Date: 2007-07-30
From: Springhill Suites, Danbury Conn

To: .3 miles from Barrett Rd, NJ
Miles today: 7.0

Today is a day that I would rather not document as it was debilitating for me as well as embarrassing . It started off great with "You done good" driving me all over southern NY to drop off food drops to make it easier for me to hike. It is a great drive and I never knew that Conn & NY were so green and beautiful. I was so excited to get going that I took off like I was "slung out of a slingshot"(trying not to use the "shot out of a cannon" saying again). I left north from NJ 94. The sun was about an hour from going down and I went through a meadow that was so fragrant and appealing to the eye that I took many pictures. I did get going and went into the forest to begin the climb up to Wawayanda Mtn. As I began to climb: I lost the white blazes and wondered around for awhile and then I saw one and followed it. I was moving fast and surprised that the trail took me back out into another beautiful meadow. Where I took a bunch more pictures as the sun was going down. I then got going and then there I was: right back at the covered bulletin board where I started. Then it started raining very hard; so, even though I was upset about going in the wrong direction; I was happy to be under a roof, albeit small. I would have been climbing up in a very exposed area during the storm. The storm passed and I got going again. Back through the beautiful meadow; through the woods to the base of Wawayanda Mtn where I took the wrong turn. I then began a fairly tough climb in the dark. The night was supposed to be a full moon; so, being the "Trail Idiot" that I am: I decided to walk without my headlamp. This was a bad move. I fell twice, the second time was the hardest fall that I have had since the Blizzard in the Standing Indian Wilderness. I forgot to mention, but I did have a hard fall about 5 days earlier and still had bruises on my right shoulder and right gluteous maximus. This time, I fell on my left side and had a bright idea in pain: "get out your headlamp." I did and sized up the damage: twisted left ankle, twisted right knee, and a laceration on my left forearm that hurt like hell; but could not tell how bad due to the dirt. I know had dirt all over me due to the rain residue, sweat, and my fall. I ate and drank some water(yes no alcohol this day, though I was acting like it). I also made a commitment to no longer, ever hike without my headlamp, at least on this trip. That fall could not only ended this hike; but, ended my life. I got going again and was still moving pretty good, even though my good knee(right) hurt now. It was difficult to follow the trail. It seems that every turn and trail junction there would be 4 or 5 directions the trail could go. And several times I took the wrong trail; once I went the wrong direction twice at the same spot! I know, how could this be? Well, trying to hike too fast for one and hiking at night, another. Also, in this section of trail, the maintainers, do not put an intersection blaze that is immediately evident; so, I would have to head off in one direction and begin to look for a white blaze. Also, in this section: several blazes have been sprayed over with black paint; so, I would stop and look real close. Anyway, one terrible night hike. It ended with me going the wrong direction for 2 or three miles(I think?). I decided to stop when I ended up at a stream that I crossed hours ago(I thought?). I set my tent up right next to the trail. I was more than a little disgusted with myself and thought that my 5-6 days of big miles were shot.