Date: 2018-06-01
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: US 9W, Bear Mountain Circle
Miles today: 15.5

I felt like Lewis and Clark upon seeing the Hudson River for the first time from West Mountain. Oh, the Joy! I had planned from the beginning to return to Burlington sometime in the next few days. Seeing the Hudson and having started my hike at the Potomac made this seem like a natural place to end the first part of my hike. So today I¢ll return to Burlington for a few days of rest, to celebrate Tom¢s birthday, and to get my hair cut and beard trimmed. Santa¢s grungy little helper is not a good look for me!I slept late this morning, until 5:10. Ulysses is usually up before me, but he showed no sign of stirring. I didn¢t expect Red Rocket to wake early. I packed up as quietly as possible, ate a breakfast bar and crept out into the fog at 5:45. I found myself confused, but with the help of Guthook quickly found the shelter trail and the AT. Almost immediately a pileated woodpecker swooped in front of me, followed a few minutes later by three turkey strutting on the forest floor. They seemed totally unconcerned by my presence. I stopped for water at a small clear running creek about a mile from the shelter. The evidence of the iron industry was everywhere, in mining debris, charcoal rick circles and level roadbeds, perhaps for railways. The trail was totally different from yesterday and a pleasure to hike. Perhaps it is because I was now in Harriman State Park, but whatever the reason, I was thankful. There were still short steep ups, but there were well-constructed rock steps instead of rock scrambles. I only had to touch rock to pull myself up twice today. What a difference! The light rain ended about 11:00. I found a nice place for lunch on West Mountain, where I could see the Hudson for the first time. I decided on the spot that I would return home tomorrow. I booked my ticket on the Amtrak Vermonter and reserved a room at the Holiday Inn Express in Fort Montgomery. Coming down West Mountain, I met two volunteer maintainers relocating gear for rock work. I thanked them profusely! We know people in common, particular Walt and Jane Daniels who had served as officers of the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference. I had served with both of them on the old ATC Board of Managers. Jane was infamous for knitting throughout every meeting. I regret that I lost Jane¢s knit cap in our house fire in 2009. The volunteers were particularly proud of a rock ladder they had constructed on the ascent of Bear Mountain, made from pinned rocks. It is elegant and a testament to their skill. As much as I appreciated the rock work, frankly I would have appreciated a few privies and renovated shelters more. The privies in New Jersey were state-of-the-art moldering privies and were well-maintained. There simply were none in New York. Given the heavy use the New York trails receive, this seems unconscionable to me. The impact of thousands of cat holes, even if properly dug, must be great. There was abundant evidence of surface deposition with toilet paper littering the trail at times. I¢m being polite in my phrasing, after my profanity yesterday. The rock work on Bear Mountain was amazing. It¢s been a multi year project. This part of the Trail is intensely hiked and the trail had become badly eroded. I generally dislike hardened trail, but in this case it is necessary and has been artfully done. On the way down Bear Mountain, I hiked with Mowgli, a section hiker ending his hike that started in Caladonia State Park in Pennsylvania. We walked through the trailside zoo together. I tried not to look at the animals. They are all disabled in some way and cannot be released. Still, it makes me sad to see them caged. I do like the statue of Walt Whitman. I would have liked to have met him. The mile walk up NY 9W to the hotel was the worst part of the day. The sidewalk radiated heat and my feet felt on fire for the first time on this hike. I stopped at a convenience store to use their ATM - I was down to $5. There was only one desk clerk on duty at the Holiday Inn Express in Fort Montgomery. I had to wait nearly 30 minutes to check in. I tried channeling Willow and expressed sympathy for the lone clerk¢s dilemma. He upgraded me to a king suite with a whirlpool! Thank you, Willow!  I¢m having dinner at a nearby BBQ restaurant. It¢s good, but the ribs are not up to Southern ¢long and slow¢ standards. The double IPA from Michigan, however, is hoppy enough to be from Vermont. I¢ve arranged for a taxi tomorrow morning to take me to Peekskill where I will catch the commuter train into New York City. The weather tomorrow looks good, so I will enjoy the walk to Penn Station from Grand Central Station. Now it¢s back to the hotel and a long soak in the whirlpool! Really an excellent day. When I get home, I¢ll reevaluate my gear. My shoes need replacing again, and also my Superfeet insoles that are a couple of years old. We will see what other changes I make!What a lovely day this has been! Such a contrast to yesterday. I wish I had the spiritual maturity to see each day as a gift. Perhaps one day. Meanwhile there will be days of praise like today and days of cursing like yesterday.