Date: 2018-05-30
From: Appalachian Motel - NJ 94

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The Chinese restaurant delivered, but it would have been better for me if they hadn¢t. I ate the spring roll, some of the wonton soup, and picked through the Hunan chicken, shrimp and vegetables. It had a little red pepper by it on the menu but had neither heat nor flavor. Dreadful!At their request, I gave the owners of the motel a wake up call at 6:30 and picked up my clothes, all beautifully folded. I felt guilty stuffing it into my sacks. On the way back to the trailhead, I noticed a Ganesh figure on the dashboard and commented that if I were Hindi, my favorite god would be Ganesh who is represented by an elephant. Mrs. Owner exclaimed, ¢Mine too! And every kid in India loves Ganesh, because like them, he has a sweet tooth and gives sweets to children.¢  I started hiking at 7:15. The 900¢ ascent of Wawayanda Mountain was beautifully laid out and designed, with lots of elegant rock work. There wasn¢t a single step over 12¢ in height. Then the trail was easy. I met Cody Coyote again. At one point I told him that he was one of the hikers I most admired out here, because he is a creature of the forest. He spent last night camped in woods behind the grocery store in Vernon. The woods were posted, but he is good at going invisible. Cody is borderline homeless and had lived in one of the encampments in Burlington. I wonder how it would go over with my neighbors if I had invited him for a visit. He is a gentle soul and seems quite natural in the woods. About a quarter mile before the NJ/NY state line, the trail starts following rocky ledges. I met Day Maker at the state line. He started another week long section hiking south from Route 17A today. I combined my lunch of honey peanut butter on a tortilla with my state line photo. The view of Greenwood Lake from Prospect Rock was great. On the New York side, for the next four miles, the trail continues to follow rock ledges. I was thankful for the traction my shoes offer and often frustrated at the poor blazing. I had to resort to my Trail app several times. It was slow going. Even after coming off the ledges, the trail was not well maintained and hard to see at times. The plants are threatening to grow over the trail. At Highway 17A, there was a hotdog truck, but it closed at 3:00. My late start this morning cost me dearly since it was 3:20 when I got there. I consoled myself with a stupendous vanilla milkshake at Bellvale Farms Creamery, about 0.2 miles west of the trail. They¢ve won awards for their ice cream. The shake was perfectly simple with six large scoops of ice cream and a cup or so of milk, blended to perfection. I felt a little out of place among all the clean people!The final two miles to Wildcat Shelter included two rock formations, the Eastern Pinnacles and Cat Rocks. I could have done without them! Ulysses was at the shelter when I arrived and Red Rocket has come in. His cousin Bodie has returned home. We¢ve had some really nice and honest conversations. The privy here is truly disgusting and I hope not to use it. The water source ends up being a small tanin-rich stream about 0.2 back on the trail. I enjoyed Ramen with soy and Spam tonight. What has become of me when such a concoction tastes delicious? Can I really be thankful for Spam?  I texted with Willow today. She¢s going to try hiking wearing compression stockings and see if that helps with the pain she is calling shin splints. At first I misunderstood and thought she was going home. Even though I haven¢t seen Willow in some time, just knowing that she is out here is a source of great joy for me.