Date: 2008-07-13
From: Wawayanda Shelter, NJ

To: Mombasha High Point, NY
Miles today: 15.8

I couldn't have slept any better than I did last night. I was so tired that I didn't even write my journal before nodding off for the night. I woke up at 6am and wrote yesterday's journal entry and got it sent into Mrs Gorp by about 7am and she posted it right away! I think she wants mo' money. :-) I ate a couple Poptarts and an apple pie, then drank a liter of water. I got all packed up and started walking north on the Appalachian Trail at 7:45am to a breezy morning. I understand there might be rain later today or tonight and tomorrow. I came up to a cooler full of sodas just past Warwick Turnpike and I sat down and had an orange soda to keep my sugar level up. :-) Seeker came up and got a soda too just as I was done and walking on. Kind of sad this is her last day on the Trail because of knee problems. Seeker...her last day on the Trail I walked through lots of low swampy areas for the next 4 miles or so. I had to stop and put some Deet on my arms because some mosquitoes were biting me. This was the worst I've had of the mosquitoes this whole year, so I'm not going to complain...it's been an easy year. I eventually climbed up to a ridge. This nobo walking stuff really is hard on me because I keep wanting to walk the right way....south! :-) I'm so used to having Greenwood Lake on my left...it just isn't supposed to be on my right. Greenwood Lake, New York I got to the NJ/NY state line at 9:35am. I got one picture of my feet taking their last step in NJ, then got a picture of my first step into NY. :-) My feet are in New York!! I sat down and ate some cheese and crackers and got a picture of me lounging in NY. There was a lot of ridge walking and it wasn't easy because it kept going up and down...kind of a rolling ridge. There were a number of small rock scrambles too. I came up to a young girl by the name of Mosey A Long who was out walking her dog south for a month. :-) I sat down a few miles before I got to Rt 17A on a ridge in the sun. I took my shoes and socks off and my shirt off and laid them all out to dry. I ate some Vienna sausages, Fritos and a Milky Way bar. I am not sold on these microfiber shirts and the claim that they dry out so fast. I've been noticing that my cotton bandana dries almost instantly, but my shirt was still damp after sitting in the sun for about 30 minutes. I may experiment with some very lightweight cotton shirts for summer backpacking. It would have to be the same material that a woman¢s sundress is made from...very lightweight material. I got to Rt 17A and walked up to Bellvale Creamery and got two rootbeers first, then a vanilla milkshake. Mike came walking in and he looked pretty bad because he'd been without water most of the day. I took a picture of him...capturing the look of a thirsty hiker. :-) I ordered a two scoop waffle cone next. :-) I ended up staying at the creamery for about 1 1/2 hours before filling three water bottles and walking on. I planned on only walking another six miles and tenting on top of Mombasha High Point tonight, so I just walked slowly and played in the rocky ridges of Eastern Pinnacles and Cat Rocks. Cat Rocks¢¦¢¦meow I walked past the side trail to Wildcat Shelter without stopping, then crossed Lakes Rd. It is usually a fairly wet walk in that next area around Fitzgerald Falls, but there was not a drop of water coming over the falls. Fitzgerald Falls....minus any water I wonder if you still call it Fitzgerald Falls when there's no water falling. I want to know! :-) I have seen it dry one other year, but don't remember which year it was. It was uphill from there. I climbed a pretty steep up right next to the falls, then just kept climbing for another 400 feet or so. I came to Mombasha High Point and started looking for a flat spot to set up my tent. I found one a little past the actual high point, but that was okay because we may have thunderstorms rolling through tonight. I sat outside and ate a couple bagels with a slice of Spam on them, then had some nuts and then I had four dark chocolate Dove pieces just because I could. ;-) It's still windy out. All that wind made it a very nice day for walking because even though it was still hot and humid out, the wind kept me feeling cool. Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)