Date: 2014-09-07
From: Waynesboro

To: Greenwood Lake, NJ
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

8/22: Jess Treat Hostel, Sheffield, WA (m 668.2)A magic-filled day. I got a ride from a car that pulled up as soon as I emerged from the woods on MA 23 who dropped me in the wrong town ¢ Starbridge ¢ but I went to the temporarily relocated library and a librarian going on her lunch break to the right town, Great Burrington, dropped me off at that library. I walked thru town, had a beer, decided to pay for a hotel but weekend rates were like $150! A close reading of the guide and maps revealed that this hostel, in Sheffield, 7 miles south, was on $35 and Jess was amenable to a shuttle (for only $2)! I may even mow her lawn for a reduced rate. I will yellow blaze from MA 23 to MA 7. I did talk to Dad, and Karyssa, but am unsure of how the latter went. We will see. I was so tired, but resigned to heading up a shelter some 8 miles south of Great B ¢ Glen Brook Shelter probably ¢ instead of another cheap hotel room, but Jess Treat is domestic bliss! She teaches English at a local community college, as does her hot roommate, but enough of that. I could be in CT on Sunday, 1.5 days from now.8/23: (0 miles)        8/24: Sages [Ravine] Campsite (m 682.8 or 1502.5)Did over 15 miles with gorgeous ridge-walking along Mt. Race. Am 12 a mile north of CT line, in a creepy campsite all by myself! LOL!Last night at Jess¢ hostel was great; we went for Indian food in Great Barrington, tried to go to the Sheffield Pub with Jess¢ cute 32-year-old roommate Keteera (?) (She¢s named after a Native American woman and I couldn¢t even pronounce her name, whatever her name, she¢s also an English adjunct and poet, as her mother was, and she gave into my request to hear her recent work on the porch of Jess¢. It was enchanting and a very special evening. I understand now why Plato distrusted poets.Had a great breakfast, but had to poop in the woods¢¦ the 3rd time on the trip.The Taconic range in my first taste of the actual Appalachian ¢[neocine]¢ rock formations, and I like ¢em. Worn and rough slabs with lots of gravel in between the rocks. Need to do more research on this.8/25: Falls Village (or Canaan, CT) m. 697Tented out back of Toymakers Caf©, which is only open from Thursday ¢ Sunday, as are 12 of the businesses in this area.15 easy miles including a stop in Salisbury for coffee and a pastry, and a small resupply. Met a few dickhead NOBOs¢¦ maybe they are stressed out?Took a blue blaze to a bug-filled shelter, but the registry mentioned a short-cut to Falls Village, and I never miss a short-cut. Will go to the library here at 10 and then on to Cornwall Bridge and Bearded Woods Hostel for the night. Been thinking about the virtues of being alone, or of the ability to be alone. Why is this considered a strength in character, when it is not of a human, but a wolf, to be alone, as Epicurus says? Virtues are corrective of our character, as bravery is to normal fears. But being self-absorbed/self-reliant/independent is different brom being able to be alone for long periods.8/26: Bearded Woods Hostel (m 706.2)Great stay with Hulson ¢ a big head thru hiker ¢ and Big Lu, who served raviolis and blueberry pie, though I doubt it was homemade. Sardiner and Redbeard were there, who I last saw in Andover, ME.I got a late start, walked the 5 miles to Rt. 4 and Cornwall Bridge and got offered a ride to Kent, where I am now awaiting my shoes and getting a few supplies. Got a free Guinness ¢ trail magic is a regular practice at the Package Store in Cornwall Bridge. I miss St. John¢s Ledges, but otherwise it would have been a boring section.8/27: Mt. Algo Shelter (m 722.4 or 1,482.9)Only 11 miles, but I walked in and out of Kent to get supplies. St. John¢s Ledges were missed, as it was a boring day. Met a dude from ME who confirmed a few things, ¢Rhoadie¢ ¢ a dude I met in Millinocket, but who left with a foot infection ¢ is here, and got me slightly high, as is ¢Wolfburger¢ who got off to save his GF. Both have pressed on, but is good to see some SOBOs.8/28: David Keiser ¢trail angel¢ house, Pawling NY (?)Craziest day yet. I was walking down Hw. 22, toward a garden center that allows hikers to stay for free (in Pawling) when then trail angel, David Keiser, pulls over and offers me a room, though it¢s turning into a work for stay. He¢s a fairly wild, obviously moneyed cheapskate who did 5 years for sexually assaulting (allegedly) a former tenant. His rich English wife is on her way home now, but we are hanging in his gorgeous home in the countryside, outside of Dover. I took some pics of Hulson Valley psych hospital¢¦ google it! I walked over 20 miles today, but getting off for a beer may have been a mistake!Peter, David¢s tenant, and I rode to town, bought some steak, and corn, and he made a salad and we grilled them and drank his cheap beer. Now, no one will wake up. I am supposed to do some work. (Should I replace my camera or use my phone?) I had to poop in their yard¢¦ lol/unfunny if we end up working that dirt-pile. It all started when I left the trail, just before Wiley Shelter, to get a beer at Wetabank Tavern, which has been closed for a year. My ride ¢ a mom and daughter going to the Housatonic on a rafting tripe ¢ went further off trail to a ¢place they know.¢ That put me in Wingdale, NY, so I started to walk ¢ hitching is illegal in NY ¢ the 4-5 miles down 22 to the AT Metro North Station. It was in sight when David picked me up. With all the beds in his mansion and gatehouse, yet I had to steer clear because of (a) his wife¢s having been assaulted by a previous AT-er; or (b) the terms of his parole. He suggested both!I need to get back on the trail, though he is really nice and interesting. It¢s hard to stay focused on the trail, but my calendar is starting to worry me and I may not be home for Thanksgiving.8/29: Morgan Stewart Shelter (m 751.4)Did 38 miles in the last two days, with a lot of road-walking back through Pawling today. I am wrecked with back and hip issues.Hanging with ¢Broken Arrow¢ and it¢s his last day on the trail, having lost his momentum after starting his NOBO thru on April 26. Cognitive dissonance is helping him deal, and he says he will do it right next year. Am worried about re-supplying fuel going forward into Fahnestock SP. I do not want to push big miles today, but may have to.8/30: RPH ¢Ralph¢s Peak Hiker¢ Cabin (m 760.4)Only 9 miles today, but there are few options going forward and this place is near a pizza place that delivers (large cheese!)! Besides, I¢m tired. Am reading Jose Saramago¢s ¢Blindness,¢ so no worries of boredom. ¢Bayou¢ is here, from N¢awlins. Rain tomorrow, so Clarence Fahnestock pavilion will probably be a short destination tomorrow, then the friary, then the Bear Mntn Bridge Hotel. Ken showed up w/ beer.8/31: A tough night: up at 2, and hourly thereafter. Made it 23 miles to Hemlock Springs Campsite at mile 783.4! Need a new pack, re-supply, laundry, and shower!9/1: Fort Montgomery State Historic Site (m 785.6)8:00 ¢ Spread out gear and clothes to dry in a luckily closed roadside pavilion. Coffee made from hose-water¢¦ uggh. A new low point, but not really. Charging my phone. Wet shoes = blisters. Miss Anthony¢s Nose trail¢¦ too hungry. Had to save a lost day hiker last night! Am heading to Bear Mtn. Bridge Motel now. Hottest day of the year, with high humidity, a heat index of 90, and strong T-storms expected tomorrow. My heel hurts¢¦ from new shoes or from road-work?9/2: William Brian Memorial Shelter (m 745.7 or 1,389.6)Only 10 miles from Bear Mtn., where I started, but with a full (3L) load of water on a hot & humid day. Dry as a bone for us mega-fauna out here, but rain is on the way. The well is dry, and a walk off the ridge didn¢t help. A unique shelter ¢ built right into the rock, which is cool against my back.9/3: Trail magic in the form of [ice] got me from 17 to Greenwood Lake¢¦9/7: Hanging in Greenwood Lake at [Antoris] on the Lake for 2 nights and 2 at Ingrid¢s Lake Lodging.