Date: 2018-09-07
From: South of Dennytown Road, NY

To: Bear Mountain, NY
Miles today: 18.5

Warm this morning. Even when I put my wet clothes on I had hanging out all night they were warm. On the trail at 5:44 and used my headlamp to find the way. Lichen on the rocks and the underside of wet leaves shined like reflectors along the trail. Seems humid still but a bit cooler than yesterday. At 9:45 I stopped at the Graymoor Monastery. There hikers can use a pavilion and a cold shower. I needed to charge my phone. While the phone was charging I entered the wood shower booth by the soccer field. The water was mildly warm and it felt good to get the sweat off me. While waiting for my phone a truck came in across the soccer field and stopped at the two portapotties. Oh, my, whatever he was doing sent a horrible odor my way. I started to pack up. Before I was done then I turned around and the truck was gone. After a while the turbulence above the portapotties subsided and I could breath normally once again. I headed out at 11:15 and shortly arrived at the Appalachian Deli. I got a double-decker hamburger and steak fries. I also bought enough food to get to Vernon, New Jersey where Heartrock will meet me Monday. I went out to sit at one of the picnic tables next to the busy intersection. There I met Tinkerbell and Cool Man. I've read their entries at shelter registers. They are a great couple from Boise, Idaho. We talked and ate together until 1 p.m. They bought a 2 liter bottle of orange soda and we did cheers before I headed out. I crossed the road at 1:10. The trail was great and I was surprised how much distance I was making. I came to the Bear Mountain Bridge around 3:30. After taking pictures I crossed the huge bridge and was across at 4 p.m. I did not see Tinkerbell and Cool Man behind me. They had to get to the Fort Montgomery post office up ahead before it closed. While the two eastbound lanes of traffic stopped for me at the crosswalk the single and closer westbound lanes didn't for five or six cars. Finally someone did and I waved and said thank you to all drivers in the three lanes as I crossed at the toll booth. There the trail entered the Bear Mountain Zoo. The only caged animals I observed were a red fox and a bobcat. The bears were in their den as a worker cleaned outside. It's not a big zoo and the animals were injured prior to their captivity. There were a lot of interesting forest information signs along the paved walkway. One I found interesting was that every acre in the forest receives two tons of debris from the trees every year from leaves, branches, twigs and bark. I left the zoo, went under an overpass, then came to Hessian Lake. After the lake the trail began a 1,150' climb up Bear Mountain in two miles. The trail used to be a terrible eroded climb/drop along the mountainside. Now there are steps. I counted the steps- 922 of them. But they were beautifully done. The trail was four to six feet wide and had stone walls in places. Signs described the building process. There were a lot of steps then frequent flat areas to catch one's breath. I didn't take a break going up. They did a monumental job. The new trail ended at the old access road to the top, though from that road to the top they are currently building steps all the way up. I followed the road then followed the old seriously eroded trail to the top. At the top of Bear Mountain I didn't climb the tower because the cloud ceiling was low. No views of New York City today. I saw a soda machine so I purchased a Coke and sat there drinking and eating my BBQ Pringles. The top of the tower was now in the clouds. It was chilly on top and after 6 p.m. so I needed to head out. The trail going down the south side of the mountain was narrower but in good shape. This side doesn't get the overuse as the other side from the lake does. The trail joined the same old access road as I hit earlier and followed it downhill. Old stone and cement walls lined the length. I crossed Perkins Drive then Seven Lakes Drive. Cloudy out so nightfall will be soon. I found a spot to camp about 7:15 p.m. I quickly set up camp and got in my tent. A long day but I did have two one hour plus breaks. Quiet except for the Katydids, I think a bobcat, and a train horn down by the Hudson River. Looks like I'll reach New Jersey Sunday morning.