Date: 2005-06-18
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Graymoor Friary Pavilion
Miles today: 21.0

Miles hiked today : 21.020.5 AT miles + 0.5 miles of side trailI woke up at 5:30 a.m. and was packed and hiking at 6:15 a.m. Opa left the shelter at same time, so we hiked together. The raw spot on my left ankle hasn't been botherng me for the last couple of days, though the blister on my right ankle is still exposed and healing, which made the going a little tough today.Opa and I chatted as we hiked and the first 3.3 miles flew by. We arrived at Seven Lakes Drive at 7:30 a.m. and stopped for a 10 minute break before moving on to reach William Brien Memorial Shelter at 8:30 a.m., stopping momentarily to talk to some campers.We climbed Black Mountain, arriving at 9:15 a.m. and stopped for a 10 minute break. The view was tremendous and New York City was visible in the distance, though it appeared very small. This was the first time I'd seen NYC and I'd almost missed it when scanning the horizon.Continuing on, we darted across the Palisades Interstate Parkway at 10:00 a.m. and, at 11:15 a.m., we stopped at the trail intersection with Seven Lakes Drive for a 10 minute break, having covered 10.1 miles. We pushed on to the summit of Bear Mountain and climbed Perkins tower before continuing on to Bear Mountain park, arriving at 1:15 p.m.The smell of barbecue was heavy in the air as we descended into the park, though nobody invited us over, despite my best attempts to appear very hungry. Happily, we were spotted by Cocoa Bean's mother, Joan, who told us she had cold sodas and other goodies in the parking lot. So, we walked across the grassy area of the park and were treated to soda, cookies, string cheese, and one of the best peaches I've ever had. We continued through Bear Mountain Park and spotted a concessions stand and Opa treated me to lunch. We sat around until 2:30 p.m. and then proceeded to the Trailside Museums & Wildlife Center, arriving at 2:40 p.m. Normally, the admission is $1, though this fee is waived for thru-hikers. The zoo portion was fairly despicable, as the animals were in small cages that were nowhere close to being like a habitat. In the reptile house, I finally saw my first turtles of the trail, though I'm still hoping to see a wild turtle. At 2:50 p.m., we reached the lowest point of the entire AT in front of the black bear exhibit at 124 feet. Oddly enough, the exhibit area was being painted today, so the black bear wasn't on display. I found this amusing, as I'd told several people over the last few months that if they'd not yet seen a bear by New York, that they'd see one in this zoo.Opa and I left the zoo and crossed the Hudson River before ascending a very steep 520 foot climb over 0.5 mile on the way to Hemlock Springs Campsite. We reached the campsite at 4:00 p.m. and stopped for a 10 minute rest break before hiking on to Graymoor Friary, arriving at 6:00 p.m.The Graymoor Friary is home to the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement and is also the birthplace of the Christian Unity movement. The Friars are very welcoming to hikers and have provided a camping area at the ballfield, which has running water and a cold shower, in addition to a covered pavilion with picnic tables. Shortly after arriving, Brother Leo showed up to greet us and told us about the history of the local monks. He also knew of the Trappist monks in Lafayette, Oregon and encouraged me to visit them when I returned home. He invited us to Sunday Mass in the morning and went on his way.Just as Brother Leo was leaving, a section hiker named John, from Tennessee, showed up for the night. I took a very quick cold shower to rinse off before dinner and then made a large meal, eating while conversing with Opa and John. After eating, I scrubbed out my water filter, which was filthier than I'd ever seen it. The silt and slime in the water at the Wildcat Shelter had certainly done a number on my poor filter, though I was certainly glad that I had it that evening, as the brackish water would have been quite foul to drink.I journaled before setting up my sleeping gear under the pavilion. The mosquitos are out, though it is cold enough that I'll be in my sleeping bag, so they shouldn't be too much of a problem. There doesn't appear to be much in the way of site seeing tomorrow, so it looks like a fairly standard day of hiking.Bedtime at 9:25 p.m.