Date: 2004-05-01
From: Palisades Interstate Parkway

To: US9W (Bear Mountain State Park)
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Log entry 91Drafted 6/02/04, some details are a little fuzzy.Well I am not sure what time we got things rolling but Mom, Dad and I ate breakfast at McDonalds. My first and only visit to the golden arches since January. It was great. We then headed to the grocery store to load up on snacks and get a few much needed items. Like hand sanitizer.I spent half-an-hour at the library checking email but didn't get much done there. I spent most of my time on Trail Forums reading about all the people that hate me. Ouch. But for the most part the people whose opinion I respect and admire stuck up for me. It's good to have friends. I pretty much came to the realization that "tall trees catch the most wind" and its the price I have to pay if I want to have a online journal. After that Mom dropped Dad and I off back at the Parkway and Dad and I hiked up to Bear Mtn where Mom would meet us. It was a beautiful day and I was hoping that Dad we would have some great scenery for him to enjoy. We were not disappointed.We took our sweet time on the climb up West mtn and then soaked in all the vistas. I really take for granted all the views I see everyday. We also ran into a trio of hikers who were very friendly and talkative. Dad and I are lunch on a vista and then pushed on through the valley and started up Bear mtn. I was disappointed that a majority of the climb was up the auto road. The mountain is so cool and rocky and the trail goes up a paved road. I guess its just easier that way. A bit before the summit it ducks back into the woods and we meet Mom on the summit, along with about a thousand other tourists. Maybe not a thousand, but a lot. We then agreed to move down the mountain and meet her at the State park down below.Dad got a small taste of why I despise downhills, and he utilized my trekking poles to relieve the stress on his blown knees. We saw lots of people out enjoying the sunny spring day, even a couple families with small children who did not realize the climb up Bear Mtn was a legit, tough climb.Once we leveled out at the Bear Mountain Lodge we hiked up until US9W and then turned around and found Mom in the parking lot. We then found the one open grill in the lakeside park and made Tonka Toasters (Hobo pies). It was one of the best meals on the trail so far. I had 6 of them. Previous record being 3. I just soaked in the evening with Mom and Dad, sitting in the evening sun. The plab was then for me to do the rest of the AT through the Trailside Zoo and across Bear Mtn Bridge. But the Zoo closed at 1700 and I would have to roadwalk around it to the bridge. The roadwalk is official AT too but I wanted to go through the Zoo, so we headed back to the motel and relaxed.I tried to squeeze my gear into my smaller pack, Osprey Eclipse 36, but no can do. I could fit all my gear but food would be a problem. So I stayed with Packy. As I was meddling with gear a hiker named Beth stopped in. She was hoping to meet me on the trail but got a inkling it might be me after she saw our Michigan license plate in the tiny parking lot. She has been following my journal and is section hiking the AT. This time doing Delaware Water Gap to Bear mtn (I think that was the route). Beth is from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I did my best to answer her simple trail related questions and we chatted a while and then I went back to sorting food.Not long after that my cell phone lit up and none other that Andy Brown was calling from Hiawassee, GA. We chatted for at least an hour, he filled me in on his first week on the AT. He also advised me that he has a trailname, Rowboat. You can check it out on his journal site for a complete and detailed description of how he got it but basically it sounds like a dance he made up in order to cope with the heavy rains. I can't wait to see him act it out in person. Actually, I think I can. In fact I think I will wait until we are both working a dayshift and one of the couriers (Hello Nurse!!!) from the City Attorneys Office comes over to pick up some documents.