| 8/7/99 | I left out of Ten Mile Lean-to with a little bounce in my step knowing that I was leaving Connecticut. I went to the next lean-to for water and met some southbounders. I hiked with them for a few miles and stopped for the night in the same spot. It was only a 12.5 mile day, but the company was appreciated. I am planning to do an 18 miler tomorrow. It should set me up for a 17 mile day into the Friary the next day. The hike today was very warm, but pleasant. There are more roads with deli's along them, making for good lunch stops. I am finally getting out of my trail blues. My friend Jose is helping too. |
| 8/8/99 | Slept in today. I awoke to the sound of rain on the shelter roof. I originally wanted to get up and get an early start, but I didn't feel like getting wet either. I laid there drifting in and out of sleep with the slow steady patter of rain. I finally got out about 9:00. The rain had stopped, but the humidity hung in the air like a fog. I made good time across the N.Y. terrain. It would have some rocky stretches that would slow me down and then there would be some flat easy stretches that I would cruise on. I went 12 miles and broke for lunch. I walked the .5 miles down a road to a pizza place. I couldn't believe how much I ate. I used a pay phone to check in with my parents. I tried to send my emails but the phone was too staticy. So much so that I had a hard time hearing my dad. I finished up the day with doing another 6 miles to a really great camping spot. I am staying the night with 3 northbounders that came in after me. I am still passing a lot of northbounders everyday. I wonder when the flow will stop. I would have liked to continue hiking with Chic Forget, Warden, and Psycho, other southbounders, but they were going to leave the trail for a week and were hiking really slow. So there wasn't much reason to continue to hang with them. |
| 8/9/99 | I got up and out at 6:30 this morning. It was a gorgeous day. The high was in the upper 70's and had a nice breeze. I cranked out 17.5 miles by 2:00. I just kept thinking of the Friary and that I had to be there by 4:30 for dinner. The Franciscan friars at Graymoor work in the spirit of St. Francis, taking vows of poverty and serving others in need. They feed thru-hikers and let them tent in their ball field. With that greatly talked about dinner in mind, I cruised across the relatively easy terrain with only taking one 15 minute break. I was the first thru-hiker to show. I cleaned up under a cold water shower that the friars provided by the field. I then just sat and enjoyed having the rest of the day off. I couldn't believe I made it so early. It gave me some wind down time to read my book and talk to the northbounders as they straggled in. Most coming a short distance. We had 10 hikers going to dinner and it was a very filling vegetable lasagna, pasta, a cup of soup and bread. We walked back to the field with full bellies and very satisfied. 4 more northbounders showed up while we were gone. We will have a large group tomorrow for breakfast. This is a stop I am glad I was able to make. Miles today 17.5 Total trail miles 774.9 |
| 8/10/99 | I had a fantastic breakfast this morning at the Monastery. I finally got out of there at 9:30 and said my good-byes to the northbounders. It was a warm day in the sun and on the up hills. The hi was in the upper 70's and I could smell the smoke from the distant forest fires that are spotting NY. It caused my nose to run and my eyes to water. I crossed Hudson River on Bear Mountain Bridge. I then discovered that the new disk I had for my digital camera was bad. I couldn't take any pictures without deleting ones I had already taken. Of course there were several pictures that I would of wanted. The Hudson, the fact the trail passes through a small zoo and hikers go through free, the summit of Bear Mountain and finally the faint skyline of NY City some 34 miles away from the top of Black Mt. I guess that means I will just have to come back. I took the day pretty easy and enjoyed the zoo and the park on the south side of the zoo. It was a great place to relax and people watch. It's funny to observe people after being out on the trail for so long. I am staying the night in a shelter made out of stone. The back wall is the stone wall of the cliff behind it. Very unique. I did a 15.4 mile day today bringing my total trail mileage to 790.3 |
| 8/11/99 | I was disappointed that it didn't rain last night. The maintainer came by last night and told us that it was supposed to rain all night. I hiked through some more dry terrain. The trees are losing their leaves because it is so dry. I took a break by a pond and the deer were so tired and trying to conserve energy that they didn't care that I was there. I stopped at a deli for a late lunch. The sub was great and I washed it down with a 16oz beer and followed it with a pint of Hershey Moose Tracks ice-cream. The meal was great. The disappointing thing is that I was satisfied but not full. I left and did another 5 miles to the next shelter. Today's Trail mileage 19.6 Total trail mileage 809.9 |