Date: 2006-06-16
From: Fahnestock State Park

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: few clouds

June 16, Morgan Stewart ShelterOkay, I had one heck of a day. Woke up early as promised and headed back to the trail. One mile of highway. The back into the woods is always fun. Once again, this part is another day of lots of little ups and downs. I surprised myself by getting to the next shelter in four hours. The RPH shelter. This is another one of those shelters one can call for pizza and have it delivered. The road is not one hundred feet away. I took a break. Checked in with my foot. It doesn't hurt any more or any less. Acetaminophen seems to take care of the pain. So on we went. Ran into three section hikers going south-bound. Good, Bad and Ugly. Now they were doing the trail in high fashion. They get dropped off in the morning and get picked up in the evening when they are done. Sleep in a bed and get to shower every night. How sweet is that? Another stretch of up and down. This is a stretch of walking on the edge. It looks like they built a ledge with rocks and filled dirt. The drop off the side is scary. If you fall, try to fall toward the hill because down is a long rude fall. Then came some tough uphill. I felt like it would never end. But it's the trail. I think about everything but the trail when I have to keep walking up. At least there are some great switchbacks. Gotta give credit to the maintainers on this stretch. One stretch the maintainer must be really bored or has alot of energy. Not only were lots of the rocks cleared off the trail, but he stacked the rocks along the side of the trail. Then there came NY52. The book said 0.4miles to the right is Mountain Top Market. With the added mile from the state park I've walked 13 miles. And I add this because I'm really hungry. I walk up the road and find the Deli. I love being out here. The people here have a different idea of what constitutes a sandwich. I order the chicken special. It has a grilled chicken boobie, bacon, onions and Russian dressing. On a bun. Very good. And a quart of Gatorade. A young man sat down next to me and we chatted. All the years he has lived out here, he has only day hiked a few miles. I got a weather report. Sunday in the nineties. First I freeze, and then I get hot and sweaty. I love it. I hope the last four miles are not bad. I'd hate to puke up this great sandwich. And the gods were with me, I actually had to walk almost an hour and half before the climb got bad. But I admit I'm pretty pooped. Finally I know this climb is Mt. Egbert. The last honker before the shelter. The view must be awesome but the haze makes it almost invisible. Tonight is a shelter of women. Giggles and her dog Guinness. Jersey Girl and her grandmother, IrishGypsy. Apparently IrishGypsy tried to thru-hike last year but had to go home due to a death in the family. I don't know Giggles' story but she started at Delaware Water Gap. She wants to summit by the end of September.We talk about our plans. Giggles wants to tag with me for the 16 mile tomorrow. We plan to hit the other deli at NY22 for lunch. This should be interesting. Walking with someone with a dog. Today's scenery was pretty. The canopy overhead doesn't allow for flowers. The blueberry bushes are scrawny. The mountain laurels are just another bush. The trail did go through a field at one point and the wild roses smelled up the hot air. And some new flowers, tiny white things. And Shasta Daisies, clovers, buttercups. One thing that I can't share in these journals is the sounds of the trail. There are so many birds out here. My favorite bird that sings, I was told is a Thrush. But there are many kinds of Thrushes. I've been listening so to describe its call. Like Whippoorwills song is whipowill. This bird has a repritour (?sp) which includes a call that sounds like, where ARE you? I am here. It's the bird that calls in the Bands of Brothers when they are training in North Carolina. Then there is the discerning the sound of a road crossing ahead. And the sounds of a running brook. Chipmunks clucking in the forest floor. There is a critter out here that sounds like the click of a hiker's stick on the rocks. And there is the sound of other people on the trail. Like I knew I was close to the shelter when I heard someone laughing. A number of the shelters are close to roads. There is the hum of people working in their yards. Cars. Sometimes it's possible to hear someone's stereo. And we're out here supposedly to have a wilderness experience. Sometimes it seems insane that we hikers worry about the next water available on the trail when we can see into people's swimming pool. The deer count today, four. Not much else except for chipmunks and squirrels. The trail corridor is really narrow here. I could see into people's back yards. Saw a swimming pool. A young couple arguing. And the Taconic Parkway. The noise from the parkway followed me for miles it seemed. So, I missed the thru-hikers. I did see their share of trash at RPH shelter and at the deli. Ravenous young men eating their way across the trail. I'm glad to have some slower female company for the evening. None of them seem to have an agenda. Maybe a few days with Giggles will tide me over for a while. Namaste'