Date: 2009-09-02
From: New York

To: New York City
Miles today: 200.0

Life is good. Don't ever forget that. I have had such a great time out here the past few days! Things have gotten better since I have slowed my daily miles down a bit, and so many good things have happened. Lately it has been the small things that occur throughout the day that have made my trip fun. Seeing wildlife, having flat stretches of trail, talking to people, and going into small towns have spiced up everything, and some of the views in New York are outstanding! I picked up a book 4 days ago in one of the shelters, To Kill A Mockingbird, and read it already. I have never been a big reader, but it's nice to get into a good book instead of rotting away in front of the boob tube, not that I am near a tv or anything, but it's refreshing. A few nights ago I went a mile off the trail to stay at Fahnestock State Park. I was able to shower there, which was nice, and as I was about to get my stuff out and set up camp, a ranger came up to me. "You going Southbound," he said. "Yes" I replied. "Well there was a 400 pound black bear that was seen here last night, and I am afraid you are gonna have to move." With that, I packed up and slept in a pavilion in another part of the park. I'm in bear territorry now, and as a matter of fact, I saw my first black bear on the trail yesterday. It was sleeping, and as I turned the corner, I saw 2 more laying down. I wanted to see how close I could get, so quietly I was able to get about 30 feet away from them without being detected. I took a few pictures and then one bear got up! It looked at me, and I glared back. Was I scared? Of course not, mainly because there was a glass fence between the black bear exhibit and the path I was on. I was at the zoo! That's right, the official Appalachian Trail goes directly through a zoo, and it was kind of a bummer to see wildlife caged up like that after seeing so many deer and other creatures reign free in previous days. It was different, being around so many people after being in solitude most days. I do enjoy talking to people though. I will usually talk about the trail as long as they would like to listen. Some are more interested than others, and that's ok. I also got to hike on trails that were used by the British during the Revolutionary War. History becomes more real when you are standing in the exact steps of soldiers that fought in 1777. Recently I was able to stay at one of my favorite shelters on the trail so far. West Mountain Shelter. The view at this shelter was amazing! I could see for miles over the Hudson River, and less than 50 miles away you could see New York City! At night it was brilliant, and all the lights from the city sparkled across the horizon. Today I crossed the 800 mile marker since I began at Mt.Katahdin in Maine, and I know that I will be ready for more after I take some days off for the next 4 or 5 days. My Mom, Dad, and girlfriend are flying up to visit me, and while they are here, we are going to relax, hang out, and take a side trip to New York City to be tourists and see the Blue Man Group in concert. I am excited, more about seeing my family of course! I hope once this break is over I will still be pumped about hiking. It will be hard saying goodbye again and leaving them for a life of pop tarts and rancidness, but with all the prayer and support from people, the kind words of encouragement I get along the way have huge impact on my moral. On a sadder note, keep my friend Rock Plopper in your thoughts and prayers. She is a southbound hiker that hiked with me for about the first month of my journey, and from what I understand, she recently suffered an injury from lightning that burned her hand. She is one of the toughest people I know. With all that goes on in this world, the good and the bad, I like to focus on the positive things, and these past few days have shown me that good things happen all the time. Life is good.