Date: 2009-10-21
From: 17A

To: 17 (Southfields)
Miles today: 13.0

Sara and I bundled the boys in the van and they drove me to the trail head where I stopped almost 2 months ago after slack packing New Jersey. This will be the last early morning Grandma drop off. Thank you, Sara and boys. Grandma really appreciated your help. This morning was an absolutely delightful morning. The trail was easy, smooth and evenly graded for the most part going along old woods roads. There were 2 rock scrambles up Eastern Pinnacles and Cat Rocks. They were short and kind of fun since the weather and rocks were dry, for which I was grateful. Fitzgerald falls was nice. Although not a great deal of water was flowing it was still a pretty three level falls. There was a hiker camped at Eastern Pinnacles but he had not yet stirred when I went by. While on the rocks, an early morning runner bounded up the rocks with his dog and then returned back. He was just out for an early run to start the day. Just before noon, as I left Mombasha High Point, Carryingtown, a long section hiker, passed me heading south. And as I ate lunch, Foxtrot, whom I had met in the Chairback Range in Maine, came by going south. He stopped to chat a bit. I may see him next spring when I do Pennsylvania as his parents live there and he will do a warm up hike before doing something else, maybe the CDT. He also encouraged me to think about the CDT after completing AT and PCT in a couple years. The fall color was glorious today. In many places green is only an accent color, if that. The forest is aflame with yellows and also some oranges and reds for accent. I was especially struck by the red oak leaves. I guess I just don't normally think of oaks turning red. I moved well, especially in the AM, going 7 miles before lunch which is quite respectable for this old lady. The afternoon had some rocky trail and more scrambles up and down several places. In the late afternoon I had a bit of excitement when I spotted a brown and white and black patterned snake on the trail. I don't know what kind it was but I did not see any rattles. It was all stretched out legthwise and so still he almost looked dead until, after I took his picture, I tapped his tail with my pole. He immediately half coiled ready to strike. I gave him a very wide berth going by as I think he was probably deadly. I was glad I was moving along well today as I knew the last half mile or so would be a steep descent. It is called "agony grind." I was glad to be going down it and very glad it was still light and not raining either as I picked my way down the steep rocks. I arrived at the road and started walking toward town, two miles away. I got about half way there and a fellow hiker named Steve pulled over and offered me a ride, which I gladly accepted. Thank you, Steve! Hitch hiking is illegal in New York but I do not think it is illegal to offer a ride. I did not have my thumb out. So now I am at the Tuxedo Motel, not a high class establishment, but it is clean, has a nice bed, a nice shower and a helpful person who runs it. I ordered Chinese take out and ate all I could and there is still half left over. I am clean and ready for bed. It was a lovely day and life is good.