Date: 2003-07-02
From: RPH Cabin Shelter

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

A deli nearby! That drives the waking and the walking.I walked down with "Bob" who wasn't a Bob, to the Trailhead where we hid our packs. We made great time, and I felt I had the edge on the day's heat. Then a half mile down to a corner deli. By 8:30 am I was inhaling a bagel with egg and ham, OJ, coffee, milk and a coffee cake for dessert. Later, I added a chocolate milk. I took a GatorAde for later.The sun was growing hotter, and I knew I should leave. I couldn't leave. A picnic table in the shade, a full belly, a telephone, the day heating up. I couldn't move. The others left, and more came in - The Five Alive, Swift Sandal, Cire. I especially enjoyed talking with Slickrock (Julia), her bright, happy spirit is always a perk up.The locals were friendly, offering us bug repellent wipes, water, stories. One guy from a boiler company sat down with us at our picnic table and asked intelligent questions. Among the local tidbits he offered us was that in the upcoming section near Pawling, a mountain lion has been spotted - the police had been watching it and recording sightings for the last several years.He said he and a buddy had also seen it last winter, when the snow was deep, dolphining through the drifts. "He wasn't making good time because the snow was so deep," he said. "I thought it was a bobcat, and then we both said Holy sh--, that's no bobcat. It's too big!" They reported it to the police, and said that's when they learned about the watching.Glad I didn't know that last night, walking in the dark. Ha! Probably I should lay off the catnip oil?I was tired, and way behind on the journal. It's getting harder to write at night. The heat takes its toll. I updated it, answered email, made phone calls, in general, lollygagged. Soon it was too hot to walk uphill up the street. I stayed there from 9:15 to 1:15 - so much for my time edge.Finally, I walked out with Oopu of the Five Alive, a gentle pleasant soul whose company I enjoyed. He looks like a deranged, wild-haired psychotic. He showed me his drivers license picture - clean cut, shaved, serious, respectable.We walked the 4 miles to shelter and collapsed again. Hmmm, this wasn't exactly propelling me forward at a rate to make Kent by the 4th. I have been invited to spend the holiday with Itchy's family, and then slack a little bit with him.Today, the bugs are bad in the heat, but I lay off the catnip oil. Who knows, maybe there IS a cougar near Pawling, even though Curtis emails me that the mountain lion "eyewitness" is full of an unpleasant excretory substance.The Five Alive is camping at Nuclear Lake, a former low-level radiation site closed down and scrubbed in 1972. Supposedly, it is safe enough now. How do they do that?I opt out. The rocky shoreline and scenic vista make tenting there tempting, but signs prohibit it. Five Alive decides to risk it anyway, and sets down on a lovely flat area.Reluctantly, I head up the hill alone. Tomorrow may be a high mileage day, and I have lollygagged enough today. I hike another hour or so before settling in at the Telephone Pioneers shelter. Slats and ReBob are there.There are bees in the privy I learn from reading the register. "Who reads the shelter log before going to the privy?" wrote Commander in Chief yesterday. "What a sight, me bare-butt running from the privy..."I journal until dark - I am so behind! - and then in comes the first of the Five Alive, grumpy. The dam maintainer had politely flushed them from their beautiful site.I'm glad I walked on when I did.