Date: 2007-07-07
From: William Brien Memorial Shelter

To: Graymor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

Another shorter day today. I am going to begin hiking less miles. The terrain is getting a little tougher, and my body will need to acclimate again to climbing. I figured if I hiked at least 15 miles per day every day and took one day off per week, I would still make it to Katahdin by September 15th. So, I am in good shape.   The trail has alot of straight up hil rocky climbs. That is not so bad, but the heat and humidity are killing me. I am getting heat rash from just walking! Ugh! I crossed the Palisades Interstate Parkway and was going to go to the visitors center when Blue Yonder came up behind me. The parkway is 34 miles from New York City! hard to believe that the trail runs so close to a city as big as New York. Amazing.   Blue Yonder gave me some of her water and we decided to hiked together over Bear Mountain and go into Fort Montgomery for lunch at a deli. We would get our water there. Water is scarce now. It is not even at the shelters, which makes it very difficult. Many people put water by the trail side, but when we get there, the jugs are all empty. It is so hot and humid. So we are sweating and losing a lot of fluids. We are all aware of the risk of dehydration and are looking out for each other.   We climbed up to 1300 elevation over Bear Mountain, expecting a drinking fountain at the top, but they closed it down and put in a soda machine with bottled water. Bear Mountain is one of the highest points on the trail in New York and you can see views of the Hudson River. In the early 1900's the state was considering a site at the base of Bear Mountain for a prison. But Mary Averall Harriman, a widow and primary landowner in the area had other plans. In 1910, she agreed to donate 10,000 acres for the development of a park with the condition that the state discontinue its plans for a prison. What was then known as Sing Sing Prison was eventually built on the Hudson River 20 miles south of the AT, its location gave birth to the phrase, "sent up the river".      As we hiked, along the way the trail went along a road, but at one time it had crossed the road and climbed up some steep rocks. We went into the woods thinking it was the trail, saw an old blaze and began to climb up the rocks. Noodles and Tank came along and did the same thing. We spent a half an hour trying to find the blaze then we found that the trail was rerouted up the road. I think someone should paint over that old blaze.      Next we went through the Bear Mountain zoo. In the zoo was a swimming pool, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a quick shower. Bear Mountain and Harriman State Park is home to the first completed section of the AT. There are very dry conditions around here and forest fires have at times forced closure of the AT in the park. But in 1994, Harriman State park instituted a policy under which, even if other trails in the park are closed, the AT remains open to thru-hikers. Pretty cool, eh?   After the zoo, we walked a half mile into Fort Montgomery, I had a huge sub and took half of it with me for dinner. Gandolf and Sublime showed up. After eating, none of us wanted to walk back down the hot concrete to the trailside. So, I yogied us a ride from a couple of guys who were visiting the area. That was nice. We all crammed into the car and thanked them immensely. It is one thing hiking in the woods, but in the heat of the day on the side of the road on hot concrete ...its a whole other thing.   We hiked across the Hudson River over Bear Mountain Bridge. We could see the Monastery from the bridge. When we arrived we all took showers and ate. But the mosquitos were horrible at this shelter. Sublime doesn't have a tent and he didn't sleep at all that night. I crawled into my bivy sack and used the bug screen, so it wasn't so bad for me. Occasionally they would bite through the screen where it rested on my face, so I may need to tweak the bag a little. I solved it temporarily by putting on my baseball hat. The bill kept the screen off my face.