Date: 2017-05-26
From: Holiday Inn Express in Peekskill NY

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

There is something underwhelming about waking up in a hotel room.  I prefer waking up in my tent.  But the breakfast was much better than what I could prepare.  I joined a soldier sitting at a table and we talked through our meal.  He was just finishing 23 years in the army; today was his last day.  Wow.  His life was about to take a major turn and I hoped him well with his future.  That must be an immense adjustment.  My own retirement seems pale in comparison.  Yet we all move on.MrsJoy, Andante, and myself phoned Luis, our friendly cabbie, and got a ride back to the Bear Mtn. area - to the PO at Fort Montgomery to be exact, so that Andante could grab his mail drop.  The ride over twisting roads provoked Andante's vertigo again.  MrsJoy and I resupplied at a convenience store and let Andante get his box and get his balance again.  Then off we went, heading for Bear Mtn and the Hudson as MrsJoy stopped to tend some blisters on her feet and then get to her own mail drop at the Bear Mtn PO.  Not connecting the white blazes from the Bear Mtn Inn to the Hudson bridge meant Andante and I missed the zoo, which maybe was a good thing, since I would rather see animals in the wild than confined to zoo life.  The river was racing after all of the added rain from yesterday's downpour, but the lone sailboat chugging along downriver seemed unfazed.After the bridge we headed uphill again to the top of thei hill where I planned to wait for MrsJoy.  The day had started wet but was gradually clearing up.  The wait was a long one and several hikers passed us.  An elder NOBO Energizer Bunny was a Scotsman with white hair and beard who claimed to be 21 years old.  Ha.  That Scottish humor!  He was clearly not yet drinking age.  A young SOBO day hiker assisted on the uphill by two huge husky dogs stopped for a long chat.  She was a Lyme survivor of 6 years and also an empty nester out for her first hike in those long sick years when she'd been essentially disabled and unable to work or maintain her marriage.  Lyme is such a rotten disease.  I swear I will never get another tick bite.  Andante was getting restless as the minutes ticked by but MrsJoy, after a struggle to locate the PO in Bear Mtn, finally arrived.  We pressed onward, deciding to stop at Graymoor for a short day since it was pretty late by then and the next shelter was a bit far for the allotted hiking time.  Graymoor was a gift!  Hikers can set up camp in their wide open playing field - even have a game of soccer I suppose - and take advantage of the covered pavilion, the outdoor (cold water only) shower and sink, and picnic tables.  Wow.  I headed for the shower after setting up the tent so that the brisk wind wouldn't knock it down.  Showering in cold water requires technique:  moisten skin in discreet spots, lather, then rinse quickly but thoroughly.  Repeat until all necessary spots are covered.  Towel off.  Now all of the sticky sweat is gone.  Bliss.I'm not sure how I manage it, but given a broad flat field in which to pitch a tent, I'll find the only bump and make sure it is right under my back or my hips. Sigh.