Date: 2015-06-13
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: broken clouds

There was a sudden and quite violent thunderstorm last evening. Continuous rolling thunder - the crashing sound went on uninterrupted for many minute at a time.The earth was damp this morning and the exposed roots and rocks were slick. The steep terrain was highly eroded and now turned into a narrow mud slide. I slipped twice.We stopped at the base of the Fitzgerald Falls to get water. The day was going to be hot and New York is notorious for its dry stretches and its unreliable water sources.Today we had many mountains to hike up, something that I feel we have not done in a while. Mombasha Highpoint was the first. It is rumored that, on a clear day, you can see the New York City skyline from the top. Perhaps it was because the sky was grey and overcast, but we didn't see anything. As with yesterday's hike, the climbs were very challenging. The Trail would lead us out of a dense forest to a rock wall. We would wonder "where does the Trail go?" while looking all around us... until we noticed a lone white blaze wayyy up at the top. Since when did the word "hiking" was redefined as "rock-climbing"? At a particular moment, there was a solitary tree whose unearthed and tangled roots seemed to be the only feature securing the facade's loose rocks and preventing an avalanche. I grasped onto those old, knotty roots and hoisted myself up, hoping that they would not break. I wonder how long that tree has before it is completly uprooted. Buchanan Mountain was more of the same rock-climbing, hiking along exposed ridgelines where the earth was dry and arid and small, thorny bushes scrapped my legs. The sun had finally come out so we were constantly dripping sweat. The rashes and irritations on my skin stung. There were many, many day hikers out. We met Snickers and his hiking group and he offered us cookies, which was great. Trail angels left gallons of water at each road crossing because, as I said, water can be scarce. Thank you so much to all of you!One of the last mountains to conquer was Arden Mountain. The Companion book calls this mountain's descent the Agony Grind. Agony is an appropriate name as it is an almost vertical drop down which I mostly butt-blazed. I have become very efficient at sliding down rocks.The final portion of the hike included the Lemon Squeezer, an extremely narrow gap carved into the mountain's side. We waited as a few day hikers passed through. One of them said that we wouldn't manage with our big packs. Determined to keep my pack on, pulled through as hard as I could, my pack barely squeezing by, resisting with all its weight. After a few minutes of struggling, I made it. Shrugs, wanting to imitate my success, attempted to cross... but he got stuck! It was hilarious. I climbed above him to guide him through.The small section past the Lemon Squeezer has the prettiest forest. The trees are not so densly packed, so you can see the small hills extend far away. The sky was clear and the sun's rays fell obliquely through the leaves, casting a warm light on the ferns that carpeted the area. A turkey hen passed by us.We arrived at the Fingerboard Shelter - it was PACKED with day hikers. I had never seen so many people at a shelter, none of which were thru-hikers. We camped a few minutes away and set up our tent on a thick, mossy patch. It was so comfortable. We left the rain fly off for the night, so we could watch the sun set and the stars slowly light up the night.- Axon  Shrugs on Agony Grind  Shrugs in the Lemon Squeeze