Date: 2005-06-28
From: Bear Mountain, NY

To: Greymoor Friary
Miles today: 7.1

Bear Mountain to Greymoor FriaryFueled by a delicious continental breakfast of bran muffins, fresh fruit and cereal we greeted the day revived and refreshed.  A night in a hotel room with showers and A/C is soul mending for a heat tortured hiker.  We slept in and got a late start deliberately as our first feature on the trail this morning was the trailside zoo.  That's right, the AT passes directly through a zoo featuring animals native to the various habitats we have traversed.  There was a great big brown bear, bobcat, coyotes, foxes, a river otter, beaver, bald eagle and a variety of raptors.  The trail wanders and meanders past the exhibits exiting at the bridge (Bear Mountain Bridge) that took us across the Hudson.  What a thing to be at these landmarks that we've been anticipating for so long.  The zoo is one of those oddities that a hiker looks forward to, wondering "How exactly can a hiking trail go through a zoo??"  And crossing the Hudson River, wow.  I never imagined actually walking across that bridge (suspension), feeling it tremble beneath my feet and the quick feeling of weightlessness in my stomach when the big trucks speed by.  I couldn't have anticipated the irony of looking at animals on display in their cages minutes later to feel like an animal on display myself for all the cars speeding by, their passengers staring quizzically out at us.The months and miles of wonderment and anticipation, and now it is just another thing behind us.  Milestone turned memory.The Greymoor Friary is another thing that I'd been looking forward to for a long time.  We'd read and seen so much about the feed that the friars put on for hikers, and I was excited to meet real friars and see what a monastery was all about.  We arrived to the Friary around 2:30 pm and followed the signs to the ballfield where the hikers are directed to setup camp.  There were three other section hikers there and two other thru-hikers, the first we'd seen in days.  Yesterday we met a SOBO section hiker who told us that the friars didn't start doing the meal for hikers until July 1.  I was so disappointed to hear this and then to have it verified upon taking a closer look at the details in the guidebook.  Yet, I held out hope that so close to the 1st, perhaps they had some flexibility with that timing and would put on the feast after all.My hopes were dashed and replaced by thorough disappointment when the friar came down to greet us 2 hours after the posted mealtime.  He relayed the story of another hiker's disappointment and frustration at a premature arrival date who discovered he too would miss out on the anticipated meal and surrounding experience.  We were all feeling rather dejected and hungry, sitting around deciding if we should cook our dinners.  Every car that went by we hoped would be some trail angel come to save us from another night of Lipton Noodles.We were halfway through our dehydrated white bean soup when a pickup pulled up and a dog jumped out followed by a familiar looking hiker.  It was Biscuit and Cola-Dog!  Turns out Biscuits parents live nearby and while doing some slackpacking from there, Biscuit was also coming by Greymoor each night to help out the other hikers!  Our saving angel had arrived!   She drove us into town to the grocery store and to get some hot food.  We all picked up some cold beer which we thoroughly enjoyed back at "camp".  What was looking to be a crummy evening ended up fat and happy, thanks to Biscuit.  Everyone's spirits were lifted and the night was saved!  Not what I was hoping for or expecting, but the stay at Greymoor was memorable none the less.Danger