Date: 2003-07-07
From: Bear Mountain Inn

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 7.2

Hmmm... it seems the hiking days aren't finishing up as I'd planned them. Today, the tentative plan was for about 15 miles to a campsite. Hotdog and I didn't get an early start, but we knew it would be like that. I wanted to go through the Trailside Zoo and it didn't open until 10am. So, I was forced to sleep in. As much as I could anyway. I woke up at 5:30, and fell back asleep, thankfully. Then I woke up at 6:30, and fell back asleep, thankfully. Finally, around 8, after laying around, dozing, I got up to do something productive. Like, eat breakfast.We hit the trail just after 10, went through a tunnel, and entered the zoo. The zoo isn't much, but for $1, or free for hikers, what could it be? It was kinda cute, but not like Busch Gardens or even the local Jungle Larry's. One good thing was that I saw my first, and second bear today! It was in the zoo, but I was on the trail. That counts, right?In front of the Bear Den, the trail is at it's lowest elevation. So, contrary to the thought at Clingman's Dome (the trail's highpoint), it's all uphill from here! I hope not! At times today, it sure seemed so. I don't know if it's the hot weather, or if the climbs are steeper than I'm used to, but I've been sucking wind the last two days! My legs are a little sore, which hasn't happened since the first weeks of the trip, and my lungs have been burning. I'm hoping my conditioning will improve before I reach real mountains again.When we crossed the Bear Mountain Bridge, there was some work being done on the bridge, and were some warning signs. One was regarding a carcinogen, and the other was regarding lead. It's nice to see that, as a hiker, I am getting away from pollution. Not! I felt the same way going through EPA Superfund sites too. I guess, if the government already owns the land, they might as well use it for trail.We stopped for water after about 3 miles of hiking, and planned on getting water at Graymoor, then continuing on to camp somewhere. We got to Graymoor around 2pm, and saw some familiar faces at the pavilion: Not the Kennedys, Zapman and Sparky, and Chief. Twofiddy and Spiderman were there as well. Before too long, Splash and Cobra, Big Paws, and three section hikers we met last night (Banana, Capone, and Dr. Thunder) rolled in as well. We spent so much time talking, that we decided we'd just stay. Seven miles was long enough of a day.At 4:30, Friar Fred drove down to give us instructions on dinner, and get a count as to how many would be eating there tonight. I was a bit worried when he said that we had to be done eating by 6pm, considering dinner starts at 5:30, but as it turned out, we had plenty of time. Homeless men and women, staying at St. Christophers Inn for up to 21 days prepare and serve dinner, and tidy up once we leave, so we have to be out soon enough for them to do dishes and get back for any meetings they have to attend. We had salad, pasta with broccoli, chicken soup, and butterscotch pudding, along with either water or tea to drink. The food was good, and if there is any other food left over from other groups' dinners, we get to eat their leftovers. I had about a quarter of a club sandwich after all the other food.About the time we were walking back down to the pavilion, the rain started lightly falling, and shortly after getting to the pavilion, it was a downpour. I'm glad we decided to stay. We had to scramble around, moving packs and gear away from blowing rain and puddles, but got everyone settled on and under tables, and on the floor. Zapman, Sparky and Chief decided to walk on a bit, and Twofiddy went to a different pavilion. The rest of us are battling the mosquitos here.As much as I want to see the miles pass by, I am enjoying taking it slower and meeting new people. I don't have a schedule to keep, really, and that is a good thing. I'm sure I'll get back in a routine and hike 15 or so miles per day, until the terrain gets tougher, but for now, this is fine. It's what I wanted to do today, so it's what I did.