Date: 2005-06-12
From: RPH Shelter

To: Morgan Stewart Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: haze

A much better day today!   We had Pizza last night! Thanks to the persistent efforts of NOBO¢S we succeeded. The problem was complicated by the fact that although there was a telephone directory in the shelter, we could not figure out the nearest town with a delivery service. Finally the local trail maintainer stopped by, drove NOBO¢S to the nearest pizza spot, waited till the order was ready, and then drove him back here again! How about that for service? So we all sat around eating pizza and drinking Pepsi and Mountain Dew. Two section hikers ¢ an older man and his friend from New York ¢ arrived in perfect time for the feast.   It turns out that Lead Dog is a retired ER doc, so we swapped stories. Mailer had a personal tail about his UGI bleed while hiking last year. He had to be carried out; he was so weak from the blood loss that he could not even stand up. It turned out that he had a bleeding aneurysm that required embolization at Lehigh Valley Hospital. His hemoglobin fell to 6 grams after two units of blood! Lucky man to survive. But as he says himself everything happens for a reason.   There was also a tent pitched at the shelter when I arrived. We all got so concerned when no one arrived to occupy it, that we checked inside to make sure that there wasn¢t a dead body in there. Then of course the owner showed up!      Everyone was in their bunks by sundown, and all were up by 5AM. Even though I was ready to roll at 6.30AM. All, except for the two section hikers, were out and gone before me.   I felt much better physically starting out this morning, even though it was still very humid. It was up and down over Hosner Mountain to its namesake Road. I increased my water consumption to twice normal i.e. 500cc an hour, and made good time to NY52. Resisting the impulse to go 0.4 miles to the deli ¢ its not the miles it¢s the time for ordering and eating that worried me ¢ and refilled by water bottles at the stream ¢ taking care to treat the water because of the posted caution notice at the stream by the local trail maintainer Elvis Trailsly. Then it was off again and up an excellent series of switchbacks. On the crest I met the man himself ¢ Elvis Trailsly ¢ out for a Sunday hike with the excuse that he was checking out the trail. He was highly pleased when I complimented him on the switchbacks and the excellent stonework on his section. He had designed the section himself and it is one of the best maintained and graded that I have hiked so far.   Soon I was crossing I84 ¢ no trucks passing to respond by honking. Then a long and hot and very sweaty ascent of Mount Egbert up to the summit ¢ complete with survey marker. By this time my grandiose thoughts, born of the early going at a good pace, of doing 16 instead of 9 miles, had evaporated. I was significantly slowing down, and even though I had got here at a surprising average of 1.5 MPH, I was smart enough not to push it. Even though I might have made it to Telephone Pioneers Shelter, it would not have been enjoyable and I would have been exhausted.   Mailer was here when I arrived, having taken the 1.5 hours round trip to the Deli. See what I mean about eating time? He tried, half-heartedly, to get me to go on with him to Pawling, but I resisted all of his entreaties.   The water source here is a pump, and produces the coldest, sweetest water I have had so far. I will never take cold, sweet, clean, fresh water for granted again.      So I have spent a long and relaxing afternoon here. Lots of folks have stopped by- two section hikers from New York who are averaging 1MPH, even slower than I am. I have also been visited by six of eight people in a Boy Scout troop out for a 20-mile merit badge hike.      Current plan is to try for NY22 - 10.9 miles ¢ and then 2.5 into Wingdale. Left a cell message for a room at the Duchess Motor Lodge ¢ so we shall see. Cell battery needs charging is the official excuse.   KB and SB, young college students from Maine have just stopped by, racing to catch up to their friend Snowdog. Have gotten an apple and an orange from the scout troop ¢ good Yogi. Thought for today ¢ Worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.