Date: 2003-06-16
From: Fingerboard Shelter 

To: Hudson River, Bear Mtn Bridge 
Miles today: 14.2

Aloha! So good of you to join me. It's been another lovely day out here in the woods of New York. A hot one even. Better yet, a dry one. Sure wish you could have been here with me. But since you couldn't I'll just tell you about it.   I know it's not the same but it's a start.   Today's hiking consisted of doing something totally different - I hiked UP mountains and then down mountains. Now isn't that different. In the New York fashion I've come to either admire or hate, not sure which yet, I went needlessly UP and down their rocks.   I swear these trail maintainers are Georgia wannabes!   There is a good point though to some of these UPs and downs - grand view spots for lunch breaks. I had to have spent a good hour on a rock outcropping just sun tanning, enjoying the view and munching on cheese and crackers. The ants and I loved it. As I was huffing and puffing my way UP to Bear Mountain I just happened to look out in the distance from one of the many rocks I had the opportunity to walk across. Much to my surprise New York City skyline was visible through the haze. Pretty damned neat.   I could even make out the Empire State building. Admittedly it wasn't the clearest view but it was still New York City, New York! Cool, huh. Afterwards, while continuing my hike in the heat of the day, I finally made it UP to Bear Mountain and the observatory. Sure glad I got up here with Lady Hawk the other day because today it was closed. No view from the top. Since I had already been there it didn't really bother me.   It turned out to be a good thing since it allowed me to hit Bear Mountain Inn even earlier.   Upon entering the registration area I was greeted with a friendly hello and then handed a package -- my prescription sunglasses and the last known pair of regular glasses. I can see! I can see! Sort of.   With glasses in hand I headed to the post office where I had mailed my bounce box. I anticipated having to rush there originally but ended up having sufficient time to pull out what I needed and mail it out again. In so doing I gave myself a test to figure out which pair of regular glasses would work the best, keep those and mail the other ones on.   My recently purchased reading glasses worked better than my old ones so those, and the sunglasses, were the ones to keep. With everything packaged and mailed it was time to go see my first bear.   Yep, you heard that correctly, my first bear. I imagine you're wondering why I'm not just oozing with excitement about my first bear sighting so I'll tell you. It's in a zoo! Yep, a zoo. The trail actually goes through the Trailside Museum and Wildlife Center.   Built in 1927 it features the nation's oldest continuously used nature trail and offers free admission to thru-hikers. The AT actually goes through the museum passing geology, nature study, small animal, and history museums, as well as a memorial to Walt Whitman.   At 124 feet above sea level, the path in front of the bear exhibit is the lowest point on the entire AT. Wuhuu! A bear and a trail highlight. What more could a gal want?   Huh, what do you mean the museum is closed? It can't be closed! The book says 5p and it's now just 4:35 and I haven't seen a bear, and I haven't passed the lowest point on the AT, and I don't skip white blazes! Please no! I realize that there is a secondary white blazed trail outside the museum but that's beside the point.   This is the trail! Yes Mr. Park Ranger, I'm leaving. {sniff}   That was my day at the zoo. No bear, no low point (figuratively yes, literally no), and I've now missed (sort of) white blazes. I've always said that the only way I'm going to see a bear is to go to the zoo and that's not even working for me! As for the blazes, the secondary trail is white blazed so it counts but it's not the same.   I'll either come back at 10a tomorrow or on my return trip home. One way or the other I will see those blazes and damned bear! Grrrr... {sniff}   Tonight I'm camped at the Bear Mountain Bridge Motel. I am awaiting Monya's return. She's going hiking with me! She's dropped everything she was planning to do over the next four days and has opted to come hike with me instead. It'll be such fun to have her here.   I'm looking forward to her arrival. The trail tales we're going to tell! Major fun!   Ahhh... here she is now. Since she had asked that I wait for her for dinner I think it's time to shut this down and grab her before she even gets out of the car. I'm hungry! You should go eat too. It does the body good. Remember, lots of fat, high calories, and loads of carbs before going to bed.   Oh wait, that's my diet for the moment. Ain't it a bitch!BSandTs: tons and tons of sweat. Is summer here now?AandPs: knees feel it a bit more on the steep downhill. Nothing major.MandGS: hot and humid days, zoos, and sort of missing white blazes... waah!Critter count: 1x garden snake, 30x chipmunks, 1x big black snake, 12x squirrels, and I can't remember what else.