Date: 2003-08-20
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

I staggered out of my tent through the night to find a tree, and, apart from the obvious reason, I am very glad I did. The moon was nearly full and, shining through the thinnest veil of high level cloud, cast a gentle dappled light. Very soft circles of light covered my tent, the forest floor, everywhere I looked. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The forest was very quiet. I slept in a little and felt quite tired all through this morning. But I kept up a reasonable pace and had done the eight miles (including a futile blue blaze to a non-existent hot dog stand on NY55) to the Telephone Pioneers' shelter by just after midday. For three quarters of an hour I had skirted round a very pretty lake. The water was clear and a vivid blue, there was a lily pond at one end, and I walked to a constant plopping sound of fish breakuing the surface. Hard to believe this was Nuclear Lake! In the 1970's it became infamous, site of the dirtiest power station in America. It was shut down in 1972, and, with the area deemed unfit for human proximity, the AT was re-routed away from it. The area was 'restored' in the 1990's. At the shelter I met 'Slow Motion' again, probably for the last time, as he is completing a section to Kent, Connecticut - two days away - and then returning home. He is 61 years old, is a Connecticutician (or whatever you call someone from that state), and carries an even heavier load than I do. His approach is to get out at day break, walk to the next shelter, and stop there for the day even though it may only be lunch-time. I know of no one else who takes this approach, but it works for him. In other words he "hikes his own hike", the first commandment of the AT hiker. Unfortunately, the second commandment - "Don't tell others how to hike their hike" - is one he seems incapable of observing, a trait that has irritated me before, and I know has made him unpopular with several other thru-hikers. I had lunch, we wished each other luck, and I was on my way again. Within a mile, I passed reputedly the largest oak tree on the AT. On Dover Road, its girth is over 20 feet and is thought to be over 300 years old. For the next hour the Trail was low-lying, quite swampy in places. I was coming through one such section, when I caught glimpses through the tall grasses of something rather strange. A large brightly painted sign yelled "APPALACHIAN TRAIL" in big white letters. Closer to, I could see the sign sat above a wooden platform which looked like a temporary stand for a prize-giving ceremony. How bizarre! Finally, coming out of swamp world, it all made sense. I was by a railroad line and this had to be the famous Appalachian Trail Railroad Station. 'Station' is a generous term perhaps, but, nevertheless, a New York City commuter train stops here three times a day and, for $8 one way, gets you into Grand Central Station less than two hours later. The contrast must be bewildering. This meant I had to be practically on top of the NY22 highway and so it proved. I was seriously considering a half-mile detour to a deli for another supper subsitute, when Christmas suddenly came early. Clearly visible in a lay-by two hundred yards the other way was a Hot Dog stand. A hot dog and Pepsi was followed by, well, the same all over again. From there I walked contentedly through some meadows in bright sunshine, back into the woods and, two and a half hours later, walked wearily into the Wiley Shelter. A hiker was already there which I hadn't expected. Must be another SOBO. So I was stunned when he called "Hello Carnethy!" in a familiar drawl. 'Chafe Master J'! I couldn't believe it, but I was delighted. He was given a ride from Vernon this morning and, knowing I was aiming to be in Kent tomorrow, had figured I would probably try to reach this shelter tonight. He didn't come empty-handed either. He produced a box of Dunkin' Donuts and some fruit. Now this is living! 'Chafe' hasn't actually been feeling ill, but was gripped by chronic diarrhoea until yesterday. He is bound to have lost some strength, but we have a 12 mile walk to Kent tomorrow which shouldn't be too bad. The water, pumped from a well close by, is unusable. The shelter has an E-Coli warning pinned to it.  The local ATC has provided instead a generous supply of fresh water in gallon containers for us to use. For some reason, the forest is bedlam tonight. Cicadas, crickets, frogs and it seems like every other living creature, are creating an absolute din. It isn't disturbing. In fact it can be even be soothing, but you do wonder what the insect world knows that we don't.