Date: 2005-06-13
From: Morgan Stewart Shelter

To: Wingdale
Miles today: 10.8

Duchess Motor Lodge Room 5. A good day¢s hike.At last I burst forthAnd hang suspendedBetween sea and skyBetween rock and plainBetween rough and smoothBetween good and evilBetween Heaven and HellBetween Love and Selfishness.Had a visit, just before sunset last night, from Jerry, aka Mountain Dad, who helps maintain some of this section. He is the guy who carves those little triangles, on the ends of the cut logs that I noticed today.   Spent a solo night after all of the visitors. Drank tons of cold water from the pump, and while urinating in my pee can in the middle of the night, managed to spill some pee on my sleeping bag. Since I wasn¢t using the bag much, I hung it out in the shelter to dry. It was pretty much dry this morning, but to me it reeks of the smell of pee. While on the subject of personal hygiene, the crotch rot is much improved. Short hiking days and a change of clothing in the shelters helped a lot.   After breakfast ¢ supplemented with the orange ¢ I started off by 6AM, but still no way to see the sunrise. To day was very hot, but not as humid, or am I getting better? There was even an occasional breeze blowing.   The trail leads along the crest of Depot Hill, generally well graded, but occasionally rocky, crosses Depot Hill Road and continues on to RT55 ¢ which is the turn off for Pawling where all of the RPH group was heading yesterday. After an ascent, the trail skirts along the shore of Nuclear Lake, which offered a good spot for my mid-morning break. Up until 1972 this was the site of a nuclear fuel processing research facility ¢ now with a clean bill of health. The Mountain Laurel continues in full bloom, and I can defiantly detect a fragrance from the flowers, although everybody else says they cannot smell anything ¢ maybe it is the effects of the pee in the sleeping bag!      The blazes are a little scant in this area, and there are many unmarked trails. Someone should reintroduce the ¢Reassurance Blaze Rule¢ here. There should always be a reassurance blaze on the AT after a trail intersection, to confirm that you have indeed taken the correct trail.   Penny Road proved to be so overgrown that I would not have even noticed it except for the abandoned and empty notice board nearby. A fairly tough slog up West Mountain was followed by an even steeper descent. I met a young lady out for a day hike close to Telephone Pioneers, but she didn¢t seem to know much of the local geography and had little interest in talking to a pee smelling old man.   Took a lunch break at County road 20 ¢ site of the Dover Oak. I must say that it does seem more massive in circumference than the Keefer Oak. Then I had a surprise ¢ meadows! I love meadows. Approaching Corbin Hill the trail winds through some wonderful meadows. The cattle are held in check by a single strand of electric fence. Little need for it today as they were all huddled under the shade of the trees and showed little interest in straying. There were lots of wild flowers, purple lupine, clover, primrose, and wonderful swaying tall grasses. The trail hugged the edge of the meadow getting some shade from the adjacent trees.   Then it was a beautiful descent to RT22 and the Appalachian Trail Railroad station. I had hoped for a coke machine there, but no luck. Depressed I crossed over RT22 and lo and behold ¢ a roadside hot-dog stand with ice-cold diet coke in cans! Not alone did my fantasy come true, but as I was finishing coke #3, two local young men offered me a ride to the Motel. All was sweet with the world!   Checked in here and met Charlie, the caretaker, and a WW2 vet. Charlie is a self-neglected diabetic, who proudly displayed his celluletic legs for me, listened to all of my advice regarding treatment, and will totally ignore it, I am sure. He has absconded with my sweaty wet hiking gear with a promise to launder it ¢ but the drying will be done ¢au natural¢ on a cloths line! Walked a good 3/4 of a mile ¢ only 1/4 per Charlie ¢ to the Cousins Deli for good food and returned with snacks for the night. Charlie has promised a ride back to the trail in the morning and to return my ¢ dry ¢ laundry at some stage.   I drank a lot of water today- some from some rather poor looking swampy streams ¢ all treated of course. Felt good, didn¢t sweat as much but was still soaked by the end of the day. Have enough supplies to make it to Kent ¢ I think! Plan on one night at a shelter ¢ Wiley or Ten Mile river ¢ and then into Kent on Wednesday. Have called for a room at the Fife and Drum Inn.   Thinking today about the female nature of God, I began to think of names for a Goddess. I think that we need to personalize our God/Goddess with our own special name for him/her.- Wow the electric supply just went out and on again- how about that!! Feel good, had a little watery BM after the big feed at Cousins Deli. I hope it is not a harbinger of things to come ¢ and go!   Thought for today- At least one magical thing happens every day.