I left including a cover of the Stones ¢Wild Horses¢ by The Sundays. This reminded me of the music history quizzes I¢d give my kids whenever we heard an iconic song. Usually the answer was limited to a choice between the Beatles or the Stones. (You're welcome children!) In addition the The Sunday's, my new uploads include music by the artists Damien Jurado, Jose Gonzalez, Joni Mitchell, Sufjan Stevens and Horse Feathers. And Lay Down by Melanie. I had that song stuck in my head one day and Googled her. If you want to revisit the heady late sixties, before things like digital animation, the Ken Burns effect or even color was a thing, look up that song on YouTube. I can promise you a special effect using a lava lamp. But I digress¢¦I also bopped along to a little Ellis Paul and Old Crow Medicine Show¢s version of Wagon Wheel. Not that will keep one foot moving in front of the other. Unless your brain miscalculates and you smack the top of it on a rock. Another reason I listened to music for the first time is because I¢m finally figuring out tricks to conserve my phone battery. I still keep it on airplane mode most of the time, but who knew all the crap Apple has running in the background that can be turned off with no ill effects. I suspect a conspiracy. My battery only drained 5% listening to music, taking pictures and writing notes for these posts today. Today's jaunt passed by a lot more of those rock walls. In the middle of the woods. I'm in New York now, and I don't think slavery existed here (did it?), so I can only conclude this is the rock-picking busywork foisted on farmstead children. Or indentured servants. I also ran into ¢Body¢ again today, but he wasn't at all happy to see me seeing as I started a good half hour after he did heading north. When we met, he was heading south. He had taken a break at the top of a mountain and accidentally started heading in the wrong direction. For a mile. I'm now tenting at the free AT campsite at Fahnestock State Park. The campground is near, but out of sight of Canopus Lake. What my site is near, however, is some kind of very busy highway. The AWOL guidebook only shows us a linear line and landmarks where the trail crosses, so I have no clue what that highway is. Right. Next. To. Me. Or why a campground would be sandwiched next to it in the first place. It's like sleeping in your backyard if your backyard abuts a freeway. What this park does have going for it are the hot showers. But that is about it. It is slightly off trail. In fact, I took a ride from the Route 301 where the trail emerged from the woods, shortening my day by two miles. My ride was the mom of a hiker who has been slack packing all this week. Unlike my measly 17 mile slacker day, her daughter is doing 25 to 35 mile days. Oh to be young again, eh? Finally, I learned something new¢and it¢s somewhat disturbing. One of my lunch staples is pepperoni. It doesn't need refrigeration (despite what the package states) and I roll it up in tortillas with cheese. Silly me, I checked out the calories and serving suggestions. Did you know that a 140 calorie serving consists of only six slices? Each of my two tortillas had triple that amount. Good thing I don't really like pepperoni off trail. Musings: I'm still not getting this all-day hiking mentality. A lot of people (young and old alike) get up early, hike all day¢well into dusk sometimes¢eat, are in bed by 8 p.m. and do it all over again the next day. Some do it just to put on miles, maybe due to time constraints), others just because they can. I feel a little envious, yet I don't think I want to aspire to this same behavior. There is nightly and/or morning socializing, but I don't see people doing anything else, like reading or writing. It also seems weird to be the last one leaving camp in the morning and we aren't talking noon. It messes with my head, like I'm running late. Gotta get to Katahdin, stat!