Date: 2005-06-21
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Ten Mile River Lean-to
Miles today: 13.4

Miles hiked today : 13.413.0 AT miles + 0.2 mile of side trail + 0.2 mile of wrong way trailI slept in this morning until 6:30 a.m. to give people a chance to pack up and leave before I departed in the buff. Yep, I was definitely going to partake in "Naked Hiking Day." I took my time packing and was on my way at 7:15 a.m. There were still people at the shelter when I left, so I departed wearing my fleece and boxers on until I had nearly returned to the AT via the shelter side trail. I dropped my pack and took my spare bandanna and tied two corners to a spare shoelace to form a crude loincloth. Then I tied the loincloth around my waist and removed my boxers and fleece before putting my pack on and setting out. For most of the day, especially at road crossings, the loincloth was in the "unrolled" or "down" position to cover my "business," though this wasn't the case the entire day. Regardless of the position of the loincloth, my back side and the rest of my body were on display for all to see.My first road crossing came at 7:40 a.m. and was without incident. No cars passed and I even stopped to take a picture of the Dover Oak, which is thought by some to be the largest tree on the AT. Moving along, I passed the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station, which is a weekend only stop for a shuttle traveling to NYC. This area was also quite marshy and I spotted 5 snakes, 4 of which were yellow racers. I was unclear as to the identity of the fifth.0.1 mile later, I arrived at NY22 at 8:35 a.m. and found that it was quite a busy highway. I had to cross and walk up the road for about 0.1 mile before the AT re-entered the woods. I didn't make eye contact with any of the drivers and nobody honked, though I imagine a couple of drivers were wondering what was going on. 0.2 mile later, I had a small road to cross and noticed a female pedestrian headed my way, so I stayed behind a tree until she passed and crossed the road, only to climb a tall stile before entering a grassy field. In the grassy field, I saw a total of 4 rabbits sitting in the trail.At 9:35 a.m., I stopped for a 5 minute snack and rest break, during which I was passed by a hiker that had been at the shelter last night. He had detoured on NY22 to eat at a deli 0.5 mile off the trail, which I also would have eaten at under different circumstances. He asked what I was doing, to which I replied "Not much." There wasn't really anything else to say.At 10:55 a.m., I crossed another road and found trail magic in a cooler. There was lemonade, ice tea, lemon lime soda, and a couple of beers. I had some lemon lime soda and then proceeded on to Wiley (Webatuck) Shelter, arriving at 11:10 a.m. I stayed for a 30 minute rest break, during which Opa showed up. He'd also gone to the deli and while walking back on NY22, he was laughing while thinking about me walking down that busy road.Moving on, I reached Hoyt Road at 12:10 p.m., which marks the border of New York and Connecticut. I had a brief road walk down Hoyt Road and soon came across 3 middle aged men walking a pair of juvenile bloodhounds. The bloodhounds barked at me and ran off, though the men stopped to talk to me and asked about my hike, seemingly unaware that I was only wearing a bandanna loincloth. After a minute or so, I headed down the trail and fought the urge to look back to see whether they were looking back.0.7 mile further down the trail, I crossed CT55 and passed an elderly Asian man sitting down, taking a break. He said "Hi" and I returned his greeting as I passed. I couldn't help but smile at the fact that my back side was at his eye level as I walked by and, once again, fought the urge to look back. Interestingly, Opa and I had passed him 2-3 days ago and he'd been wearing a camouflage helmet. I wonder what his story is.As I climbed Ten Mile Hill, I called my Mom and played a few rounds of 'Guess what...', which we've played a few times while I've been on the trail. Our conversation went something like this:Me:   Guess how may days I've been out here?Momma: Let's see, you left on March 3th, so...30, 31, ...Me:   You're not guessing, you're calculating!Momma: (laughing) No I'm not! 99 days?Me:   Nope.Momma: 100?Me:   Yep! Guess what today is.Momma: (thinking) June 21st.Me:   Yep, guess what else it is.Momma: (thinking) The first day of summer.Me:   Yep, guess what else it is.Momma: Your 3 month date on the trail, no, 3 months and 1 week?Me:   Nope.Momma: I give up.Me:   Naked hiking day! Guess what I'm doing!Momma: (pauses) Hiking naked?Me:   (laughing) Yeah!Our conversation went on to discuss whether or not hiking naked was illegal and I couldn't help but wonder whether I was violating any local or state ordinances or, by crossing state lines, any federal ordinances. Technically, I was wearing socks, boots, a loincloth, and a bandanna on my head, so would that keep me in the clear?After reaching the summit of Ten Mile Hill, I ended the conversation and descended to Ten Mile River Lean-To, arriving at 1:40 p.m. Similar to a shelter in Shenandoah National Park being called a "hut," a shelter in Connecticut is called a "lean-to." At the lean-to, I dropped my pack and put on my boxers. While reading the register, Opa showed up and shared the remaining half of his deli sandwich. What a guy! Soon thereafter, I fetched water for dinner and made myself a huge bowl of soup. After eating, I pitched my tent and journaled, enjoying a lazy afternoon sitting in the lean-to.After journaling, Opa and I walked a short distance to Ten Mile River. I anticipated that the water would be freezing cold, though it was actually quite pleasant. I sat on a rock and soaked my feet for a bit and then returned to the lean-to. While reading, Bones, Search, and Rescue showed up. I was happy to see Bones, as I'd heard he was off the trail. Apparently it was a close call, but he's back on the trail and in it to win it, so to speak. Amusingly, Search and Rescue are the recently adopted trail names of Sean and Michael, the brothers who had the friend who was temporarily lost. After visiting for a bit, I settled into my tent for the evening.Tomorrow is a short 8.7 mile day into Kent, where I plan to get groceries, pick up my Aqua Mira from the post office, and meet Rob, who is picking up Opa and I for some r&r. Life is good!Bedtime at 9:00 p.m.