Date: 2015-06-07
From: NY 

To: Native Landscapes Garden center
Miles today: 2.4
Weather: light rain

Today I actually did more miles off the trail than on it. I didn't leave Pawling until 3pm, so I cut my day much shorter. I woke up after 6, Skyped England, and then went back to bed until about 8.30. I left the hostel and had to do a resupply at the shop nearby. It was very expensive for very cheap food. In some ways it was a lot like petrol station resupply in terms of variety and price. I took the bus once again into the city and got a donut and tea for breakfast. I managed to get to Grand Central Station by 10.30, well in time for the 10.51 train. Unfortunately, that train did not stop at Pawling, so I had to wait another hour. I eventually got into Pawling about 2pm and had lunch. I had a "baby" pizza which was a normal pizza. I wonder how big the large pizza was. From there, I walked the 3 miles along the roadside back to the trail. The sun was out in force and blasting away. The road reflected back the heat and I felt like I was walking in the desert. I stuck my thumb out a few times but didn't get any response. It was just incredibly dry and hot. At least walking on a road is relatively flat and quick though. I was relieved to get back into the woods and the shade. The short 2.4 miles to the garden center was nice, though some sections on board walks and long grass that made me worry about ticks. I got to the garden center just before it closed. They allow hikers to camp on a bit of land nearby, as well as use the power, toilets and outdoor shower. They sell a small bit of food and drinks too. It seems like more businesses around the trail have realised the advantages of keeping hikers overnight- they spend more money. Tomorrow the trail looks a bit interesting. It's hard to tell whether it will be difficult or not. The weather is still predicted to be very poor. My plan at the moment is to do about 18 to the shelter, and then maybe go into Kent in the early morning. If the weather is really bad then I will try to stay overnight in Kent, but it's a very expensive and high end town, so I would prefer not to. I had a great time in New York, but it's definitely a very expensive trip to do. New York is the kind of place where I could spend the next 3 weeks exploring without getting bored. Most hikers I have met usually say that after a zero day or two, they feel eager to get back to the trail. I definitely didn't feel that way in New York. I hope I can return some day, with more time, money and changes of clothes. (My green shirt has dark stains covering the entire underarm and up.)It will also be hard to sleep tonight without even a cheap mattress to sleep on. I'm still very tired though, so that should help falling asleep. However, my tent is immediately beside a railway track. The train isn't so bad, but the blaring horn has scared me three times already. Another thing is food- I am still very much in love with town food. I don't want hiker food any more, and there are many options around the next week where I can go into town and eat instead of eating my boring hiker food. Today I've also double checked the dates. There is always a lingering fear that I will somehow have to rush to get to Katahdin before the visa. But at the moment, I could hike 9.6 miles every day and still finish with a week to spare before my visa expired. At my current ideal mileage of 20 miles per day, I could be finished in 37 days non-stop. That is a very daunting prospect. I don't think I'm ready to leave that soon, even on the days when I'm exhausted and hurting and hating hiking. This has been the most incredible adventure of my life. All the other Georgia NOBOs seem to feel the same way. No one is ready for the end. However, I am looking forward to stopping hiking. I think I just don't want to leave everything else about the trail.