Date: 2014-06-29
From: unnamed campsite at mile 1375.5

To: William Brien memorial shelter (mile 1389.6)
Miles today: 0.0

Called to wish my son a happy birthday. Probably one of the hardest parts of being on the trail is missing the personal contact with family. While yes, this is something we choose to do, it does not mean we can't miss our families. Thankfully, we have had reception most of the time (lately) and can keep in touch now. Today I was walking along, and took my eyes off the trail momentarily to adjust my earphones. While I was looking down at the ground, I did not see a felled tree that was blocking the trail, and I walked right into it. I fell to the ground, seeing stars momentarily. Had a gash on my forehead, which bled some. I now know the depths of Al's friendship, as he immediately rushed to offer assistance. I feel kind of bad, because had I been in his place, I may have found it difficult to resist the urge to whip out my iPhone and take advantage of the ultimate "Kodak moment". Naturally, I would've when done proffered the necessary assistance medically. Fortunately, no serious harm, just to cut on my head. Today was also more interesting terrain, as we were passing through Harriman State Park, and passed through the "lemon-squeezer" followed immediately by the "easy way". We got some photographs, and I will upload them within the next day or so (When I have access to Wi-Fi). We were followed by Adam, a section-hiker who is carrying a pack that weighed probably close to 50 pounds. I know because he handed it up to me when he passed through the lemon-squeezer. Initially declined my offer, but was unable to climb through. I commented on how heavy his pack was, and he explained that he was carrying food for two weeks, since that was a period of time that he was planning to hike. I wanted to explain that he wasn't traveling through Alaska, and that food was relatively available every few days on the trail. Presumably, he will come to that realization as he proceeds down the trail. The highlight of the day would undoubtedly be the fact that the trail passes through Lake Tiorati, a park area that caters primarily to people coming up from New York City. In addition to featuring vending machines that sell ice cream and soda (AND they accept credit cards), it also has a shower. It was great to even wash my hiking shirt while showering, and it was a nice warm sunny day with low humidity, so it dried relatively quickly. We then proceeded on to the William Brien memorial shelter. Since we hit the showers late in the day, it was nice to be able to retire for the evening without being all sticky and sweaty. Lots of climbing and picturesque terrain. We leapfrogged today with some familiar colleagues, namely spruce Willis, "go-far" (who hails from Fargo North Dakota), "Valley-girl", who hails from California and is traveling with a chocolate Labrador retriever, and her hiking partner, wildlife, who hails from Germany (I think). We also had some great conversations with some of the weekenders traveling through the park. The good news was that setting up the tent was a little easier this evening, I sense with some practice, it will go more quickly. I still plan to watch the videos online when I have access to Wi-Fi.