Date: 2007-09-24
From: Whiley Shelter

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

mi. 16.3sleep hammockdest. Morgan Stewart Shelter day 74 I started off another day with useless backtracking. Backtracking seems to be a recouring theme. I walked the 100 yards from the shelt to the water pump to fill up and drink up for the day. I am going to go through another dry stretch. I also took 1 pair of my socks down and rinsed them out. Well I didn't notice that I forgot them there until I was headed south for 5 mintues. So I turned around and walked back for them. Only a .5-.75 mile detour on the morning. This morning was filled with a great food stop. Not a deli mind youm even better. A side of the road hot dog stand. It was 50 yards off the trail on a busy road on a car pulloff. Well $6 later I had 2 dogs with everything (ketsup, mustard, chilli, ad sourkuort) and a soda. Nothing like mechanically seperated beer parts in the morning. I was sitting in the shade there when a guy that stopped for his mechanically seperated beef parts in the morning walked over. We talked for a minute and he asked me if I needed a ride anywhere. The one time I don't need one, someone asked. I should have went someone just because. But I had enough food and there is another stop for me tomorrow. That one though I will need to pick up a couple days food. So after problems finding the trail again I headed south. I should have just looked for the big sign and rail station. The AT has it's own railstop here and a little platform. This is where everyone geting into NYC from. I almost went in for the day. I thought about it, but decided not too. Last thing I wanted to do was miss my train back and have to stay somewhere, or spend a ton of money on nothing. The next shelter for me had no water. It is really dry here. Someone who lives a mile away from the shelter lets people fill up at her house. She only lives 20 yards down the street from the road crossing. You have to love people who do that. Without them giving it away, I would be quite the haul to the next water. I filled up and drank up here. I pulled into the Telephone Pioneers shelter for a break. Who should I see but Runway. I hadn't seen here since Mass. She said they went into NYC for a couple days. Moose and Adam were ahead a day. Unfortunatly though Peter had to get off. He was having problems and hurt his foot to top it all off. We talked for awhile and before I headed out. She was planning on ending at the same shelter I was tonight. On the way I rinsed off in Nuclear lake. I don't glow, but we'll see. It is named that because of soe nuclear thing in the past. The guide book makes a point to say it was tested and was safe. I did however miss my turn and ended up following the loop trail. It took me awhile to figure out the blazes were yellow and not white. It was overcast and treed in where I was. So I backtracked. I got t where the A was and had problems decided which way I should go. Lets just say I chose poorly. So after 5 minutes I turned around, again and got o the right path. I finally made it to the shelter around 5pm. I spend 2 hours at the previous one talking. I came to the conclusion that no matter if I do a 6 mile day or a 20 mile day, the stopping point is always 2 miles too far. My body usually wants to stop about that point. Staying here too are a section hiker and a weekender. I had a good conversation with both during dinner. I though Runway wasn't going to make it or decided to stay. She rolled up as I was getting ready to get into the hammock and read and journal. It was only 7:30pm, but pitch black. She once again was a member of the after hours hiking club. We talked for awhile and decided to make a fire. It was still way to early for sleep. So a fire happened in this strange fire pit. He resembled a big circle 10 feet wide sunken 3 feet into the ground. It looked like an old foundation of something. With a little firering around it. I watched her eat dinner and had to make a second dinner. First ramen of the trip. The rest of the evening was spent talking, journaling, and enjoying the fire on a moon lite night. Ahh another day in paradise.