Date: 2017-07-19
From: Lott Rd., Unionville, NY

To: Warwick Turnpike
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Some days start out ordinary end up being truly wonderful.  Today was one of those days.  In a documentary I saw about hiking the AT one hiker described the experience as more - more beautiful, more difficult, more intense, more terrifying, more everything.  That's what today was. More.When we started, early, the trail passed through farmland that was shrouded in fog.  As the sun got higher we started to see lots of wildflowers - horse nettle, deadly nightshade, bladder campion, Black-eyed Susan, moth mullein, thistle, spotted touch me not, and masses of bergamot (see photos).  There was a section of road walking where we saw lots of chicory just starting to open.The trail then entered the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, where it followed the perimeter. We arrived before 8:00 AM, when the dew was still on the ground.  There were two large marshes with cattails and tall grasses at their edges.  Red-winged blackbirds were perched on the cattails.  A great blue heron flew off into the distance.  We heard bullfrogs (which Arlene can now identify even though they don't say ribbit).  On the land between the two marshes we saw a snail, a monarch butterfly feeding on a milkweed flower, and Canada geese.  The trail turned right and headed up Pochuck  mountain.  At the top we looked out over a valley to the next mountain range.  At the top of that ridge was the obelisk that was the veterans memorial at High Point State Park.  This is where we were yesterday.  It looked so far away that it was hard to believe we had walked from there in just a day.  We looked up the word "Pochuck" and learned that it's a Lenape Indian word that means out of the way place.  Descending Pochuck Mountain we came to the boardwalk that the woman at the state park had told me about yesterday.  It was elevated about three feet above the wetland.  This was a wonderful place full of cattails, wildflowers, and very tall grasses.  The boardwalk meandered here and there, through woods, back into the open, across a stream, and through more woods for about a mile.  We stopped to look at the first stream and saw turtles and beautiful purple arrowroot flowers.  At the end there was an impressive suspension bridge across another stream (see photo).  It was an altogether delightful place.By now we were about 11 miles into the hike.  We came out onto a road where there was a garden center. In addition to plants and gardening supplies this place sold fresh produce, ice cream, and cold drinks, had a restroom, and had a spigot for hikers to fill their water bottles.  I had lunch: fresh cherries, almonds, a pint of whole milk, and a scoop of coconut chocolate almond ice cream.  Now that's my idea of lunch!From there we headed up to the Staircase to Heaven, a steep climb up Wawayenda Mountain over rocks.  Some massive engineering must have gone into this part of the trail because there were many stone staircases.  Although I call them staircases, they are quite uneven and often require stepping up 20 inches or so.  They are a help, but the climb was still difficult.  We were rewarded at the top by a view of two valleys and two mountain ranges that we had crossed on foot since yesterday.  Amazing!Tomorrow is shorter mileage (13.1) but will be a lot more rocky and difficult.  I'm anxiously awaiting my appointment with an orthopedist.  I hope my wrist is sufficiently healed that the cast can come off.  I need the use of my left arm and need to start getting prepared for the White Mountains.