Date: 2004-07-28
From: N.Y. Hwy.17

To: Ft. Montgomery, N.Y.
Miles today: 18.9

Start NY 17Destination Ft. Montgomery, N.Y. I have already seen more wildlife in John's front yard this morning, than in the last five weeks on the trail. Deer eating from his bird feeders, wild turkeys cleaning up what the deer spilled on the ground, two hummingbirds fighting over a feeder. But no bear! The sky is overcast with rain forecast for the morning, followed by clearing skies this afternoon. I am optimistic, and do not put my rain cover over my pack. My pack fits like a glove this morning, light and comfortable. There is a steep climb, as usual from the road crossing and before long I am at the Lemon Squeezer. At first the trail looks like it goes between two building sized boulders that have a fallen tree wedged between them. No big deal. Then as I turn the corner of the boulder, there is the big deal a crevice between two more house size boulders, on an incline. The faces of the rocks are smooth, with nothing to hang on to. This is one time where being small is a blessing. After an initial very high step, I can walk straight up and between the boulders without too much trouble. But had I had a wider body or pack, well that would have made it really difficult. I went ahead of the guys and had the fun of watching them from above, trying to maneuver themselves through the crevice. It would be like a hippopotamus trying to go through a mouse hole. From my vantage point, I was able to take several pictures, catching those, ¢deer in the headlight looks". The rest of the trail was filled with more ups and downs. Yesterday's rain had soaked in the ground, so there was not a lot of mud, but every once in awhile, a slick place would send me skidding. At the top of Bear Mountain as I strolled along, I came upon a doe feeding in the tall grasses along the trail. I was not more than three foot from her. I could see her nose quivering as she looked at me. I eased my camera out and took a picture. She finally ambled away, and I continued along. It was late afternoon when I came to Lake Hessian. There were dozens of Canadian Geese on the edge of the lake, and then a retriever got the bright idea of going after them. He sent them all into the lake, squawking like crazy. Another good picture missed! Trail Dog came down behind me and took the lead for awhile. It wasn't for too long though, because he got mixed up and we ended up going quite a bit out of the way, all down hill of course. He insisted that he saw a white blaze, but on the way back up, he could not find any blaze. ¢Someone must have painted over it.¢, was he remark. Since we were running late, by this time it was almost dark, John had come looking for us, and we met him just as we came back to the road crossing. It had stayed overcast all day, and pretty cool. John dropped us off at the Holiday Inn Express in Ft. Montgomery. We were going to splurge on a room, much to Spincycles¢ dismay. All day long we had looked forward to a relaxing soak in the hot tub. The sign at the front desk said the hot tub was out of order until further notice. It all went downhill from there. The redeeming factor was the Pineapple Steak House just minutes away from the motel. Trail Dog and I got there just before the kitchen closed. I must say the manager made us feel welcome and we enjoyed a good dinner. Since Spincycle had not made it in yet, we ordered him a dinner to go, but then he came in while we were eating. As we stepped outside, the rain that had held off all day decided to let go. I leaned against the door and sighed. Just as I got ready to step out into the rain, the manager handed me an umbrella." Just leave it at the front desk." he said. As I passed my hiking partners who had left the restuarant just ahead of me and had stopped at the gas station for snacks, I waved merrily and walked on. It has been one very long day. I ran a tub of hot water and climbed in. Sat back with my book and relaxed for an hour. I looked like a lobster when I got out. I am relieved that tomorrow's hike is a short one. I am also dreading it, because I jump forward after tomorrow and leave my new found friends behind. Total miles 18.9