Date: 2006-06-28
From: Hemlock Springs Campsite @ 1390.8 miles

To: Greymoor Friary, NY
Miles today: 4.1

Cell goodThis ia a morning entry due to weather conditions. I awoke to the rain hitting the roof my tent - I'm in the middle of a real hard downpour! I'm listening to the radio, and they're giving flash flood warnings for some areas near here. I'm high up on a mountain, so there isn't any danger of my getting washed out. It's 9:00 am ,and I'm still in my tent trying to remain dry. This is really late - I'm usually hiking by now. I probably won't get far today due to a late start. The one bright thing I'm hearing on the radio is that the weather forcast says it should end this afternoon. I have to be careful, as wet clothes and gear can be a dangerous situation. It is better to take care of the gear and not be concerned about the miles today. As in everything in life, Safety comes first.This campsite was so comfortable last evening. There was a slight breeze and some sunshine. I was really comfortable here. I'm the only one camping here - it's a remote camping spot. I usually stay near shelters for their convenience, and to be around other people. When I started typing ,the rain was very weak. It just picked up and is hard again. I hope the weather forcast is right, I'd like to move some today. Typed later in the day: It finally stopped raining, and I packed up and started hiking at 11:30 am. As I was hiking I decided to stop at the Graymoor Friery, only 4 miles down the trail. The Friers allow hikers to stay at the ballfield pavilion. It also has a cold shower, running water, and did I mention a pavilion - with a roof? The main selling point was that I needed to stop hiking early while the sun was shining. I arrived here at 1:30 pm with only two hours hiking.When I arrived here I immediately put my gear on a clothesline to dry out. They should be dry in a while, and I'll be ready and safe to continue tomorrow.Evening entry: I sat around all afternoon relaxing and drying clothes. I kept rotating the gear, and finally got it all dry. I also called a Pizzaria and ordered an Antipasto Salad and Baked Ziti. I couldn't eat it all, and there isn't anyone else here to offer it to. If a late hiker comes in I'll offer it, otherwise I'll eat it for breakfast.I tried to call Diehard ,but had to leave a message. Diehard, if you're reading this, you should have many of the people we hiked with coming by in the first two weeks of July. I'm sorry I can't have more specific. Old Goat Sue's Note: Old Goat called me from inside his tent at 9am today...he was bored and trapped in his tent because of how hard it was raining. He didn't have a book to read and he couldn't get breakfast (because his food was in his bear bag hanging between two trees and it was raining too hard to go get it).He called me later, when he was packed up and ready to head out. He said that it was a good thing he was listening to the radio - somewhere nearby did a nuclear siren test this morning. If he hadn't heard the radio announcements about the siren test, he would have been concerned about the sirens! That reminded me of many years ago when our daughter and her husband were moving to NC. When they had arrived at their destination, they called to let us know they got there safely. They described hearing flash flood announcements when they were in a valley between the mountains on the way to their town, and had no idea where the flash flood risk was compared to their location. Not a comfortable situation to be in.