Date: 2009-07-22
From: Prospect Rock, NY

To: Orange Turnpike, NY
Miles today: 15.4

The day started at roughly 5am as Bark scrambled out of the tent to clip on our rain fly- the rain sprinkles had just begun. Just a stone's throw away was Blackbird who decided to just go ahead and pack up and hit the trail. A couple hours later Bark and I were awake for good and the rain had not let up at all. We sat around, looked at each other for a while hoping the rain clouds would pass by, but finally decided that if we were going to hike at all today we better get moving. While still under the cover our rain fly we managed to pack up our bags and even dismantle our tent as much as possible while staying dry. The temperatures made things a little chilly as well. It must have been in the 50's when we woke up and the high wasn't expected to get over 65. We finally made it out to the trail, we were ready to brave the rain. We have been very fortunate to have beautiful sunny weather for the past few days now and figure this has been coming for a while. The landscape and terrain in NY has been beautiful. The forest floor is fairly clean with different trees than what we have been seeing. The climbs are steep and bouldery- lots of rocks and roots to maneuver around. With the added bonus of the constant rain, it made our hike feel pretty treacherous at times. Most of our hiking took place on exposed rock faces and boulders covered in slippery lichen or moss. As we started one ascent, we saw Blacklist doing a southbound slackpack and he told us we were "in for some fun ahead". I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that. Nevertheless, we continued on with very careful footsteps and firmly planted trekking poles. Behind Blacklist a short distance we saw Windbreaker who also seemed a bit thrown off by all the rocks. As we passed him and tried to make our way down a large boulder, I bit the dust. One wrong footstep and the next thing I knew I was looking up at the sky- luckily my pack actually broke my fall and cushioned me from hitting too hard. I walked away with some good cuts and scratches on my hand but nothing too serious. Bark came to my rescue and a few minutes later we were back up and moving right along. We stopped 8 miles into our hike to step out of the rain and into a shelter where we saw Blackbird snuggled up in his sleeping bag and Yo-Yo, a thru hiker we had not met yet. After some good conversation and a good meal we had to keep going if for no other reason than to get warm. Bark and I had fun trying to run up the trail in an effort to keep warm in our soaked clothing. Then, the first wonderful thing of the day happened...around 2:30 the rain stopped. Now it was just a matter of dodging the drops of rain from the trees and the heavy mist that we caught later that day. Bark and I had just crossed a road when we saw a large blue cooler sitting under a tree. Could it be Trail Magic on a rainy day!? We opened the cooler to find several gallons of water- quite a treat when your water sources are few and far between (at least clean ones). Before closing the lid we noticed one more thing taped to the inside of the cooler. What looked like a business card turned out to be a note from the Trail Angels who left the water. The card reads: "Need a hearty meal? A soft bed? Laundry and a shower? Call John and Susan Trail Angels". Well we answered YES to all 3 questions above and quickly made the phone call. I got to speak with John who said he would be available in about an hour to pick us up. That was perfect because we were not quite at the mileage we wanted for the day. Bark and I put in a few more wet and slippery miles, made it to Orange Turnpike and gave John and Susan another phone call. 5 minutes later John pulled up at the trailhead with their 2 dogs Abigail and Emily- we were so thankful to see him! John drove us the short ride back to his home and only had one rule for us- you have to take a shower before anything else. After cleaning up we made our way downstairs for chips and salsa, tomatoes and mozzarela, cold gingerale and some good conversation with John. Turns out John works for the police department and his wife Susan is a veterinarian. They have been doing Trail Magic and helping hungry thru hikers for almost 10 years. He said it all started when they had a few friends hike the trail. Shortly after sharing some snacks we were treated to a wonderful dinner of tortellini, steamed asparagus, sauteed zuchini and toasted bread- thru hiker's dream! Bark and I were so thankful for their hospitalty. On rainy days like this an unexpected hot shower does wonders. Despite the rain and rocky climbs it has been a day of high spirits. Being in NY is exciting with the new landscape and just the reality of being so far North. Bark and I have made some great memories, but even better friends and it is a great feeling to know that we are doing this. I say that lightly knowing that it has only been through the Lord's protection and provision that we have made it this far. Everyday we are made more aware that even the slightest wrong move on some of these slippery rocks or steep climbs and we will be stuck on the mountain with some broken bones. Praise God for His protection and Grace- we could not continue without it.