Date: 2005-05-09
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Fort Montgomery
Miles today: 14.2

Spent a solo night last night, but got a good cell signal, even inside the shelter, which was good because it began to rain as I made my cell call. Sleeping in a stone shelter is a little like sleeping in a cave. There was even a bat that flew out of the shelter.   Slept the sleep of the exhausted and almost did not hear my watch alarm when it went off at 4AM. Was hiking back on the trail by 5AM in plenty of time for my own personal sunrise. Bright golden orange this morning, thank you very much, without even a hint of the red of yesterday.   Made good time to Arden Valley road over a generally well-graded trail. The ¢Fingerboards¢ of yesterday had pretty much disappeared. Then it was a nice ascent up Gosteen Mountain with excellent views of Silver Mine Lake and Lake Tionati. The day turned out to be hot and sunny and I hiked in my shirtsleeves with a pack that had a food bag with only two packages of Sweet-n-Lo left in it.   At William Brien Memorial Shelter there was trail magic ¢ water and food ¢ but as I was hiking out, I took only a photo and left only footprints. The trail climbs up the steep rocky face just behind the shelter, even though there is a clear bypass around this rocky ascent. I consoled myself that this must be part of the original AT, and that I was walking in the steps of the pioneers, up and up!      Then it was a nice ascent of Black Mountain and a descent to the Palisades Interstate Parkway. Here there was more trail magic ¢ six gallons of spring water in plastic jugs ¢ and this time I took a liter. A very nice hike up West mountain with great views, and this time I did see tall buildings away far, far, away on the horizon, so I am claiming a New York City sighting. Took a break at the trail junction to West Mountain Shelter and had a fine view of the Anthony Wayne Recreational Area ¢ which must have the largest parking area in existence. This sucker was BIG! ¢ even from 1240 feet up!   Then it was a long ridge walk on a trail that was at times poorly blazed at the intersections with other trails. The entire area is festooned with various trails, blazed with a multitude of colors ¢ red, white, blue, dotted, circular, rectangular, and the AT is often not the major thread way in front of you. The intersection with the Fawn Trail threw me off, and the Red Dot Trail parallels the AT, so you need to be sharp and ignore anything, no matter how tempting, that lacks the clear 2x6¢ rectangular white blaze of the AT. I took several wrong turns before realizing my errors and returning to the true path to Maine.   On Perkins Road, which leads part way up to Bear Mountain, I met a group of retired men from New York out for their weekly Monday hike. They were mostly in their 70¢s, so at least I found a group that I could keep up with. We hiked together to the summit of Bear Mountain and at Perkins Tower had a lunch break. The restrooms were closed, but the soda machine there yielded ice cold Diet Coke.   For some reason I fantasize about Diet Coke when I am hot and thirsty on the trail. Although not a favorite beverage of mine under normal conditions, it assumes almost mythical proportions in my imagination as I plod along in a miasma of sweat up the steep slopes. So I had a wonderful lunch ¢ sitting in the sun, drinking ice cold Diet Coke with my tuna foil pack, and talking with the retired men¢s group. There were a lot of people on the summit, which has a car park, and many people came by to chat and talk. New York people seem very friendly to me, not at all like their purported stereotypes.   From there on it was just grand! A nice descent from Bear Mountain with the Hudson River in sight, on a nice sunny afternoon with a belly full of ice cold Diet Coke. What could possibly be better? The trail comes out at the bottom at Hessian Lake ¢ a developed recreational area with children and swings, couples holding hands, and people walking around the lake and park.   The blazes care excellent here; developed areas can be tricky to negotiate sometimes. I passed through the pedestrian tunnel under 9W and entered Trailside Museums and Wildlife Center. Reminded me of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. No charge for thru hikers, but today was a free day for everyone anyway. In the zoo is the lowest point on the AT, in front of the black bear exhibit, at 124 feet above sea level.   Once you come out of the zoo, you are at the Hudson River, and the Bear Mountain Bridge. Terminus point for this section of my hike.      I turned left on into Fort Montgomery ¢ being careful to take a photo of the ¢ Full view of the Bear Mountain Bridge¢ from point X on Wingfoot¢s Map.   So now I am showered, fed, drop box retrieved, laundered, snacked, with transportation arranged to my son¢s college and then home for his 21st birthday.      This was a great section, with generally good weather, and even though sometimes hard work hiking, I did better distance than I thought I would. Without pushing it ¢ except for that 19 miler ¢ I got a good distance north of Harpers Ferry, and feel physically, emotionally and spiritually great. Thought for today ¢ ¢Hic est Domus Dei, et Porta Caeli¢