Date: 2006-06-15
From: Graymoor Friary

To: Fahnestock State Park
Miles today: 12.1

June 15, Fahnestock State ParkWoke up this morning, my foot still hurts. I decide I will sleep in and rest it more. The mileage for today is short. I get a REALLY late start, eight. I go slowly. My foot in complaining. I don't know how this is going to go. I'm glad the terrain is supposed to be easy. No big climbs. No big descends. Just a bunch of little ups and downs. And pretty much that is what it is. Last night, Cantaloupe and I had some time together before the boys showed up. We chatted some. It's interesting to hear another woman talk about being on the trail. She has been section hiking the AT for a few years. And she claims to prefer to set up her tent, but not by herself. She tents at the shelters. Interestingly enough, HomeBrew had said the same thing. He has never tented alone off the trail. And here I thought I as such a whimp. I go to the shelter and stay in them. But I have "thrown down" by myself off the trail. I did the first night out. And tonight, although I'm at a state park, I'm doing it again. It's Thursday and not alot of folks here. In fact when I went to the park office, they told me I could set up anywhere I wanted. So, I'm set up behind the bath house. I guess I'll do a start from the morning journal here. I got a late start this morning. The day looked like it was going to be a nice one. The rain had stopped. The wind was still blowing some, but without the rain, it didn't feel too bad. Tank top and shoved off. Most of the young thru-hikers were just moving around as I walked out of the pavilion. As promised, the terrain was pretty much easy. No big ups or down. No ridge walk, very little swamp walk. Today was reptile day. Maybe because I was careful about where I put my feet, I noticed little critters more today. I saw two different snakes. One little short fellow. Yellow and black stripes running down his body. He was more interested in getting out of my way. The second one was aboutthree feet long and black. He also just wanted to get away. And I let him.Two different frogs. One healthy fat one. He was brown and had white tear marks on his back. The second one was also brown but a lighter color and slimmer, smooth. He had some white stripes on his side. And a tortoise. A turtle? He was about four inches by six. He was in his shell in the middle of the trail. I picked him up and put him in the grass off to the side. And this is one of those interesting things. Later, when I ran into Cantaloupe, she asked about if I had seen a turtle on the trail. She said she found him and put him on the trail for the boys to see. How different is that. I moved him off but she had put him ON the trail. Oh well.All morning, leap frogged the thru-hikers. At the Dennytown Road, there is a well house and they had on the water spigot on the outside. All the thru-hikers were sitting there taking a break. I joined them. Drank a liter of water, listened to them talk about a new hostel in Pawling and trying to plan a trip into NYC. Then I took off. Cantaloupe will tag along with them. A woman the age of their mothers. A woman who has been section hiking solo for years. I don't know. She claims to have bad knees but she's willing to walk 19 miles to the next shelter to be with them. Whatever. I get to the road for the turn off for the state park. My reasoning for this side trip is the hot showers. I haven't had a shower in five days. I've had a few days of hot walking. I really am fragrant. It's a total of one mile off the trail. But when I hit the showers, it was worth it. I put on the hot water and let it get really hot and step in with all my clothes. Soap up and rinse, then took off my clothes and did myself. I stood there letting the hot water hit my back. I used the drain to scrub the bottoms of my feet. I¢ve got most of the dirt out from all my nails. I had put up a clothes lines before I took the shower so, they had someplace to hang afterwards. Hopefully I got the wash done in time for everything t be dry by morning. I've got my tarp up. Ate some hot soup with my foot up on the seating across from me. Although at first I thought the sore was my arches, now I'm realizing it's my ankle. I'm hoping getting off it early and getting some real sleep, it will be good for the sixteen mile day planned for tomorrow. Meanwhile, I have started another trash novel. Homebrew had it and passed it on. One of the emails I got at Ft. Montgomery was from PipeSmoke, who I walked some with in '04. He's going to try to join me for a few days week after next. I hope it works out. We had a blast once we got to know each other. The idea is to be at Upper Goose Pond shelter where his wife will bring dinner. Tomorrow will be a long day. I will not sleep in. It¢s supposed to be easy again. Let's hope they are right again.Namaste'