Date: 2017-06-23
From: Stealth camp mile 1385

To: Ft Montgomery
Miles today: 18.7

No bears overnight. All quiet in the morning. Passed an older woman named Energizer. Went through the famous Lemon Squeezer without  needing to take my pack off. I've been through narrower at Mohonk a little north of here. But immediately past that was a fork in the trail: a blue sign points to "the easy way", and then there's the AT way. Metaphor alert! The AT way is an 8 foot high boulder with no rungs or obvious way to climb. After a few minutes I find the right handholds and struggle up, throwing my poles up first. I can't imagine how shorter or older hikers would manage obstacles like this. I wait around for Energizer to help her but after a while I have to move on.Although the terrain is generally much easier than yesterday, I am feeling exhausted with each minor climb. The bugs are biting and it is very humid. I decide to take a side trail to Tiorati Lake where there's a beach, showers and vending machines. My trail guide says they open at 9, in 15 minutes. But when I arrive after a lengthy walk the girl at the office says they changed it to 10. Normally someone would be there to let me in but today they're late. Argh! Do I wait and have to rush the rest of the day to make up time? The beach is empty but is behind a high gated chain link fence. The gate is out of sight of the office, but I notice a police car cruising by every few minutes along the road on the far lakeshore. I could sure use a dip but getting arrested isn't in my hiking plans. I grab a soda from the vending machine and ponder. I really need something to snap me out of my lethargy. Finally I go for it, wiggle under the gate, strip off everything but my shorts and dive into the lake. I feel my energy returning! After a couple of laps I hit the beach and dry off out of sight of the road. As I wriggle back under the fence a cyclist pulls up. I nonchalantly point him to the soda machine and he says nothing. Ten minutes later I'm back on the trail. Feeling refreshed I push on to Bear Mountain. I meet a young thru hiker from Illinois named Batman who'd barely seen a mountain before starting. Averages 20 a day now.A doe is near the trail but doesn't turn and run like every other deer. She just slowly continues on her way, barely acknowledging me. I see what seems to be the same doe miles later and again on Bear Mountain. Maybe all the deer are tame here, but it feels magical, like someone watching over me.Bear Mountain is what Vanderbilt would have constructed for Biltmore. The trail is like a garden path with literally thousands of terraced stone steps, walls, and pavers. Part is currently under renovation. It feels like a Catskill resort rather than the backcountry. I descend past a hotel (A-ha!) and go through the zoo (the trail is blazed right through it). I see my first bobcat in one of the cages. I meet Chili, a section hiker just returning to the trail from a work trip to Switzerland and headed for Vermont. The zookeepers rush us out so they can close up. Their sign says they are still open for 15 minutes. I get a local motel to pick me up for a much needed shower and laundry. Across the street is a BBQ place. Great end to a great day that started out very challenging.PS - the best part of my day occurred after I composed this. I got the family on the phone and heard from all the kids how their week at camp was and what they're looking forward to next week. It's great to hear their voices. I miss them everyday and think about them often as I hike.