Date: 2006-07-04
From: Schaghticoke Road/Bulls Bridge Road, NY

To: Mt. Algo Lean-to, CT
Miles today: 6.8

Cell none.Today was one of the hardest days to resume hiking. I woke up in my own bed, in my own house. It was hard to leave and go back to the trail.We left Syracuse a little after 6:00 am and headed East on the Thruway. We arrived at the trailhead around 11:30 am. I put my trail clothes on and prepared to leave. We said our goodbyes, and I headed out. It was harder this time than the other two times.I stopped on one of the overlooks and called Sue to see if she made it to the Thruway okay. She said she negotiated all the back roads okay, and she was in a gas station just before going through the toll booth. She also told me the radio station here was predicting heavy thunderstorms with hail and heavy rain this afternoon.That made me concerned of getting soaked and not being able to stay warm tonight. I reached the this shelter about the time the storms were predicted. The sky was getting dark and I could hear thunder from a distance. I decided to stay here and be dry than to walk in the rain.I don't know what happened, but the storm didn't hit here, and the sky cleared up an hour later. Either way, I committed myself to staying here and I'm now comfortable. I should stay dry if the rain does come.My trip home was a boost for my morale, I would like to thank all the friends who stopped by to say hello on Sunday. It was great to see you and to spend time talking with you. My only regret was I would have liked to have had more time to talk more with each of you.As usual, my time with Sue was way too short. We were busy most of the time and didn't get the quality time we both would have liked. It is hard to see your best friend, and then have to say goodbye so soon. We both agreed that there was no calling it quits and my staying home. When I am done, I will do everything in my power to be a good husband and friend to her. We have a great thing going in our marriage, and I want it to stay that way. We talk a lot, share our feelings a lot, and just plain listen to each other. It took me a long time to understand what she needs; I don't always get it right, but I certainly do try.Thank you my friend for supporting me in all the things I do. You certainly are my better half, for without you I would not have done half the things I've done. Thank you.Old Goat Sue's Note: I agree with Old Goat that this was the hardest parting yet. It was wonderful being with him in our own house. I do support what he's doing though, so we say goodbye again and send him on his way so he'll complete his dream. Old Goat writes some beautiful words sometimes....I love that guy! :-) On our drive back to the AT, Old Goat told me an interesting AT story. Someone at the Graymore Friary (where he stayed a while back) told him of a backpack someone seemed to abandon at the Friary shelter. The Brother from the Friary who greets people saw the pack there for a few days. After a while, he decided to take it into the Friary, wash the clothes, and hang onto the pack in case the owner reappeared. The Brother left a message in the shelter log telling where the pack was. A couple weeks later the owner appeared - he had put his pack down and went into town...getting himself into a predicament that put him in jail for 17 days! Many shelters have people who monitor them. Some shelters are maintained very well, others are quite run down. There are also people dedicated to sections of the trail who maintain it - the same thing happens there (some sections being maintained better than others). Old Goat met a guy who was hiking with clippers - he was checking his section of the trail to clip back the growth and take care of anything else that needs work. It's great that there are so many people dedicated to the AT. Thank you to all who do such wonderful volunteer work!