Date: 2004-07-13
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Bear Mountain Inn
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

It was still windy and raining this morning. I put on my nylon jacket to stay warm and dug out what was left of my rainworthy snacks and put them into the outside pockets of my pack so I could keep my calorie level up wiithout having to stop and remove my pack to open it. With two wet days in a row, snacks were getting a bit low, but trying to nibble gorp in rain was not going to work.When I reached Brien Shelter I ducked inside to gobble down my last pack of poptarts. Then I had trouble finding where the Trail went next until I discovered it went straight up the cliff behind the shelter! A bit grumpy at more wet rock, I started up. After that pitch came two more, getting me to the top of Mount whatever and a stunningly good view of empty fog. Okay, I was getting a bit jaded. At least there were lots of berries. After that came a slippery descent to the Palisades Parkway. A bit to my surprise, there was no under or overpass to get across the freeway. Remember the old videogame "Frogger"? That was how I got across, waiting my chance then running as fast as my tired sore legs would carry me. First across one set of lanes, then the other. In the median there was a sign warning that there was no water at the pump atop Bear Mountain. Some wag had added "Or anywhere else in New York!", a cynical comment on the scarcity of water sources.After that the rain slowed to a stop as I went up Western Mountain. I could begin to hear the popping of small arms and the thumps and wumps of heavier weapons from the direction of what in my ROTC days we called the Hudson Valley School For Boys, otherwise known as West Point. Coming down the other side I got my first glimpse of the Hudson River. It kept appearing and disapprearing through the fog, so I had to wait for a good moment before getting a picture. There were the usual blueberries on top and near the bottom a familiar spiny branch across the trail caught my attention. I followed it with my eyes to the side where I found red raspberries. But of the ones peeping out of their pods, none were ripe enough to pick. I swear they were laughing at me! It is pretty bad when the trailside fruit starts making fun of you. Hmmph.Then I went up Bear Mountain. There were lots of blueberries and I gobbled my way happily across the top and down the other side, taking my time since I was nearly done for the day. At the bottom, just before the playground next to Bear Mountain Inn, were more red raspberries, ripe ones this time! Mmmmmmmmm!Back at the Secret Shelter the day before Vernon a southbounder had assured us there were no edible berries ahead. I guess he was looking for the ones that come in cartons, because the berry feast has gone uninterrupted.I checked into the Inn, which has a certain sentimental meaning to me because of an event I attended there 12 years ago. The room was nice and cozy and I had a shower and hand laundered my hiking clothes. It looks like I will get through the entire state of New York without using a washing machine.I had some excellent chili for lunch then tried out the recently built merry-go-round. In addition to horses, it has cute figures of local animals: bears, goose, fox, frog, racoon, even a skunk! Next I got a present for my housemate and rested my feet until suppertime. I had a huge portion of calf's liver and onions with a mound of bacon on top. It was so big I had no room for their desserts, even though they looked tempting. Then I waddled my well-fed self off to bed.