Date: 2006-06-12
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

June 12, Fingerboard Shelter I'm pooped. It may be I have the shelter to myself. I doubt Rocky and Swamp can do the climbs today. I will leave a note in the register if they show up tomorrow. Got up early as usual. I tried to be quiet since I wasn't sure about HomeBrew and FastLayne. But they started moving around before I finished breakfast. Left before them but I knew they would be passing me soon enough. Although I started with long sleeves, I knew I'd be taking it off. And sure enough, an hour later it came off. Today's walk had some awesome ascents and descents. The fourteen miles took me eight hours. Most of the walk in the beginning was under the tree canopy. An early nice distraction is Fitzgerald Falls. Not tremendously tall but very impressive. I guess the rains added a lot of water. Then I realized the trail goes up the side. Can do. Got to Mombasha High Point to find Rocky and Swamp. They were taking a breather from the last climb. Rocky pointed out I had blown a sock. She offered to give me a pair of hers. Since they are getting off at Ft. Montgomery, I took her up on the offer. The trail to the road they planned to get off at continued to have some short hard ascents and descents. The last one was a booger. Drop 600 feet in less then a mile, no switchbacks.   Chucked the sticks and scrambled. I thought of Swamp and his knee replacement. I doubt they will get here tonight even though it is a four mile hike from that point to the shelter. At that point, the trail enters Harriman State Park. History in this park. 46,000 acres. It's beautiful. This area has its own unique terrain and flora and fauna. Although the terrain is gorgeously different from anything I've walked to date, they apparently don't believe in switchbacks. Just keep going up and up and up. But the fun thing as you enter, right by the side of the hiway, there is a phone booth. I took advantage and gave my honey a call, who let me know its 100 degrees at home. As I entered the park, trail magic, the water was gone but I had a soda, figuring the sugar would give me the umph to do the last four miles.And what a last four miles it was. Up and down and through what is park. No overbearing canopy. Big grassy field. High trees. The sun. Beginning to wonder if I should get sunscreen. Passedovr, a creek that had some kind of slew built into the center of the flow. Chuck had mentioned doing candle light tours of the historic sites in Harriman. One of the places is an old mine near a creek. I think this is what we pass. Old stone foundations. The Lemon Squeeze. Squish between rocks about two feet from each other. Preferred in that the rock over the trail is gargantuan and I was not interested in crawling over another rock pile. Then another 1.6 miles. Finally got to the top, hot and sweaty. Stroll across a grassy plain and at the shelter marker is a sign, Cold Beer. What I really wanted was water even though I had two other trail magic of water on the trail. But there he was, Odie, the trail angel. With cold beer, Gold Bond Foot powder and Snicker bars. Took him up on the Snicker bar. He looked at my foot to check for a blister. None there but we put some powder in my socks for tomorrow. We talked about returns on the Karma bank. He was giving back. Then he left. Leaving me some duct tape to tape my toe in the morning and the water melted from the ice chest that kept the beer cold. The socks Rocky gave me are thinner then the socks I use so I have a hot spot.   After he left, I walked to the first water spot; a tenth of a mile says unreliable spring. Lucky me, the rain has made it reliable today.   So I sit on the huge rock that this shelter sits on and put in my journal. Tomorrow I plan a very short day, eight miles to stage for a short trip into Ft. Montgomery and out in one swoop. I was told to stay at West Mt shelter for the night show, the lights of the Big Apple. But for now, I go make dinner and settle in for the night. Joy of joys, as I sat down to eat, Rocky and SwampFox showed up. Swamp ate three Advils for dinner.   Namaste'