Date: 2015-04-15
From: Bear Mountain Bridge

To: Graymoor Spiritual Center
Miles today: 7.0

4/15/15 - Day 1OK I'm back on the AT. My friend Bill has once again been my ride to the trail, it¢s 9:00 am, my pack weights 42 lb. as I start from the Bear Mt Bridge which also happens to be near the lowest point on the AT. From there it was across the bridge and up Mine Mt. The walk across the bridge was exciting. The wind was blowing so hard I thought I was going to be blown over and into the road. Once across the bridge and on the trail I noticed that in many areas the trail was blazed very poorly.  Even though I was being very careful to follow the blazes and using the current ATC hand map, I still got off trail and wound up on top of Canopus Hill, not going around it. Now on top of the hill and not really sure how I got there, Looking at the hand map I saw the trail circling around the hill only half way but which way? I didn¢t want to try and retrace my steps for fear of going down the wrong side of the hill and missing the trail altogether. So I fired up my AT hiker app. It showed me what direction to go to catch up with the trail. (yes it was the same app that got me lost on Bear Mt. but this time it helped) After my negative experience on Bear Mt. I was being extra careful to always look for and follow the AT blazes. The blazing in many areas was so sporadic that I found my self doubling back more than 6 different times for fear of being off trail. In several places there were no blazes in sight North or South, I think the supervisor(s) for that section have a different viewpoint on what is a good location for a blaze, the size of the blaze and equally as important when a blaze needs to be refreshed. Too often a 2¢ blaze was on a 2¢ Beech tree when a much larger tree was nearby and sometimes right next to it. Many of the blazes were blocked by branches, and this is before the leaves are out and others were just old and faded, all contributing to a very unpleasant AT hiking experience. This was not a easy section to hike and with 42 lb. on my back I tired quickly. After stopping for a long lunch I finally made it to the Graymoor center by 2:15. I know that's early but I was exhausted and decided to stop for the day. The center was still closed for the winter so no water or bathrooms were available. The dilapidated picnic shelter was empty except for the picnic tables. Someone had moved a few tables to make room for a tent, so I set mine up right there. I am glad I carried an extra liter of water so I had plenty for dinner and a little left over for breakfast. Even though I am camping under a roof, I'll still set up my tent because it's going to be chilly here tonight and I'll be warmer in the tent. Today the weather was sunny, low humidity and about 60 degrees, perfect for hiking. The shelter floor is macadam so I¢m glade I have a great sleeping pad, but I¢ll be careful where I kneel.So begins another ¢conditioning¢ hike, I thought I would get further today but I¢m OK being here tonight because it feels great being back on the Appalachian Trail¢¦¢¦.Today I started on page 139 (Bear mountain Bridge) and stopped for the night on page 139 (Graymoor Spiritual Center) in the 2015 A.T. Guide by David Miller (the green book)..... Temps, it's 55* in my tent right now (7:00) with no rain and a light breeze....My lack of conditioning is telling me to be careful, this is no time to get hurt. I still feel it¢s great to be back on the Appalachian Trail. . . . Total miles hiked today 10 (only 7 actually on the AT)¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦No Advil tonight, just a lot of rest¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦Nite All¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦PITA