Date: 2011-05-09
From: Wawayanda Shelter, NJ

To: Wildcat Shelter, NY
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

"Today was a rough day. My knee and feet were not doing well. We made it to Wildcat Shelter, but will be hiking back two miles to 17A in the morning to catch the bus to NYC."We arose about 7:30 little suspecting today would be our last full day of section hiking. We instead felt excited as today we had planned to finish hiking another state and would get to visit the Cold Stone Creamery.Rather than eat our pre-packaged oatmeal and freeze dried apples with Fig Newtons, we opted for a bowl of hot Ramen soup and a cup of hot chocolate. While eating, Tulip and Crash appeared and started their breakfasts. As we had accumulated a number of bulky Fig Newtons, we offered them to the nooshing thru-hikers. Crash immediately confiscated the Fig Newtons explaining to Tulip, who was from Amsterdam, that Fig Newtons were not cookies and therefore she would not be interested in eating them. Tulip had a love for desserts and was eagerly enjoying nearly every American sweet, cake, or dessert she happened across. We found an overlooked packet of Fig Newtons and managed to pass them to Tulip without Crash's knowledge.We broke camp and carefully packed everything into its assigned place. Once again we were the last hiker to leave the shelter. It was 9:10 on our watch when we set forth. Our immediate goal was to visit the water source at the nearby visitor center for two liters of pure water (no iodine) and to get more pictures for our section hiking blog. Shortly after turning left onto the trail, we were turning right onto the blue-blaze trail to the visitor center. Both rails were fairly level and hazard free so we made good time. We dropped our pack onto the wide benches just outside the restroom doors, filled all three water bottles, and dug out our camera. While taking photos, a car pulled up and the driver asked if he could be in our photo. We when walked back, we exchanged info with the driver and discovered like ourselves he was an USAF veteran and worked on the RF-4C. We then wandered into the visitor center center and saw our one and only black bear. There stuffed and mounted was "Bobby da Bear".By 10 a.m. we were back on the Apalachian Trail and following the white blazes towards New York. The trail through Wawayanda State Park was relatively good. On entering the state forest the rail began to rise and we returned to large rocks.Around noon, we just knew we were close to the state line. Ahead of us loomed a large rise with few trees and a lot of sky visible beyond. One problem - the trail had turned into a climbing wall. Right after we clambered up part of the rise and made a left turn , we found ourself boxed in on three sides staring at a rock wall with a single white blaze above our head and few hand or foot holds. We tossed our poles up above us onto the ledge. We doffed our pack and similarly heaved it up over our head and onto the ledge. We were now committed to climb the wall and retrieve our gear or return to the state park empty handed. We took time to study the wall and work our our sequence of moves. Our rock ballet choreographed, we began our climb. About half-way up we looked behind us and saw a black snake sunning atop the rocks ledge behind us. The snake had raised its head as if to say "Dude! Seriously?" About that time we felt our left foothold give way and gravity kicked in. Feeling the rock about to scrape our patella from our left leg we pushed out from the rock and landed on our feet. Our second try was successful and we stood, not overlooking Greenwood Lake, but yet another down climb with a rise beyond that was clearly tree covered.Pushing on, we hiked along pink colored granite turned edge wise. We noticed as we hiked the wedging of our feet into the deep grooves was abrading the stitching along the side of our boots. Both boots had small gaps above the soles. Not good. Suddenly, a lone hiker appeared coming towards us - "Mississippi Al". We were elated to find we were just minutes from the state line. At 12:50, a large rock and a bright blue box attached to a nearby tree appeared. Behind the rock was a painted line labeled "NJ | NY". We dropped our pack on the large boulder, fished out the official ATC log book and made our entry. Tulip and Crash had long passed as had Half-Fast. We added our information below Mississippi Al's. Since we had been hiking for four hours, we decided to take an extended lunch break and fixed a salami tortilla wrap. That was washed down with the last of our Dr Pepper from Heaven Hill Farm.Looking at our hike plan and maps we realized we were two hours late arriving at the state line and still had nine miles to hike to the next shelter. Best case: we would be racing the sunset and arriving after 7:30 this evening. Worst case: we would have to stealth camp short of the shelter and its water source. Actually, there was an even worse case which we would soon discover.We donned our pack and set off north now taking miles from the New York section of the Appalachian Trail and elated to have completed yet another of the 14 states. A mile or so up the trail we set our right foot down and immediately had a shooting pain in the front sole of our foot. Great! Our left knee was again inflamed, our left little toe had been so battered that it was throbbing and the one foot and leg that had been taking up the slack and propelling us along was now lame. We slowed our hiking pace to less then one mile per hour. Forget Wildcat shelter, our ability to even make it out of the woods to NY Highway 17A before dark was now in doubt.We continued on and eventually heard water flowing and falling. A creek! Remembering Half Fast's axiom that soaking ones feet equaled two weeks of rest, we crossed over on teetering rocks and found a place to drop our pack and sit along side the flowing water. We took off our right boot and sock, massaged the sole and plunged our foot into the cold water. After several massages and soaks our foot felt much better. We put our sock and boot back on, donned our pack, and resumed our death march. Forget fun, forget scenery, our focus was now one of survival and self-rescue. We realized our hike was likely over and that we would exit the trail at the upcoming NY 17A. The question was when? Tonight or tomorrow?Just before 6 p.m. we heard the sound of rushing traffic and the trail began to level out and widen. The trail rose just to the left of an old burned out residence with "No trespassing" signs and then we were at the guard rail along NY 17A. A small blue sign across the highway said "Cold Stone Creamery .2 miles". Sounded good to us. We would hobble up to the creamery, get water, and decide on a course of action, perhaps over sweet, sugary ice cream. Enroute to the creamery a New Jersey Transit bus passed south bound towards New York City about 5-10 minutes after the hour. We also passed bus stops with signs on both side of the busy highway. This was our exit point. We wrote down the stop number and the number to text with SMS for a bus schedule. (SMS 'Stop #26259" to 69287.)Cold Stone Creamery is just a wonderful place. Perched on a cliff side, it offers a white picket fenced area with picnic ables and a clean, efficient ice cream parlor. All products are made by the creamery including five varieties of glass bottled soft drinks. Not wanting to take up premium space in front of the creamery, we set our pack down on picnic table next to the parking area and topped our two water bottles of at the faucet on the side of the building. Unlike the earlier Heaven Hill Farm, Cold Stone Creamery offered homemade at reasonable prices resulting in a feeling of "good value." We weren't enticed by the ice cream, but found the glowing orange glass bottle on the back shelf a siren call. $1.69 got us an orange soda to rival Fanta and which surpassed any foreign orange soda we had ever imbibed.With about one and a half to two hours of sunlight remaining, we decided to damn the sore feet and knee and head up the trail to Wildcat shelter. We would hike back to the creamery and bus stop the next morning. Our left foot was not happy with the decision, but a fresh wave of endorphins allowed us to continue down the highway and onto the flat, wide trail headed north to Wildcat shelter.The first mile passed quickly and we felt good about our decision to pass the night at a legal camp site safely distant from the road crossing and any local hooligans. Our second mile began with another bouldering exercise. A nearby blue blaze offered an alternative route around the rocks, but we decided the shortest, quickest route was up and over. On the other side the trail descended and a quarter mile later presented a second bouldering exercise. Oh, goody. We made it over the large pile of rocks and continued down the trail. Just after crossing a shallow running stream we saw the blue-blaze trail on our left heading downhill to Wildcat shelter. Heading don over yet another rocky trail we found ourself in a wet, muddy lowland and lost sight of the blue blazes. WE also could not see the shelter which should have been visible. "Hello in the shelter" we called out. "Hello" in a familiar voice came the reply. "Half Fast, is that you? Where's the shelter?" We turned to our right and started bushwhacking towards Half Fast's position. Moments later we saw a footlocker style bear bx chained to two trees and then the shelter looming above us surrounded by boulders. Lovely, just lovely. More up.We hobbled up to the shelter and dropped our pack on the raised shelter floor opposite Half Fast. Already dusky, we spotted a pair of trees just past the shelter along the "cliff" and quickly hung our hammock and tarp. Half fast turned in so we quietly went about starting and eating dinner. After dinner, we decided against hobbling down and back to the bear locker and hung our Ursack on a small tree on the opposite side of the shelter from our hammock. Our final test of the Ursack in black bear territory.It being almost hiker midnight we hung our boots on the foot of our hammock, hung our socks on the tarp line above, and turned in for the night.Thus ended the eighth day.