Date: 2014-06-04
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: broken clouds

One thing I forgot to mention amidst my post-hike pain yesterday is how gorgeous Harriman State Park is. As the sunset last night, I felt as if I had been transported to a (very) hilly section of the African countryside: there are wide open fields thick with tall grass, and the trees have long trunks with gnarled, leaf-filled branches. In the morning mist, one could almost mistake our tenting area for an outpost at the edge of the Congo. I¢m sure someone at National Geographic would laugh his/her head off if they read this, but to uninformed Teach it was a transcendent experience.While the terrain wasn¢t quite as rough as yesterday, there were still several rough climbs that left us panting at the top. We also got a late start this morning as we visited a nearby swimming hole with showers and soda machines. Thus, we were rushing up and down the hilly New York landscape to ensure that we made our destination before dark.Yet even though we were running, we still saw several great sights along the way. Atop Black Mountain (1,187 ft.), we were able to see the New York City skyline way off in the distance, approximately 35 miles away. At lunchtime we climbed Bear Mountain (1,305 ft.), home to the oldest section of the AT. Supposedly, Bear Mountain was one of the most rugged mountains in the state at one time, but thanks to the popularity of the area and its proximity to NYC, the easygoing stone stairway to the top made it a cakewalk for me.At the base of the mountain is the Bear Mountain Zoo, a relic from when zoos were little more than prisons for animals. Having seen pictures of this zoo from the past, I can honestly say that the zoo has improved some in recent history. That being said, it¢s still the most depressing zoo I¢ve ever seen. The animals were completely exposed to the visitors without any sort of refuge, and all of them were in the zoo because they had been maimed in some way. Though I was glad they had a home, I wish they had a place to live where they could still stay a little bit wild.Probably my favorite view was crossing over the Hudson River on the Bear River footbridge. The Hudson is truly impressive, and several barges passed beneath us as we traversed the lengthy bridge. We reentered the woods shortly afterward and went an additional 14.5 miles over the hills to the Appalachian Market. Though it looks like a slightly oversized gas station (which it is), inside is one of the tastiest delis I¢ve been to. I gorged myself on a Cajun chicken sub, potato salad, chocolate milk, and Arnold Palmers. I was so stuffed I could barely move ¢ until my hiker body metabolized it all within 20 minutes. Then I was hungry again.I¢m staying tonight at the softball field of the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, a hiker-friendly monastery. I¢m camping in the pavilion here along with the usual suspects (Birdman and Mumbles), and a few others I haven¢t seen in a while. Good Company is here, who I met in Delaware Water Gap, and we are also joined by One Day and Fun Size, two female hikers I met way back before Atkins, VA. It¢s awesome to reconnect with some of our old friends, and Birdman and I wonder if our four day break in Harrisburg, PA might have allowed a few more of our friends to pass us by. I¢m sure we¢ll find out before long.