Date: 2016-05-20
From: US 9, Appalachian Market

To: NY 301, Canopus Lake
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: clear sky

Yet another super day. We tried to be quiet as we left the Pig Hill B&B around 6 this morning, but the squeaky floors made it hard. I think we woke up Dave, the innkeeper. We really liked our visit here and vowed to return when we can.We did more key swaps today, three in fact and got all the way from the Appalachian Market to the end of Canopus Lake. It was absolutely gorgeous weather, but it warmed up quickly and I worked up a damn good sweat by the end of the morning. I picked up premethrin treated shirt and pants at Cabella¢s when we passed through Hamburg, PA and I¢ve started wearing them as the days have grown warmer and the ticks are more likely to be active. I also have some premethrin spray for the rest of my gear. Ending up with Lyme for 2 years in a row (on the AT) has taught me that you can¢t be too careful. And I keep hearing about chronic Lyme even though many organizations argue that it doesn¢t exist. For those of you who are interested, I have a reference on Lyme ¢persister¢ cells that you may find interesting. And we carry doxy, but in many cases, the bulls-eye doesn¢t appear so you may not know that you have Lyme until more serious symptoms manifest. Anyway, it turned into a very warm day and the long-sleeve shirt and long pants make it downright hot. The warm weather also brings out another threat - rattlesnakes. Princess has learned that the snakes like to start moving around when the temp reaches about 60 deg. They are especially fond of sunning themselves on rocks until the temp gets to around 80 deg, when they start to look for shade - often between the rocks. We talked about it before the hike today, and about an hour into the hike I turned a corner and there was a 3 to 4 foot snake stretched out in the trail. A black snake fortunately, and it slowly moved off-trail. Princess also saw several garter snakes coming from the other direction. All in all, it was a very pleasant hike. The terrain was varied, lots of twisting and turning and ups and downs. A nice waterfall, some plankwalks, and a nice flat stretch near Canopus Lake. Mostly we saw thru-hikers along the trail, the day hikers will turn out for the weekend, but I don¢t think Fahnestock Park has officially opened yet. Today we moved from Cold Spring to Le Chambord in Hopewell Junction. We¢ve had a hard time finding accommodations this weekend since it¢s graduation time at West Point and virtually everything within a 30-mile radius is booked up. Princess contacted Martin, who shuttled us around this area last year and asked for suggestions. He was a great help and eventually we found a place here in Hopewell. We asked Martin and his wife, Donna to join us for dinner here tonight and we had a great evening with them. They are both hikers and active in maintaining the AT in this area. Martin has been responsible for a shelter and this year he¢s a supervisor for the section of trail from here to CT. One of the best features of doing the AT the way we are is the opportunity to meet trail supporters like Martin and Donna. I think almost everyone who hikes the trail gains a real appreciation for the volunteer community who keep the trail in shape and improve it every year. Hats off to them. So now, we¢re taking 2 days off (zeros) to visit in NYC and we won¢t be back on the trail until Monday. I¢m going to take a breather from the blog until then. Enjoy the weekend.