Date: 2004-08-06
From: Woods on Hill Above Hudson River

To: Weighing Pros and Cons
Miles today: 16.6

So far, much of the hiking on the Appalachian Trail has happened on long ridgelines configured in a general north/south direction. Lately, the trail has been meandering. It has been leading me between individual hills. It has been ascending and descending individual hills, many of them steep and rocky. I wonder if this change from ridgelines is happening because the trail is leading me in a northeast direction here in New York. The new orientation toward the east might be going against the grain, so to speak, of the north/south direction of the Appalachian Mountains. Maybe this meandering will ease when the trail returns to its north/south orientation in Connecticut. Or maybe this theory of mine is just plain wrong.The weather was dry and cool today, which is ideal for hiking. But I never seemed to get into a hiking groove because I felt tired during the morning. Part of the reason for my lethargy was the frequent ups and downs of the terrain. Another reason I suspect, is the affect of not eating enough food over several months. As weird as it might sound, I believe that I am gradually starving. I could carry more food, but the added weight would slow me down. Plus I already increased the daily amount of food I am packing. One possible solution would be to eat meals at delis and other food joints situated near road crossings. The short time required to hitch hike or walk to these eateries might be worth the sacrifice in daily mileage output.While hiking in the woods, I noticed a sign that read "Shrine." A spur trail led me up the side of a short, rocky slope. At the top, I came across a statue of the Virgin Mary inside a booth. Artificial flowers beautified the scene. There was a sign with a message written in Spanish, a language that I can not translate. A register contained messages penned in Spanish. Some photos contained images of the shrine being constructed. The people depicted in the photos appeared to be Hispanic. It was unexpected to find such a place in a remote forest. Perhaps it was the site of a miracle or an apparition. I offered up a prayer and moved on.I had several decisions to make that required me to weigh the pros and cons of the consequences.I crossed a dirt road and noticed a man walking away on the road. He was calling a dog. A basset hound emerged from an opening in the woods and approached me. It jumped up, placed its paws on my thighs, and gave me a playful nip on my leg. Or was the nip actually a bite? I could not tell if the animal was being overly playful or aggressive. I shooed it away and re-entered the woods. The hound followed me on the trail, so I shooed it off again. After a momentary interlude, the hound returned again. This time, I raised a stick and spoke to it in a forceful manner. The result was the same; the hound would run away, turn around and catch up to me. It was strange behavior for a dog to follow me so far away from its master. I faced a dilemma. Should I whack the dog with the stick or just keep on walking away and hope it will give up its pursuit? I was still unsure if the dog, with its droopy and innocent looking eyes, was merely looking for affection. I opted to continue shooing it away and not strike it. It followed me, or pursued me, along the trail until I reached a stream crossing. There I stepped up on a log which spanned the stream and made the crossing. The hound was unable to climb up on the log and paced about the bank of the stream, looking for a place to ford it. I walked away from view and never saw the animal again.Another dilemma I faced pertained to water. The streams were slow moving and muddy because the elevations were low. With one exception, I did not draw water from these streams, even though my chemical treatment probably would have made the waters potable.During the mid afternoon, I hiked by a building in a park which contained a spigot with clean water. My dilemma was this: From that spigot, should I fill up a voluminous amount of water into my reserve bladder, or add just enough water to hold me over until I found a decent stream? By filling up with lots of water, I would ensure that I would have enough water to hold me over for hiking, for cooking and cleaning in camp, and for starting the hike in the morning. The downside is that carrying a large quantity of water adds significant weight to my backpack. Or should I draw a minimal amount of water and hope to find a decent stream? I opted to draw three liters of water and become a beast of burden for the final miles of the day.During the afternoon, I began feeling occasional sensations of pain on the ball of my left foot. As the afternoon progressed, the frequency of these painful episodes increased. I was not sure of the reason for this condition. Could it be my foot adjusting to a new brand of hiking shoe; I began wearing the shoe two days ago. Or is the foot injured? I wondered if I should stop hiking and make camp earlier. By stopping, I would ease the pounding on the foot. But stopping too early would mean fewer miles logged for the day. I opted to keep on hiking. While hiking, I chose carefully the spots on the ground where I placed the foot, avoiding blunt rocks and roots.Later in the day, I began looking for a place in the woods to stealth camp. Much of the terrain was slanted and the surroundings were brushy. On several occasions, I bushwhacked off of the trail in search of an open spot that was flat. Nowhere seemed to work. My dilemma: Do I settle for a lousy spot and establish a camp with ample daylight remaining? Or should I continue looking for a nicer spot¢with no guarantees of finding one¢and risk having to make camp with darkness imminent? I pushed on in search of a decent spot. Eventually, I had to settle for a mediocre site in a brushy area. Tonight in the hammock, I am wearing my hiking shirt in addition to my long underwear shirt. It appears as though the temperatures will be unseasonably cold. I hope that my summer sleeping bag and child's fleece throw will keep me warm enough.