Date: 2014-04-25
From: William Brien shelter

To: Bear Mtn
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: light rain

Friday, April 25, 2014Sun, steps and silliness. That was our day. We awoke after a good night's sleep in our shelter bunks. Llyn set up her tent in the shelter and was pretty comfortable in her cocoon. Rammy and I slept in bunks and didn't think there were any critter visitors in the night. However, Rammy saw mouse droppings on his bunk this morning and wondered if he'd slept through a nocturnal visitor. My bunk was pellet-free. We enjoyed some morning coffee and Pop Tarts before beginning the rocky climb out of the shelter area. It was tough going so early in the morning. My legs felt as though they were still tired from all the climbs of the days before. When we reached the top, we were all stripping off layers. We could clearly see the NYC skyline in the distance, looming in a haze like the Emerald City. The next mountain was an even steeper climb straight up--no switchbacks here! I'm not sure how high we climbed, but the trek matched many of my White Mountain climbs in difficulty. However, the views were spectacular. We could see the tower on top of Bear Mtn--our next climb. We could also see the Hudson which was exciting. As we climbed down, Rammy pointed out a trail that had been used as a road to transport troops during the Revolutionary War. The rock foundation was still visible, and I could imagine the troops and their wagons. We stopped for a lunch break before beginning the climb up Bear Mtn. We were expecting another brutal climb and had to fortify ourselves. As we were eating, Rammy noticed that his pack had been lying on his water bag mouthpiece and had left a little puddle of precious water. He said he had enough which was good because this area was devoid of water sources. As the sun beat down on us, we began the final climb. Soon, we reached steps which were an amazing feat of engineering and plain hard work. I felt like we were climbing the Wall of China because they seemed to go on forever. The steps became a gravel path as we neared the summit. It really was a pleasant climb. We knew we had arrived when we saw the soda machine. Just standing there like a desert mirage. Rammy bought two cokes. I have a feeling he had less water than he had let on to us. We took our precious drinks and sat on a bench overlooking the Hudson River below. A cold wind blew in so we readied ourselves for the downward trek. As we climbed over the rocks, we took our time to avoid any mishaps like rolled ankles. We reached the road that wound around the mountain and followed it to the next blaze. Parked at the entrance to the path were several cars and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy van. We knew that somewhere there were trail volunteers working on the trail. I was hoping to run into Karen Lutz, the mid-Atlantic Regional Director. Often, with that van came Karen. And with hardy trail work happening, I thought for sure I would see her. But, alas, the trail work was not where we were walking. That section had been completed. It appeared that more work in relocating the trail may have been in progress elsewhere. The trail down was absolutely amazing. The entire trail consisted of magnificent stonework, using the granite boulders to construct beautiful steps and gravel walkways, all the way down the entire mountain! It is impressive and a must see for every visitor to this area. I am still in awe of that work as I sit here in the comfort of the Overlook Lodge on Bear Mountain. When we reached the Hessian Lake, we began walking the trail up to the lodge. We were very tired, and the walk seemed to take forever. When we finally reached the lodge, we were disappointed to learn that all the dining facilities were back down at the inn and that we would have to walk if we wanted real food. But we discovered that the front desk sold beer by the bottle--Bud Light or Corona for a whopping $5 a bottle! We were so tired by then that we could only laugh...and then we ordered take out pizza and bought the front desk beer. While we were cleaning up, I received a text from trail angel Lynn Witt, offering to slackpack us. I called her, and she said that she could take our packs tomorrow so we could walk to Graymoor Monastery where she will whisk us away to her home. She and Dale are the most kind and generous trail angels ever. They take time out of their busy days to bring goodies to hikers and to help them out. There is a place in Heaven for these two generous souls. I can't believe it's only 8:00, and my eyes are drooping. Hiker midnight for sure! Life is grand!