Date: 2011-10-19
From: Mt Algo 

To: Wiley shelter, NY
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: moderate rain

Day 212 ¢ I slept well, Uncle Walt snored a little but the nearby creek dampened the noise. It did not rain during the night and I got up at 6:50am and started packing up. 20 minutes later it was raining so I prepared for a hike in the rain today. My clothes and boots were still dry at the time I put them on so that was nice but that would not last long. I slept in my 25*F rated down bag last night and, of course, burned up. I am sure it will be nice to have in a couple of weeks though. The brother and sister left the shelter area at 7:30am and I left at 8:10am with Uncle Walt still in his sleeping bag. Since he was in no hurry to get home he said he was going to spend the day there and not get wet. I estimated, based on mileage and time, that I crossed into New York State at 10:45am. I did not see a state line marker and I will actually weave back and forth into and out of NY and CT, as the trail straddles the border for several miles. The rain was not too bad but there was a brisk, cool breeze which made it seem colder. Around 11:30am I figured I would get to the next shelter and have lunch but as I was studying my guide book I noticed that CT 55 was 2.2 miles beyond the shelter and if I got there, that would enable me to go to a deli. So I weighed my options, eat in the shelter with the rain and wind versus the deli which would be warm and dry. I waved at the shelter as I passed it on my way to CT 55. I had heard that one could eat twice a day at restaurants/delis while hiking through NY. I decided to try my luck and see if that was possible. I got to CT 55 at 1:50pm and hid my pack in the woods, got my side pouch, one trekking pole and headed east per the guidebook directions. I walked 25 minutes, crossed into NY but found no deli. I must have misread the guidebook or something because the deli was supposed to be less than a mile away. But to be sure, I walked up to a house and knocked on the door and a young man answered. He informed that there was no deli in the direction that I was headed and the closest one was back in CT. And again, a small daily miracle occurred as he offered to drive me there. He got his shoes on and drove me to Gaylordsville, CT to the general store. I did buy him a drink and thanked him for the ride. I ordered a delicious bacon, cheese hamburger with fries, a bag of chips and Oreos. But now I found myself about 2.5 miles from the trail head and started walking, uphill of course, back to the trail. I attempted to hitchhike but no CT driver would stop. Since I did not have my back pack on I did not look like a hiker and with my wet clothes, not really sure what I looked like. I made the hike back in 50 minutes and gathered my gear and headed south again. Wiley shelter was only 1.7 miles from CT 55 and I arrived there at 5:00pm and was the only one there. I hung my clothes up to dry since it had stopped raining and there was a little breeze. The forecast for tomorrow is windy, a little rain in the morning. I walked 12.4 miles today and went to bed with a full stomach. The day was good considering the rain and the long walk along the highway. I have now completed 1,838.7 miles and have 324.9 miles remaining.