Date: 2018-09-05
From: Near NY Highway 22

To: Homer Mountain Road
Miles today: 16.3

Before bed I couldn't stand the sweat so I walked back to the boardwalk with an empty water bottle. At the only place the water looked good I reached down and scooped up some water. I dumped it over my head then repeated. I felt much better. As I walked back down the boardwalk to my tent there were hundreds of dragonflies flying in all directions in the darkening blue sky above me. To the west a few purple clouds hung in the sky as the sun's brightness faded. What a beautiful night. I was awake this morning before 5 a.m. I love train horns and I had my share overnight as it seemed Metro North ran up and down that single track almost every hour. Using my headlamp I reached the trail right on 6 a.m. I wanted to beat the heat. I proclaimed a heat emergency which meant as much swimming as possible. The day quickly brightened as I walked through wet fields. I even saw four deer early, sharing the same field. Soon I walked by the Dover Oak. Its girth is 20 feet 4 inches. The oak is estimated to be 300 years old. I stopped at Telephone Pioneer Shelter and treated water. I went by Nuclear Lake as the temperature was creeping higher but decided not to swim. I was low on food and needed to get to the deli near Stormville plus beat the afternoon heat. At Morgan Stewart Shelter I arrived at 11:45, ahead of my estimate. However I wasn't feeling my best. I walked down the hill to the handpump where I met a 75+ year old woman. She said her name is Badass Betty. I pumped the water for her and she did the same for me. Then we went back up to the shelter. A guy from West Virginia I saw back at Telephone Pioneer shelter came in. I didn't get his name. Both of them are going to RPH shelter which is a long hot way. My goal was just to get to the deli. Well, Badass Betty took off and I didn't see her the rest of the day. The other guy I saw at I-84 where someone left water. Then I lost him because I was going to the deli. I arrived at Rt 52 about 2:23 and hiked up the highway then down the highway .3 to the deli. It was in the sun and I worried about going back. But at the Mountain Top Market and Deli (which wasn't on top the mountain) I got a great Italian sub, two ice cream bars, a Pepsi and two days worth of food. Outside on the bench I ate the sub and ice cream while talking to a motorcyclist about each's time out in Idaho and Montana. I packed up and headed from the Mountain Top Market to the actual mountain top. It was hot. I talked with Heartrock earlier who said temperature in Stormville was 91. At the trail was trail magic! Trail angel Tort left water and soda IN ICE! Oh, so cold and good. I decided to continue to Hosner Mountain Road looking for a campsite and a stream. It was 3:45. About 5 p.m. after a sweaty 1.6 miles I came to a stream by Hosner Mountain Road. But a sign warned the stream flows through cow pastures. I didn't want to continue but near the stream were houses. On the other side of the road the trail went up. It was 5 p.m. I decided to leave my pack there and see if any campsites were up the hill. As I crossed the road and started the climb I saw water jugs! Tort left water here! I headed up the steep hill for 10 minutes and found a nice spot. So, back down to get my pack. Then, since I proclaimed a heat emergency, decided to take a gallon up the hill with me just in case. Going up the hill I had two liters plus a gallon, that's 12 additional pounds and it was steep. At 5:30 I finally settled on a location and set up camp. I used one liter to wash myself off, drank one and now have two for tomorrow. I'll shortly take any remaining water all the way back down...what was I thinking? Sun is setting now and all I hear is traffic on I-84 and an occasional acorn dropping. Temperature is 82 degrees.