Date: 2017-07-13
From: Vernon, NJ

To: Greenwood Lake, NY
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

If ever you choose to go for a day hike somewhere avoid anyplace that is described as the Stairway to heaven or Jacob's Ladder.  This is the fourth or fifth time we've climbed the Stairway along the trail and I have yet to find heaven at the top.  But you do experience a bit of Hell getting there.  These places are always very steep, usually climbing (climbing!, not walking) up through boulder fields until you get to the top.  It must be a little reflection of the spiritual life - it's wonderful when you get to the top but the way there was full of challenges.We knew rain was coming but reports said it would be thunderstorms in the evening so we didn't hurry through the section.  We started a little late again to give the others more of a chance to catch up - this time we left a little after 10.The early part of the trail was pretty nice and we lunched at the Wawayander State Park office before making the final push out of new Jersey and into New York.  We met a couple of dayhikers on the trail who shared with us that the weather reports now said thundershowers at about 3 p.m.  they were the most accurate weather persons I've seen because almost at the stroke of 3 we heard the big booms and then got poured on for the next hour and a half.The good news for the day was that we found two instances of trail magic along the way - coolers full of iced down soda, which is always a welcome site.The bad news is that it rained hard and we ended up walking a long section of what we come to call the Appalachian River.  Water cascades down the trail and the only choice is to walk right through it and hope for high ground.We climbed to the ridges that would take us into New York, found the border and the American flag that sits on top of the highest point on the Appalachian Trail in the state of New York and then walked about six miles across boulder fields at the top of the New York ridges.  The boulders were wet from the rain and we moved along at about 1 mile per hour.  I fell three times, each time landing on my butt when my feet went out from under me on the slick rocks.  The three of us walking together scored seven falls between us.  The worst casualties were skinned up elbows and Crocs had a pretty good  black and purple bruise on is butt.About three hours late we made it to Greenwood Lake, NY for another stay in a hotel.  We plan to take a zero day to let the others catch up - maybe two zero days because the bodies are very sore and tired right now.  We heard from the others late at night that they were still struggling to get to Greenwood Lake and weren't sure they would get in tomorrow.  They sent a video of a raging creek, one Chilli and I crossed earlier today without a problem, and the small footbridge had washed away.  Not sure how they got across - that will be a good story to hear when they catch up.We'll see tomorrow if our small group can get back together.  I think we're all beginning to think that we have to slow the pace a bit, especially the closer we get to New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine - the hardest part of the trail, according to many.