Date: 2015-07-26
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: Greenwook Lake, NY
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: light rain

Getting up early I got packed up and ate a big breakfast. I put Carnation Instant breakfast Drink into my Oatmeal for some extra calories and protein along with the trail mix and olive oil. It was pretty good to add a chocolaty flavor to the oatmeal. First it was up to the top of Pochuck Mountain for a wonderful view and a large snack break of pepperoni wrapped Buffalo and Bleu cheese combos, my favorite non-cooked meal washed down with a Strawberry Crystal Lite with caffeine mixed with a tea bag and cold brewed overnight. I sat and watched a cloud that looked like a cow slowly float across the sky transforming into a minotaur with a spear. Rested and refreshed I put my shoes and socks back on and was back on the trail after a half hour break. Then it was down to two crossings going into Glenwood, NJ to the suspension bridge over the Pochuck Creek and into the great swamp. I walked a long way on the boardwalk and bridge. Then the trail went up Wawayanda Mountain where I stopped for a snack for the views at the Pinwheels and a fifteen minute break. Soon after I arrived at the Wawayanda Shelter for a quick break before pressing on and was soon passing by the Wawayanda State Park and crossed my next state line into New York! HEAK YEAH! ANOTHER STATE BITS THE DUST OF MY BOOTS! Counting the states to Maine and getting excited! There was a flagpole with a US flag and a whole lot of climbing, including a 10' ladder to climb! Not long after the ladder another hiker and I rounded a corner and ran into a clutch of baby vultures that still had their baby fuzz on. They were about a foot tall and watched us warily for a moment before disapearing into a crack in the rock just big enough for them to slip into. It was a very cool experience and I'm glad that mama didn't find us so close to her nest! Reaching the turn off to Greenwood Lake, NY. There was trail magic right before the road including snacks and sodas. A hiker and I crushed and sacked a bunch of empty cans and had a soda and a doughnut before pressing on. I intended to stop in for a quick resupply in town and then be off the 1.5 miles to the next shelter. First I walked to the creamery and got an ice cream and ate it there taking a break. The icecream was hand made and awesome! I was sad that I arrived on Monday as the Hot Dog Guy was closed. It was a long downhill trek to the town with traffic whizzing by about a foot from the edge and in NY hitchhiking is against the law. A large thunder storm was loudly approaching when I got to town and the power was off at the CVS pharmacy, but they were still open so I pulled out my headlamp and started searching for supplies in the darkened store. I paid in cash and walked to the ball park where I had hoped to cowboy camp in a dugout which turned out to be a locked shed and not a dugout at all. I then found a pavilion at the adult activity center where I cowboy camped under cover in case the threatened rain arrived, which it threatened but did not deliver upon, so I stayed dry. The spot turned out to be a popular shortcut and several people walked through that night but no one seemed surprised to see a hiker sleeping there so I had no problems that night.