Afraid to use this bridge in high water.

26 May Wednesday - near Pawling, NY

Hot and humid, hi 93.

The heat was mitigated temporarily when after 4.5 miles of hiking, we arrived at Nuclear Lake. This area was a nuclear research facility until 1972. It was cleaned up and tested after which the NPS rerouted the trail next to it. Elvis Trailsly told us about it yesterday. It was nice, cold but wonderful on a hot day. One benefit of getting older is you do not have to worry about long term consequences.

The cool did not last however when we resumed. We did pass the Dover Oak. It is reported as the largest oak tree on the AT and is estimated to be more than 300 years old. It is over 20 feet in circumference at 4 feet above ground.

We arrived at NY 22 and saw the AT Train Station. The train from NY actually stops here on weekends.

We are staying at Native Landscapes. Owner Pete Muroski is a hiker and lets thru-hikers camp here. More important, the let us use the shower. Wonderful after a long (11 miles), hot day. Even better, there was a hot dog trailer across the road. Still hiking "deli-to-deli".

Nuclear Lake

Location Note from #Compass

Altitude: 708 ft
Latitude: 41°35'48.8" N
Longitude: 73°38'49.3" W

25 May, Morgan Stewart Shelter

Hot and humid.  94 today and too warm last night.

Short day to this shelter, only 9 miles.  Saw one snake.

Highlight of the was Mountain Top Deli.  We heard of this place on the trail days before we got here.  It is 0.3 mi. down the road but well worth it.  We had one sandwich for lunch, and got another (without mayo) for dinner.   We are well fed tonight. 

We are still with Rewind (lunch and dinner).  He will go about 16 miles tomorrow,  we will go about 11.  It has been fun. 

We met Elvis Trailsly today at the deli.  He has been a trail maintainer for 30 years.   He was also featured in the National Geographic show on the Appalachian Trail (the DVD is circulating in the family).  He is the one who spoke about Lymes Disease.

Speaking of which, they no longer warn us about bears but about ticks. 
Picture is from our hike today.

24 May, RPH Shelter

Mostly cloudy all day.  Some sun and a little rain.  High around 80.  Humid.

Nice hiking today; some up and down but not too bad.   Very pretty forest,  tall trees, high canopy and open underneath.  Also grassy open hilltops.  Saw 3 deer, 1 snake,  and 1 otter. 

Met 2 thru-hikers, Full Pint and Karma, who left GA on the 28th of Feb.  They hope to finish by July 1st.  Its kind of disheartening. 

Alps joined tonight by Rewind.  We met him at Fingerboard Shelter.   He took a day off now he has caught up again.  We will probably hike together tomorrow too.

RPH Shelter is a former house purchased by a hiking club.  The had to remove 1 wall and all the electricity to met Nat. Park Service codes for shelters.  But it has a covered porch, open porch,  patio, picnic tables and lawn chairs.  Also has a hand water pump.  It is on a road so we ordered pizza delivered for dinner.  

23 May Sunday - Dennytown Rd. Campsite

Cloudy and humid.  High in low 70s.  It was "about to rain" all day but it hardly rained at all.  Arrived in camp with it still threatening but got the tent up while it was still realitively dry.  Now it looks like the rain is gone.  My kind of rainy day!

We saw 2 snakes,  2 deer, and lots of chipmunks.  I'm mention chipmunks because we have seen so many this last week.

Met several section hikers today.  One had a Cocker Spaniel smaller than Isis.  He says she always hikes with him (15+ miles a day).  Guess Isis is out of shape. 

Another named the Wandering Astronomer has been hiking many years and was an amateur astronomer.   Met some astronomers while hiking which led to getting a job in astronomy.  A few years later he met his wife while hiking the AT.  The trail has been important in his life.

22 May - Hemlock Springs Campsite

High inflow 70s.  Humid.

Easy hike today.  We only came a few miles out of Bear Mountain.

We needed to do laundry and get to the Post Office this morning.  We were told that the PO was less than a mile up the road in Ft. Montgomery and the laundry nearby.  We walked and it was more than a mile but was closed - did not open until 9:00.  Worse,  there was no laundry nearby. 

I arranged for a taxi, we got our package,  but the taxi did not arrive for nearly an hour.  We went to a laundromat about 4 miles away.

There were protesters infront of the laundromat, anti-war vs. support our troups.  There was some more extreme rhetoric, for example "I'll burn 10,000 flags if I have to . . .".   Guess they were hoping to catch the eye of the President as he drove by.

Made it back to the hotel without event. Got a late checkout.  Hiked out of town in the afternoon along the lake getting back to the AT and then through Bear Mtn.  zoo to get to the bridge across the Hudson river.  Crossing the Hudson is widely named as the lowest point on the AT.  Actually, it is a low spot in the zoo near the bear cages.  (Finally saw a bear on this trip.)

This whole area is really nice.  I am sure it gets overrun with people,  starting next weekend.

Rain is forecast for tonight, tomorrow and Monday.  Unfortunately this is stretch of trail with no shelters.  Hate tenting in the rain.

I have no map AT map of this area.  When the ATC Store sent me my order they left out 2 maps, one of this area and one in southwest VA.  In both cases they sent 2 copies of an adjacent map.  Thanks.

21 May, Bear Mtn. State Park

Warm night under the stars.  Hot today, 90.

Left the shelter early and hiked 5.4 miles by 10:20.   Only 3 more miles to the shelter we planned to stay in.  Too little?  The trail had been easy and we felt good.  We called and found a room available here in the park at the Overlook Lodge which surprised us because all rooms were reserved for West Point graduation tomorrow.  We decided to reserve it and keep hiking.  Naturally it is very expensive this weekend.

Total hiking was 13.5 miles plus another mile to get here.  We made our decision based on the first 5 miles which were easy. After that,  it was all up and down.  Very tough day - we did not get here until 7:30.

We crossed the Palisades Interstate Parkway - only 34 miles to New York City.  We were literally running across the PIP between cars going 60+ mph.  We had three more opportunities to see NYC skyline.  We could see it at the first viewpoint.   Skipped the second (too far off the trail).  Too much haze to see it from the top of Bear Mtn.

Tomorrow we need to get a food mail drop before noon in Ft. Montgomery and do laundry.  We will probably hike a few miles out of town to a campsite.   Should be crazy around here tomorrow.   President Obama is the speaker.

20 May Fingerboard Shelter

Warm night and day with high near 80.  Clear blue sky.

Walking along a cliff 60-70 feet high is not a normal way to start the day but that is what we were doing within a few minutes of leaving camp today.  Trail was up and down all day.  We did the Agony Grind (long steep decent ) and the Lemon Squeezer (tight squeeze and very difficult climb), two AT tests that we passed today.  Knee and shin both did well until the end.  It was a tough day but only 8.4 miles.

We are exactly 800 miles from Katahdin.  We have only done 365 miles so far.  I know we are not moving fast enough but after today, I don't think we can go much faster.

Met Cookie Monster a thru-hiker in 1987 who is now section hiking. 

Arrived at Fingerboard Shelter with three other hikers.  Rewind is finishing his AT hike from Duncannon to Katahdin.  One Guy left for next shelter.   The third, Paddy O, was here with "trail magic".  He brought beer, soda, Gatorade,  and cookies.  Later we were joined by L-Ray and Two Cats, section hikers from Ohio.

Fingerboard was built in 1928 and is one of the oldest shelters on the whole trail. 

Sleeping under the stars tonight.  

19 May. North of New York City

Rained all night, low in the 40s.  Overcast day with some misting rain.  Clearing in pm.

Apparently we missed the Rhododendron blooming.  Saw plenty on southern PA before blooming.  Now they are past blooming here.  Mtn. Laurel getting ready to bloom.   Also many more Lady Slippers blooming.

Saw 1 snake, 1 deer, and lots of ravens.  There was a nest at the top of some rocks the trail went over.  I got very close to the ravens before they left the nest.  Have nice pictures with the camera but unfortunately not with the droid.

Got to the shelter by noon.  Seems a waste.  Leg feels good....

Kept walking.  Did a total of 10 miles.   Sleeping on Buchanan Mtn. in the tent. 

Passed Fitsgerald Falls (see picture).    Crossed Mombasha High Point.   Even though it was cloudy overhead,  it was clear underneath.  We could see the New York City skyline.   The picture is grainy but trust me, you could see it.

17 - 18 May Greenwood Lake, NY

Beautiful hiking day with temps in the low 70s.

Saw one deer and three snakes.  One was probably a rattlesnake but I only saw it briefly before it disappeared under a rock.  We crossed Prospect Rock which is the highest point on the AT in NY.

I had a tough day hiking - some leg pain but I walked slowly and carefully.  It is frustrating knowing we need to do more miles per day.  But at least we are still moving.

Arrived here yesterday afternoon.  Had a great Italian sub at Delicious Deli.  We were also steered to the Linden Motel.  We have a room with a view of the lake - watching it rain now.

Taking another zero day.   Alternating hot and cold on my leg and giving it a rest, hoping it will heal enough so I can walk normally.

Location Note from #Compass

State line.

Hewitt, NJ 07421
USA

Altitude: 1395 ft
Latitude: 41°11'30.2" N
Longitude: 74°20'38.6" W