Date: 2013-06-16
From: William Brien Memorial Shelter

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

You've got to love the AT. Many days I find myself plodding through the woods, without seeing anyone else or any signs of civilization for the day. And then there is the occasional day like today.I packed up and was on the trail by 7. As I packed up I really needed to find a tree to duck behind to answer the call of nature, but there were so many tents and people up and about that I had to walk a long way to find some privacy. N.Y. doesn't seem to offer privies at all of its shelters, so a tree had to do. The trail started with a climb up and over Black Mountain. Then it was down to cross the Palisades Parkway. It was surreal to see the sign for NYC only 34 miles away. On moments like this it hits me just how far I've walked.I stopped for water just after the parkway and shortly after came upon a group of 25 or so Taiwanese and Chinese folks from NYC who are part of a hiking club. The group started moving up West Mountain (the second climb of the day) right as I got there, and I was swept away with the group on the climb up the hill. I answered quite a few questions about the AT on the way up.Once at the top I met up with Walker and Stretch, and we forged ahead of the hiking group and a group of Boy Scouts. After descending West Mountain, next up was the third climb of the day up Bear Mountain. The summit of Bear Mountain has a stone tower named Perkins Memorial Tower, and there's a road to the summit. We'd hoped to catch a glimpse of the NYC skyline, but the weather was a bit too hazy. People everywhere, especially bikers (both motorcycles and bicycles). A men's singing group from Yeshiva University was filming on the edge of the view out over the Hudson River.We then descended down to Bear Mountain Recreation Area, on Hessian Lake, which has the distinction of being the lowest point on the entire AT (163 feet in elevation). Since it was a sunny Sunday, and Father's Day, this park was swarming with people of every ethnicity. Tin Cup, Walker, Stretch, and I grabbed some food at the concession stand and found a picnic table in an area loaded with Indian families. Very good people watching!The trail then wound its way through the Bear Mountain Trailside Museum and Zoo, before taking us across the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge.Once over the river the trail returned to business as usual (rocks, climbs, mountain laurel, cicadas, etc.) before finally exiting the woods right next to the Appalachian Market and Deli. We'd had lunch at the concession stand, and here was a dinner opportunity right in front of us. I picked up a deli sandwich and some other food and after snacking there we started back on the trail. We said goodbye to Tin Cup, who's meeting his wife in Kent, CT on Wednesday and wanted to put a few more miles in for the day. Stretch, Walker, and I planned to tent at the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, only .6 up the trail and .4 off the trail from the market. Graymoor kindly offers free tenting to hikers.As we approached Graymoor (which we'd thought was a Buddhist center but is actually a Franciscan monastery), we saw a line up of buses. We learned that today was the Feast of St. Anthony, and a special celebration was underway for Haitians. We walked through the crowds down to the ball field, where there's a pavilion, a nice field for tenting, an enclosed (cold) shower, and a wash sink. When we arrived at 4:30 the field was filled with cars, and picnickers were enjoying their food. By early evening everyone cleared out, and Stretch, Walker, and I have had a peaceful evening, along with 2 section hikers camping here as well. All in all a fun day filled with unexpected surprises and wonderful people watching on the AT!Today's highlight: the whole day.